Live 'till ya drop!
by Snoara
Summary: Say hello to Gloria, a girl who ended up in the One Piece world. Leaving behind the peaceful 'normal' life, she now ventures the world with the Strawhats. And of course, there are gods, goddesses and demons involved.
1. The mermaids sleep in seaweed

Snoara here! *waves shyly* My firstie, and I'd appreciate some encouragement if the story's any good and all critique is welcome. I apologize for my grammar farts if you happen to stumble on them, try to bare with me!

Gloria: she doesn't own One Piece and as far as I see it I'm my own person!

Snoara: I created you, you know... *sweatdrop*

Gloria: Oh yeah? Ya could've done better!

Snoara: S-shut up!

* * *

><p>Kicking another pebble onwards the road, the young and fairly pissed off woman growled to the night.<p>

"Lousy parents... won't let me free for a night... can't see I'm old enough to do whatever I want... wanna go..." and so on.

This all started when Gloria, or better known as Gen, got invited to her more wealthier friend's boat at the huge lake for a week. She promised she would call them at least once a day (_oh for the love of..._) and she promised not to be reckless. No parties, she didn't like them either way. Chiselle - the girl that owned the boat - had a brother with a gorgeous face. Gen's parents didn't like that one bit. They said no, if it wasn't clear to someone.

Gen was not the Kindheart's real daughter, but hell if it mattered to them. The couple had been young when they had found the infant crying loudly and miserably in an abandoned hut in the middle of a forest and searched in vain for her parents. When no one came for her despite the fliers, the officers had given the child to their care.  
>Now she was seventeen and pissed.<p>

"...Stupid... won't set me free... I'mma grown woman, goddammit!" she punched a tree and for a few seconds just stood there poised, a hand on the trunk.

"Ow."

She continued her depressing journey all the way home and slammed the door open.

"I HATH RETURNETH!"

"So we heard..." her father sweatdropped to his daughter's dramatic entry.

"Where do you think you were in this time of night, young lady?" her mother asked, while preventing the youngest Kindheart's advance on the hot pan of wok veggies and fried noodles ready to be served.

"Out...?"

"Sit down and get the plates."

"That is impossible. How can I set the table if I'm sitting?" She earned a glare.

"Aw'right, cap'n Bitterwench..."

"And don't talk like that. It's not proper."

"'appy lil' fam'ly, ain't we?" Mr. Kindheart smirked and poked his wife's side, who in retaliation shrieked.

"Not you too! If you keep giving her a role model like that, she'll really become a pirate! It's bad enough that those books litter this place like the plague!"

"Hey! I have other books too, ya'know?"

"Like what?"

"Trinity blood, ½ Prince, +Anima, Bleach-"

"I meant _real_ books." The food got served and consumed while the bicker was still on.

"They are."

"No, real books don't have more pictures than actual text and you read them from left to right."

"Nag nag nag. Hey, this is good," Gen jumped from one topic to another. Mom sighed. Another typical day for the Kindheart family.

...not likely.

Gen sat on her bed, flipping over pages of a sketchbook. They had everything from doodles to better and full colored pictures.

She stopped to linger on a particular page. It was her utmost favourite; a picture of a small beach, secured by boulders on both sides and the sea stilled to lap against the golden sand. The sky was that of a sunset's, but there was no actual sun in the picture. No clouds to litter it, no seagulls, no corny little ships sailing to the horizon.

Just that... the sea and the sand.

Dad had said that it looked bleak.

"You just see... I will get on that boat..." and she went to lie on her bed in her clothes, the black shoulder bag ready for action.

**(An ****hour ****later)**  
>Her eyes snapped open, and a drowsy smile appeared itself on her face. Getting up really carefully to not make noise, she stretched her hands up and stood on her toes. Shaking her left leg that had decided to take a nap too, she picked up her bag and her black leatherjacket. Stopping by a mirror to briefly take in her looks, she smoothed out her blonde locks. She rarely ever used any kind of make up since it was always a hassle to clean it off, but now se put on some 'alarm' red lipstick. After doing it, she slipped it into her bag.<p>

Giving a mocking wink of her sea blue eyes and the kissy-lips, she weaseled her way out of the window and with a giddy glee she ran/skipped away.

After some time she came to the shore, where Brian's car was parked. Brian was 19, making him thee years older than his sister Chiselle, and two years older than Gen, who just had turned 17.

Brian, just like Chiselle, had brown eyes and red, untameable hair. He wasn't really that handsome in her opinion, and he wasn't the tallest of men, but dear LORD he had a dazzling smile! He could've gotten any girl in the world with it - or with money and whatnot - but she had a suspicion that he had a crush on her-

"FOOOORR THE HOOORDE!" and she was suddenly tackled by a red and gray blur. "Not enough mana..." *

"Haha, sorry! Ya tired?"

"Like a dying man."

"Mneh," and so the girl crawled off of her and helped her stand up. Now it was visible how short the girl was. Brian came out, a stark contrast to her little sister.

"Hey midgets!" he greeted.

"WHAT! You wanna piece of me?" Chiselle jumped with his hands in fists like a kick boxer.

"You going somewhere?" she asked. Indeed, unlike Chiselle, he had his light jacket on and unzipped, and he was jostling his car's keys.

"Yeah, sorry. I have to go help out a friend. Got kicked out of home and I promised I'd take him in for this night. I might not be back though."

"Awww," the girls pouted.

"But you're so fun to beat up!" Chiselle 'reasoned'. (She meant videogames.^^)

"Ah, so cold words from my own kin!" He collected himself after a short pose, waved them farewell and left. Chiselle and Gen walked to the long private dock and climbed to the boat. It was big enough to house at least ten people, and Gen gasped lightly.

"Geez, Chis, this is HUGE!"

"I know!"

Since it was really late already, they changed to their pyjamas and sat under a big blanket on a low couch, watching the moonlit sea through a window. Neither said anything, until Chiselle called her softly.

"Yeah?"

Pause.

"I... want to, no, I _have_ to tell you something."

"Yeah?"

Another, stiff pause.

"What's wrong?"

* * *

><p>"Hey, there's a mermaid!"<p>

"What?" an unenthusiastic, gruff answer.

"I once saved an entire island of mermaids from a vicious herd of demon sea kings! Hahaha!"

"Whoa! You did! COOL!"

"No he didn't, you dumbass!"

_BONK_

The Going Merry had been eight days ago set sail for the very first time. Strawhat Luffy was sitting on the railing and nursing a lump. Zoro, the swordsman, came next to the three others and looked at the supposed mermaid.

"That's no mermaid, but should we still pick her up?"

"Yeah, we should. Before she sinks."

Zoro jumped in with a splash and paddled to the raft of floating seaweed.

The woman on it could've easily been mistaken for a mermaid. She was deeply asleep, but her white, long hair was fanned around her head. Her skin was fair but burned from the sun and next to her floated a black shoulder bag. From it's zipper hung a black and white bunny-rabbit with red bead eyes...

Usopp threw a rope and he climbed up with the girl on his shoulder and he held the bag in his teeth.

"Oh hey, it's a girl!"

"Moron! But seriously, why was she floating here, in the middle of nowhere?" Nami knelt next to her.

"So, she's a mystery mermaid!"

_BONK_

* * *

><p>The next time she woke up, she felt sore. Why was she in a foreign bed? Oh yeah, she sneaked out and-<p>

Her eyes snapped open.

_Chiselle..._

She felt her heart throb and eyes sting. Gen pulled the covers over her head and cocooned in it to escape the heaviness of her heart.

She heard someone knock on the door...

_Huuuh?_

Suddenly, she was aware of the fact that she was not where she had fallen asleep last night, on Chiselle's boat.

Gloria moved the cover and looked around the room. It was smallish and there were many cupboards and cabins. There was a table underneath that all, and a chair in front of it. She recognised her black bag hanging from the back of the chair. There was also a dried and pressed sunflower in a frame hanging on the wall.

"This is not the Trout, isn't it..." she asked from the silence. There was again a knock on the door, and an orange head popped from the crack.

"Ah, you're awake!"

"Uhmm..."

"I'm Nami, this ship's navigator. What's your story?"

Nami...

_THE UNHOLY MOTHER OF EVERYTHING!_

This... she... Nami! She only knew one, ONE person in the WORLD who was called 'Nami', and that, THAT...

Gloria stuttered to regain herself and answered: "Ge-Ge-Glo-Ge-Gloria! I'm Gloria! How did I end up here?"

"So you don't know?" she asked and eyed the black bag. "What's with that?"

"Um? M-my bag is here too...!"

She tried to calm down and swallowed her non-sugary-hyper-high.

After that, Nami brought her a blue T-shirt that showed her midriff and a pair of black jeans. The jeans were good but the shirt bothered her to no end. She tried to pull it down, but all it did was show her clevege.

"That shirt's a bit loose on you, but I guess it'll have to do," she looked her up and down sternly.

"Now come on. My captain wants to see you."

She found out that the room she had been was the ship's infirmary, as they walked through the ship to the deck.

The sun shone high and Gloria saw the clouds drifting in the blue sky. The wood creaked under her, the wind tried to blow her hair in her face-

"Since when was my hair white!"

"It's not supposed to be?"

"No!"

"How long were you in the water?"

"I don't- Wait, I was what?"

"We found you floating on a sea weed in the middle of nowhere, so we assumed you were in a shipwreck. Although, it's been suspiciously calm for this past week."

She opened the galley door and Gen was greeted with loud noises. Luffy, the boy in a straw hat and Usopp, the boy with an insane nose, were wrestling over a mussed sandwich. They stopped to see who came in, and Zoro, the greenhaired swordsman, had a spoon halfway to his mouth. Gloria felt really awkward and misplaced there and her face felt hot. Nami sat in her seat.

"AH! The mystery mermaid is awake! Finally!"

"If she's a mermaid, then where's her tail? Moron..." Zoro asked sarcastically from his energetic captain, who had invaded her personal space in two seconds and was now watching her like she was a very interesting insect.

"You got cool eyes!"

"Uh, thanks...?"

"What's your name?"

"Gloria. You?"

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! And guess what?"

"What?"

"I'll be the King of the Pirates one day!" he giggled and went back to his place to continue with the pigging.

"Oh... that's... good I guess." Nami pulled her a chair and she took it. Usopp got up on his chair: "I am the GREAT captain USOPP! And I have a mighty crew of 80 million men! You might've heard about me in praising songs around the world!"

"Liar," came out reflexively.

"Crap! She saw through it!"

"ANYONE COULD SEE THROUGH IT!" Nami's eyes went white and her teeth became sharper than normal human teeth.

'_The wonders of anime'_, she sweatdropped.

Nami turned to Gloria and jerked her thumb at the kelp-head. "That's Zoro."

"Hi."

"Hmm."

"How come you were just floating in the water?" Usopp asked, once he had calmed down.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Usopp-san... The last thing I remember was that I went to sleep on my friend's boat." _'And getting to know something like that..._' She scratched her shoulder and looked out of the galley's window and whispered half in though: "I have no idea where I am."

Nami rose on her feet and left and when she came back, she had a map and a compass with her. She slapped the paper on the table after she pushed the plates aside and placed the compass next to it.

"We are here. See? The nearest island is over there... And that's four more days excluding this to reach. What was the island you were last you knew?"

_Eep._

"Well, I don't see it on the map," she said shyly.

"What a shame, then. What do we do, Luffy?"

The boy held her in an intense gaze with an almost-smile so long that she begun involuntarily to fidget in her seat. All the while the other three in the room watched their captain watching her.

Then he broke into a huge smile and said in all of his wisdom: "I see! You're not a mermaid after all!"

_BONK_

"YOU JUST NOW REALIZED IT!"

"But seriously," Zoro picked up from where the rational conversation had jumped off the train, "should we see her off to the next island?"

"Mmmnnyeaaa I guess so... Hey, hey!" Luffy invaded her personal space _again_. "Are you a musician?"

"_No_."

"Oh, ok."

It was getting mighty late and under her gaze the four Strawhats brought in the sails, dropped the anchor and sat down next to her to watch the vast ocean.

* * *

><p>* Yayy, World of Warcraft references. Good game, but someone hacked my account! TT^TT<p>

Gloria: That sucked!

Snoara: Don't say that! ...okay it did.

Gloria: Why was it that short! I know you've written in stock, I saw all the 39 pages of it!

Snoara: Ehhh... *swifty eyes* Not all in one go?_Anyways,_ I have to go now, my next class is in ten minutes. Don't want to keep the history teacher waiting ('COS HE'S SCARY~!)

**EDITED  
><strong>


	2. Angsty walnut does not cook

Ok... I have no idea what did I do... this stuff is still kind of new to me so... -_-'

This chapter could've done better, in my opinion it's not angsty enough and the end sucks.

Gloria: Yer right.

Snoara: You are not supposed to say that!

Gloria: But that's the truth.

Snoara: Precisecly.

Gloria: She does not own One Piece.

Snoara: But I own your ass!

Gloria: OI!

* * *

><p><strong>(The<strong>**next****day)**  
>Four days 'till the next island. Four days to get to know the Strawhats!<p>

Gloria had first met them when she had in her boredom read one of her older brother's mangas. He was the one to bring 'The Plague' to the house, as her mother so sweetly had called it. After that... she was hooked into it.

"Yarr..." she said mockingly and snickered to herself.

She was leaning over the railing. She would've soaked her hand through it, but she was too high up from the waves, so instead she satisfied on watching the sea. She'd never been at the sea, only by a lake. Then she flopped down on her back and moaned something unintelligent that sounded something like "Mluaarglrlgrlgrlgrlbrlgrl..."

"What's your problem?" Usopp asked from his place five feet from her. He was tinkering with something.

"Me is bored like Netherworld."

"Oh. What's Netherworld?"

"Equals 'Hell'. My mom doesn't agree with swearing so I had to come up with different ways to express myself. Doesn't help my boredom, though."

Usopp watched around the deck: Luffy was poking Zoro, who in turn was sleeping like a log. Nami was keeping eye on the weather, a frown on her face.

"It's no' gonna boil if ya keep lookin' at it~" Gen said.

"Are you drunk or something?" Nami raised her eyebrow in suspicion. (_"GODDAMMIT__LUFFY!__STOP__DOING__THAT!"_)

"Naaaw, ya're jus' imaginin' it!"

"She's just bored."

"Ehh, Nami-san? Is something wrong with the clouds?" Gloria decided to ask.

"No, just the opposite: no storms, no harsh wind, not even raining!" she rushed her hand through her orange locks. Meanwhile Zoro had gotten fed up with the captain and had slung him away, and the boy trotted over to see what was going on on his ship.

"Isn't that good?" Usopp asked.

"Calm before the storm?" Gen tilted her head. "Oooh! I wanna see a hurricane!"

"I DON'T!" Usopp screeched with a slight clatter of knees. Weird combination, really.

"We have to be ready to everything, even hurricanes. The longer the good period, the worse the bad."

"Yaayy!"

"Whoo!"

"ARE YOU NUTS?_!_"

"I'm a walnut, you're a coconut," the white-haired girl talked with Luffy, ignoring the panicking sniper.

"Why a coconut?"

"I like coconuts, but I want to be a walnut."

_[Insert the sound of getting hit over here]_

"CAN'T YOU TWO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!_?_"

"Oww... Usopp! Why'd you hit me?" Luffy nursed his head. Usopp had hit Gloria too on the way, and now she was pouting and glaring at him at the same time, which made her face scrunch up in a freaky way.

"Stupid, stupid floppy-thingy-head..."

"Huh?" Usopp asked and he could've sworn he heard Nami snort.

"Why don't you two go fishing or play cards or something? And try occupy Luffy too?"

They didn't feel like fishing and for the second the water was too clear for fish anyway, and no one had cards. They tried playing different word games but Luffy didn't get the half of them. Now they laid on their backs in a row on the deck, Gen dangling her feet over the edge.

"I'm bored," Luffy whined.

"So am I," Usopp said "Me Ish **B**_o_**R**_e_**T**h," Gen slurred.

"It's contagious," Usopp was the one whining now. Gloria let out a long sigh and Luffy rolled on his stomach and propped himself on his elbows.

"Why do you speak like that, Gloria?"

"Cut that to Gen. And what do you mean 'like that'?"

"What does **B**_o_**R**_e_**T**h even mean? Not to mention you sounded kinda drunk too," Usopp quipped.

"It's a fancy way to say 'bored'. You just turn the 'd's into 'th's."

"What the hell are you three talking about?" Zoro had woken up and stretching his back.

"We're talkin' 'bout grammar."

"Which you lack," he said and stripped of his shirt. "I'm going to train."

**(Two****hours****later)**  
>Gloria brought up her hand and gazed at the sky. Some lazy clouds were brewing in a distance, but Nami had noticed them. She said that there would be some rough weather later, but honestly she couldn't wait. Luffy and Usopp had found something better to do than loaf around with her. Lucky for them...<p>

She had thought that life on a pirate ship would've been more exciting, but seeing that Sanji wasn't here, they hadn't beat up Arlong yet and so Luffy didn't have his bounty to draw in the marines.

There was a distant 'eek!' and the sniper turned his head to the direction of the galley. Luffy walked up to them.

"Wasn't that Nami?"

"I don't know. Let's go and see."

As it was, the navigator was sitting on her rump on the galley floor, face pale and holding her hand to her chest.

"That thing _bit__me_!" she pointed at the black bag on the table.

"Hey, that's mine!" Gloria pointed at Nami.

"But- but that thing BIT me! What the heck!" Gloria went to her bag and lifted it, holding it in front of her. Usopp flinched away and Luffy let out an interested noise.

"This thing? But it's just a harmless bag, and I've had this thing for many years!"

"What about the bunny?" Zoro asked. He didn't like it at all; it was freaky!

"Got it a few years back. Isn't he cu~te?"

"No, not really," he said blankly.

"Nami, what happened?" Usopp asked and helped her up on her feet.

"Your bag, Gloria. It bit me when I tried to open it." Gen could hear the swordsman mumble something that made Usopp sigh. Luffy reached for the black Nami-eater and just stared at it. He looked up at the navigator, who nodded and he went to touch the zipper.

"Heyheyhey! Whatdoyathinkyardoin'?" the zipper opened up on itself and Luffy's eyes started to sparkle.

"Cool!"

"You are talking way too fast," Gen noted.

"You! Unhand me!" the bag shouted and made a wriggling move, but Luffy just poked it. Bad move:

_CHOMP_

"YEOWW!" he dropped the bag on the floor and it 'tsk'ed disapprovingly while Luffy's eyes bugged out of his head.

"IT BIT ME! I'M NOT FOOD!"

"I told you~" Nami sang behind him.

"Stupid flesh-beings, trying to open me without permission..." the bag flopped onto it's bottom part, the strap behind it. Seeing it move on its own was weird. Really weird.

"I didn't know I had a talking bag," Gloria was amused by this all. Usopp slapped the back of her head: "ISN'T IT YOUR BAG!"

"Technically," the bag spoke again "I'm not a bag. I'm a bunny."

"Ha! I knew there was something fishy in that thing!" the swordsman pointed at it triumphantly.

It appeared that Greg The Talking Shoulder bag was Gen's personal guide-in-life, or something. She didn't quite get it, but she thought it was OK. This all was of course talked over in the privacy of the early morning hours in the crow's nest, where she was holding her swift in the cycle. "Everyone has to do their share," as Nami had said.

That was true, and Gloria was a person who worked even when it was optional and she didn't really want to. If she was sick in a school day, she didn't mention it until someone asked if she was alright. 'Yeah, I had 38 Celsius this morning, but that's ok! I feel great!' she answered, and was persuaded to go home. Which she didn't, even if she did feel like crap. Because of that she had been twice in a hospital.

"One thing I'm not still clear with..."

"Yes, Lady Gloria-sama?"

"You're a bag and you say you're a bunny and STOP CALLING ME THAT!" she hissed.

"Y'see, M'Lady-" he was shut up by a murderous glare.

"Ahm. This bunny over here is the 'real' me, the body I was originally put into, but attaching me, for example to this bag, I will automatically move into it."

"Soo..." she petted the bunny's ear "if I take this off you'll move back into it?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

They lapsed into silence, not awkward nor comfortable. It was a new moon, so everything seemed darker than usually.

These people... she was friendly with them, they were friendly with her, but she didn't feel 'like home'. She could tell that everyone except for Luffy kept a keen eye on her. Usopp didn't like the thought of being close to a man-eating-bag and Nami and Zoro were just being themselves.

Luffy... she couldn't know what was going through his head. From the story she knew he was anything but a brainless idiot (despite the certain... moments). That time earlier in the galley yesterday when she had woken up he had looked at her weirdly, as to see if she was a threat or not.

Her train of thought was abruptly cut due a hand on her shoulder that made her jump and let out a short scream.

"Heyy! Watcha doing?" the boy in the straw hat smiled widely, perched on the railing of the crow's nest.

"Don't ever do that again!" there was a tick mark on her head.

"Do what?"

"Sneak up on me!"

"Mhee!" he stuck his tongue out. "Gen, can you cook?"

Her face was blank and a sweatdrop slid down the back of her neck while she recalled the times she had cooked.

"If you want to keep your crew you will never suggest that again."

"Why?" he tilted his head in confusion.

"Just... _no_."

Luffy clambered in with her and the two sat opposite of each other. He placed his hands behind his head and crossed his ankles.

"What's the name of the island you came from?"

Dun dun dun duun That was highly unexpected... OK, she should've expected that but still. Think, Gloria, think!

Apparently Luffy noticed her uneasiness, so he smiled and waved his hand.

"You don't need to tell me if you don't want! But tell me, what is it like?"

Well, this she could pull off.

"It's my home. I lived in a big town with lots of forest and a big lake in the middle of it, and I didn't have that many friends... but I managed!" she smiled, proud of her answer. Nothing more came to her mind now.

"Cool."

Silence.

"I don't really know how I ended up in the ocean, though. I lived in the inner land." He straightened into a sitting position and placed a hand on his chin.

"Maybe you got kidnapped?"

"No. I'd know if that happened. Think of it like this: you go to sleep and when you wake up you're on the other side of the world."  
>He smiled.<p>

"That already happened to me~!"

Gloria refused to hit him, even when it took a mighty amount of self restraint. "Figures."

"You can go to sleep now, though."

"Ehh?"

"I'll take over, so you go to sleep!"

"Wha-? Netherworld no! If you want to stay up, then it's ok for me, but you are NOT taking over! It's not even your shift next!"

"I know," he grinned. "I just don't feel like sleeping tonight."

"...why?"

"Dunno! So, you go to sleep, Gen."

"_No_."

"Oww, come on~."

"_Why_ are you insisting?" she asked. He hummed and smiled to her.

"Why are _you_ insisting?"

"Cos it's in me nature ta be a loghead."

"Right." He seemed to consider something and then pointed his finger at her. "Go to sleep. Captains' orders."

"You're not actually my captain, kid."

"Kid? But you're shorter than me. And this is my ship, you know."

"I know, but you don't have authority like that over me. You can tell me to go to bed, but how can you tell me to fall asleep? And I believe you're younger than me," came her cheeky answer.

"I'm 17!"

"...Doodles... so'm I."

"And captain says 'go to bed'."

* * *

><p>The third day on the ship started way too loudly.<p>

Gloria was temporarily given the infirmary, so when the ruckus started she had a short head start before the door slammed open.

"Wakey wakey, Gen!"

"..." She pulled the whole blanket over her.

"What? Didn't hear you~!" the boy tilted his head and put his hand behind his ear. A naked hand snaked it's way from the covers, followed by a shoulder and a big mess of white hair.

"Haha! You look like Merry," he laughed.

"O-oi! Luffy, don't you know anything about girls? You never, ev-" "**EEVVVEEERRR**" Usopp, who had appeared at the door, was cut short. He yelped in horror, but the long nose's face turned bright red when she placed her other arm on the floor next to the other.

"PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!" Nami was there too. Gen was laying half out of the bed only in her bra and looked ready to pummel someone, despite the factor of her shirtlessness.

The navigator was nice to shoo the boys out and Gloria was out on the deck an hour later.

"G'morniiii*yawn*ii-iing, Zoro."

"Morning."

"You too; the storm will be here within two hours. It's nothing we can't handle, but it's still going to be rough," Nami said.

"Cool. A hurricane?"

"Just a regular storm."

"Awww," she pouted. Usopp and Luffy came on both of her sides and placed their arms on her shoulders.

"No worries! I, the great captain Usopp-" _"I'm__the__captain!"_ "-will keep you company 'till then, and then I, the grate Knight of the Weather, shall ward off the horrible storms that try to cut our path!"

"Mnaah," she escaped the clutch, "I think I'm going to the galley to brood over something... and no peeking! I might be unclothed again!"

"NO YOU WON'T!" Nami yelled and Zoro, who had been listening in silently, fell over with a red face.

She closed the door behind her and sat down to the table, folding her arms on it.

"Seriously... how did I end up in this mess...? And Chi-Chiselle..." a hiccup escaped her.

"Oh noo now am I going to cry too? That's no good! Haha, she said, sh-she sa-sa-said..." and she burst into tears.

**FASHY-FLASH-FLASHBACK**

"Chis, what's wrong?"

The redhead turned around in the covers and buried her face into her neck, squeezing her tight and trembling ever so slightly. Her pyjamas were starting to get wet where the other's head leaned: Chiselle was crying. She said something, but Gen didn't understand her.

"Little one, tell me. What is it?" she said softly and petted her back. The girl rubbed her eye.

"...I'm going to move away."

"What?"

"Because... because the hospital is so far away..."

"Oi! What hospital?" Chiselle avoided her friend's gaze.

"The doctors said that if I'm lucky I' live to see my 17th birthday."

Gloria was in a shock. Chiselle was one of the rare people in the town who talked to her, and now- she couldn't even end the sentence in her mind, but she knew that wouldn't undo it.

"When, when are you leaving?"

"In four days. Gloria!" she looked into her eyes: vivid blue, shred in disbelief, met with the brown dog-like gaze.

"I don't want to die!"

**END OF IT**

* * *

><p>At school. Had my english test (<em>it's not my first language<em>) today, and I misunderstood one of the questions... Now off to eat and after that something else. And yayy! I finally finished my art works, after some IDIOT decided to delete the file they were saved in D: NOT FUN.

**EDITED**


	3. Riddles and Goldyjerk

The test week is over for me! Yayy! And we finished our demonstration. I also found with my friend a big, cool feather, but I'm not sure where it came from... it looks like an ostrich feather. Our cat tried to eat/play with it and it was so SO cute! Still, I didn't let him destroy it.

Enjoy... if you can. I tried editing it, but I think I have a cold of some sorts so everything is kinda fuzzy _~¤

Gloria: She doesn't own One Piece. If she did, it'd be so bad no one would buy it.

Snoara: Give mercy to the sick!

Gloria: No wayyy~

* * *

><p>There was a light nudge on her shoulder. When did everything go dark?<p>

"Gen, wake up. Food."

Oh, that was Nami. 'Nami', as in 'a wave'. The little movement of the never resting sea, that surrounded them in every direction. That little movement, rocking her into a warm fuzziness...

"Don't you dare to fall asleep agai- Gen? Have you been crying? Your eyes are a bit puffy."

"Told'ya, lil' one. Had ta brood ovr somethin'."

"And again with the grammar!"

"..You're starting to sound like my mom," she grumbled.

Nami pulled out stuff for lunch. She recognized minced meat and rice.

"What are you making?"

"Risotto. Somehow I feel like you got up from the bed and continued on the table." This made Gen giggled and then outright laughed until her eyes teared up. The captain then bursted in.

"NAMII! Is food ready? And Gen is laughing! What's so funny? I want to see the funny thing too!"

"Ugh... No. Yes. You wouldn't understand. Hell no," Nami didn't even turn from the counter she was working on. "We really need a real sea chef..."

"'ey Luffy, you want to hear a fortune?" Gloria looked at him. Her sadness for the memory was forgotten for now with the tiredness.

"A fortune! You're a fortune-teller! So cool! Joi-"

"Why does a hedgehog cry? Make it laugh, and I will consider," she shot him down. She had a good guess what he was on by the two sparkling eyes.

"Whuh? Is that a fortune?"

"No. It's an answer to the question you didn't ask," she said. Nami glanced at her and turned to the door to see Zoro coming in. He sat in a chair and leaned on the table like Gen had.

"When's food ready?"

Nami twitched.

"Patience, Nami-aneki," Gen said casually. The food was quickly made and Gloria helped setting the table, though it was futile due the piggyness of the men on the ship. Afterwards, when everyone had eaten, her 'curse' kicked in and she volunteered to do the dishes. Nobody complained, so she saw it as an encouragement. While scrubbing the dishes, she again had time to think. The whole situation hadn't yet come to her fully, she thought. She was expecting the signs of shock, to feel the anger, the sorrow... but she couldn't.

And it was scaring her.

Her parents, her brothers, Chis and Brian. Did they miss her? Did someone notice her absence? ...Did anyone care that she was gone? Or then, maybe no one noticed. Forgotten? She felt the lump in her throat and knew that she was going to cry again. Angrily wiping her face, she rubbed soap all over her, which wasn't the smartest thing to do. Now her eyes stung from a different reason.

"Ah, son of a-!" she washed her hands from the dishwater and leaned over to rinse her face under the pour of water. When she was ready, she watched her warped reflection on the pot on the counter. She was a mess. Her face was all wet and teary for the second time on a same day.

"I _have_ to get a grip of myself! I'll never make it alive at this rate."

**Squee~**

She jumped and sprayed the water on the floor as the door went.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack!"

"Yeah right," Zoro, the culprit, snorted and went straight for the cabin. _'Jerk!'_ she stuck a tongue out behind his back and went back to finishing cleaning the sink and the area around it.

Suddenly a huge jolt made the ship lurch and then there was a lot of movement. She had to abandon her job and to rush outside.

"WOHOO!"

"DON'T BE EXCITED!" Nami yelled at their captain.

It was the storm.

"I thought it would be here a little earlier, but better late than never. Take in the sails! Gloria, you go under the deck so you won't get hurt. These three can handle it."  
>Due to time, her stubbornness had become a feeling. She knew how it felt, just like anyone knows how sadness or joy feels like. First came the shiver, and then came the twitch. Gen narrowed her eyes.<p>

"No."

Zoro ran past the girls. Another big wave came and swept over the deck and a harsh wind grabbed her clothes and long hair, making her fall. Nami swept her briskly back upright.

"Ack!" the ship made a nosedive to follow the wave that rose behind and underneath them, making the navigator stumble this time. Luffy rolled by, giggling madly.

"BRACE YOURSELVES!" the swordsman boomed and grabbed a hold of the devil fruit user.

They crashed to the bottom of the wave and there was a moment when everyone held their breaths to see if Merry would fall over with the power of the wave, or right herself. The moment went by and they sighed in relief.

"It's almost over!" Usopp announced. His knees were shaking badly.

"Nothing will stop us! Hahahahaha! I'll be the King of the Pirates!" Luffy was sitting on Merry's figurehead. Apparently he had escaped Zoro. The sea calmed down, Nami corrected their course and they moved the items the storm had thrown back to their places. Usopp swept a hand over his forehead.

"Wheew! That was some hard work! But the Mighty Usopp-sama was here, so you all were saved!"

"You didn't do much!" Nami and Zoro yelled in a two-person line, tick-marks on their heads.

Gloria sulked "Cheer up, Gen! I'm sure there will be another one!" Luffy crawled next to her. The heavy cloud evaporated in an instant, and she almost smiled. Note: almost. The heavy cloud of depression was back in double.

"I'm too weak to sail through a storm... even when I'm not the one sailing..." but that was only what she said.

_'I can't be with them much longer,'_ she thought. She would have to leave them, she had decided so. Reasons: she couldn't meddle with the plot, she couldn't keep up with the Strawhat pirates as she was and she had to see Chiselle... before it was too late.

She felt something hit the back of her head.

"Stop moping in the corner and be useful," Nami scolded. Gen nodded sheepishly and got up.

"I said stop moping! You'll sink the ship!"

She did the laundry and hung the clean clothes on the ropes outside. Securing them, she got on to her other chore: cleaning the galley from floor to ceiling. Pickles... on the ceiling. Do not ask. Look at the captain and glare. Good.

Day three passed without further problems.

* * *

><p>"I so hate people with guns."<p>

Gloria didn't actually say that out loud. She valued her life.

Day four: they never made it to that 'nearest island', when another pirate crew assaulted and tried to take over the Going Merry. There were only four of the good guys (_and her_) and there were at least ten bad guys.

Nobody noticed in the fight how some random, obese guy with greasy clothes and puffy lips grabbed her by her hair. That made her scream inside and outside of her head before he slapped another hand on her mouth.

"Be quiet, sweety, and I'll be reeeeal good with ya!" he whispered in her ear. The bad-guys-captain yelled a retreat._ 'Noo! Don't touch me, you filthy jerk!'_

The Pig threw something over her and that way she was dragged off to their ship.

Jostled around, tugged and thrown, she finally came to a stop and the huge jacket, as she had found out, was roughly taken off of her. There was a click of a gun behind her head, but she refused to even glance.

She was in front of a man the size of a closet. He had a surprisingly clean button-up shirt and a shiny blonde plaited beard.

"MrahahAH!" this guy had a weird high pitched end in his laughter that made her think if he had someone squeeze his family jewels.

"I am pirate cap'n Jeremy Goldylocks! What's yer name, lass?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"So I now how ta call me pretty new maid~"

"WHAT!_?_"

"Don' yell in our cap'n's presence!" a gruff voice said and she felt the gun aimed at her ram painfully against the back of her head.

"Oww, don' do that, ya'll brake 'er, Timothy-kun," Goldy-jerk said.

"MrahahAH! I will have yer outfit made by the oth'r maids, so don't ya worry about it, lil' girl."

"I'm no lil' gal, ya nuke-face," her mouth slipped.

'Timothy' hit her again. Now her head was starting to ache.

"Show him respect!"

"Oh yeah?" she stood up on her slightly wobbly feet and faced her bully. The man had good looks, a long dark hair and a hateful stare. He had loose blue pants and a waistband. Note: no shirt! She felt joy in her heart, but shook off the stupefaction.

"'M like a mirror; what the world gives, I'll reflect it back in full. Gotta problem with it?"

"MrahahAH! I like ya, little girl, but don' ev'r talk ta me like tha' again, get it?" his tone turned from cheery to something sinister. His smile never faltered.

She was scared, and her head was pounding. She was also getting hungry.

_'Oh joy...'_

* * *

><p>"What are we going to do?"<p>

"That's obvious! We'll get her back! She's fun to play with and she tells fortunes!"

"Really, Luffy... you are so simple... anyone could make a fortune..." Nami sighed.

They had finally noticed the void that Gen's disappearance had created, when they had survived the damage. The rail was broken, the galley door got chipped and lost it's knob, and there was a huge dent in the wall next to it. And, of course, Gloria was missing.

Zoro hit the already abused railing.

"Bu-bu-but how do we get her back! Those guys outnumbered us so easily!" Usopp cried out.

"I'm not too worried about that. I'll beat that Goldwhiskers up and get Gen-chan back for sure!" Luffy pumped his fist in the air.

Luffy liked many people, and Gloria was no exception. She was a kind person, but a little too sacrificing. Her hair was white like an old person's, but she was... didn't she say that once? 17? And she had those deep eyes that looked like the ocean itself. When he first saw her, he felt that those eyes would smother him.

It's like... he'd fallen in the sea. That made him alert.

Ah, but she was fun to play with, so it was ok!

"WHAAAAAAAAT!_?_ IS M'LADY OK!_?_" Greg stood/sat on the roof of the galley, where he had been left. The bag had fallen asleep and totally missed the fight. Nami nodded.

"We are already in pursuit, but they have a good head start. If the wind keeps up, we'll be able to reach them. Besides, I have a hunch where they are going to."

* * *

><p>Captain Jeremy Goldylocks was a big time pervert. The island he had marked as his territory had once been a blooming crossroad for marketing. Now it had become a nest of crime. He had numerous 'maids' he had kidnapped to work for him. The outfits...<p>

"Oh NETHERWORLD no! I am NOT going to wear something like this!" She yelled. The thing had lots of lace and without the crispy white apron the dress would've been white. In truth, it was the lightest shade of old pink.

The dress came with a pair of long socks and blue-gray lacy shoes.

"Can't help it. The cap'n demands it. Put it on, and we'll show ya 'round, and we'll see what ya can do. Ah, here's the hat!"

"_A HAT_!_?_" It was a bonnet with lace, a recognisable maid's headpiece.

She cursed in her head. Those were the foul ones.

The other maids dressed her and off they were.

There were several maids around the town. They weren't happy. The depression was heavy and tasted bitter in the air. A maid that passed her was blindly gazing at her feet. She couldn't be more than 25, but her eyes were dull and lifeless.

"We are all victims of Goldylocks. Many maids have died 'ere, and the pirates harass and bully the girls all the time. There are 'bout sixty of us," her guide told her with a saddened smile. Her name was Umiko, she was 32 years old and she had strawberry blonde hair. She wasn't so zombie-like like the others, but she had that familiar hurt of hopelessness within. She could tell.

"This is, I feel like my heart is crying!" Gen shivered and rubbed her upper arms.

"It's the pain of the maids," Umiko said. "The youngest of us are no more than fourteen in age and Dogo-baasan is a'ready seventy!"

"EHH? Isn't she a bit too old to be a maid!"

"It is, bu' Goldylocks isn't letting her away. Only way out..." she let the sentence linger and waved her free hand in the air. She was carrying in her other a basket full of apples. Some random pirate wobbled over them and snatched one.

"Hey! That wasn't-!" Gen tried to do something to it, but Umiko stopped her.

"Don't! As long as he won't hurt us it's ok!" she whispered hurriedly.

"Huuuh? Wha was tha', maid?" *chomp*

She gave him a death glare but forced down the arrogance.

"Nothing."

"I don' remember seein' ya around before. A new one, perhaps?" he asked, spraying the juice around.

"And what if I am?"

"Rahahaha! That's nice! The ol' ones aren't that spunky anymore! Maybe we'll have some fun now?" he grabbed her arm.

"Take your filthy hand off of me, you hamhead!"

"Leave her be, Sheab. You know what boss does if you fool around with his stuff," a woman came along. She looked nothing like a maid and lacked the weird accent, so Gen assumed she was on the bad guys' camp. This Sheab-person snorted and left with another apple.

"The rules, please!" Gen squeaked.

"The pirates do anythin' they want with the maids but it's forbidden to 'mess' with us. They treat us like servants, slaves or dirt. Some of 'em are better than the others, but they're all nothing but- yes."

"No bad-mouthing them?"

"Never."

"I see. ...doodles."

The night came and Gen was exhausted. She had spent the damn day washing some ridiculously bright-colored jacket with a feathery collar while avoiding Soop, the captain's vicious sausage dog.

"Go ta sleep, tomorrow will be just as busy as the previous one, and you'll need the energy for it. I'll be waking you up tomorrow, don't worry," Umiko smiled fondly. "It'll be ok."

"Ummm... right. G'night, Umiko."

Gen pulled up the covers and nuzzled them. Maybe this was for the best, the Strawhats were better off without her. Besides, she had years of experience in sneaking around: she'd escaped her family many times for fun and purpose. It wouldn't be a problem to slip in the harbour and grab a boat. Nay, but the question was, what was she going to do AFTER? She wasn't hopeless like Zoro in directions, but in the middle of nowhere she would be doomed and she didn't have anything to take with her.

_'Fuuu-huu-huudge!'_

"Waaake up," Umiko shook her shoulder.

"Dun wanna... What time is it?" she was sprawled underneath the sheets, an arm and a leg hanging in sight. Some tangled white hair poked from where her supposedly was.

"Get up, dress up and eat. There's a pile o' laundry to do."

"But but_ buuut!_"

"I'm sorry. We don' have much time, before Kikuni comes to see that we're not slacking off. He's dangerous, and he's always looking for a reason ta hit us maids. You bettr-"

"I'm up I'm up, no need for melancholy! Yacows!" *****

"Uh, yacows...?"

"Ngaa, don't think about that. It'll fry your mind."

Umiko's daughter, Moriko, was so far the only still happily smiling child around. She was sixteen, but one could get the image of a seven-year-old. Moriko was so much like a child, yet she had the figure of a young woman. She had her mother's light blue eyes, and it made a grate contrast with her dark blue hair.

"Hurry, hurry! Don't be tardy! Sun is shining, birds sing: 'tea! Tea! Tea for the lady!'" she sang and pulled some string to go too tight, making Gloria yelp.

"Don' strangle her, Moriko-chan! And please stop singing, it's so depressing song!"

"Okay."

"I think it was a nice song. Hurry, hurry! Don't be tardy! Ah, but if we just sing around, we really will be tardy," Gen said. Moriko trotted off and went to finish the assignment of the day. Umiko and Gen were to pick fruits from the orchards. Soop was looming at the laundry house's entrance and nipping at everyone who walked through. Somehow though Gloria got the feeling the dog was glaring especially at her.

"I don't like Soop."

"No one does."

They had to walk a long way and as they were they passed the gardens. They were quite average, well kept and groomed. There were four maids attending to it, until some random pair of pirates came and sliced off the only statue's left arm, startling the women and chasing them around. One of them caught a brunette and slapped her fully on the cheek for 'opposing the masters'.

Umiko grabbed her arm and led her away from the scene. 'I am so not going to tolerate this for long,' she gave a heated glare to the road under her feet.  
>The orchard was a strip of fertile land at the outskirts of the actual town. It was rounded with a high stonewall with two wooden watchtowers. The trees grew in neat lines, and like the garden, were very well kept. At home she had a small garden, since she was too lazy to take care of a big one, and her mother wasn't really keen on flowers. She had had a cute little plum tree too!<p>

It was too soon getting too hot in the ridiculous dress. Someone came up to check that they were working, but after some hair tugging and ass-pinching they were off and the maids had a lunch break. Otherwise the fruit picking wasn't bad.

"You do this every day?"

"Yes. We don' have any freedom, and they can kill us if the captain approves with it. If ya try to run away, you'll get killed instantly. Though, it's better to die that way than be 'denied' by him..." Umiko dropped her eyes to her lap.

"I know I'll regret this, but... Why?"

"If the cap'n says that you are not worth living, it means that th' pirates can do anything with ya."

Gloria gulped. That didn't sound too good.

"And... the captain doesn't care when yer to be killed, so... it might take weeks..."

"Please, please don't- just, don't." she'd had enough. This place was the worst, and before she had time to rest better, the guards shooed them back to work.

* * *

><p><strong>*<strong> Yacows are from Jak & Daxter games ^^

Actually, this little 'starting adventure' was based on a nightmare of mine: the Goldylocks guy was Buggy the Clown and Soop was there too... I tamed him, because he was too cute to be Buggy's pet! I still hate that dream, but it gave me some good idea. I hope I have more time to write this during summer! ...since I didn't get a job...

Gloria: *_Snort_*

Snoara: What is it this time?

Gloria: Did you know that _Twilight_ was based on a dream?

Snoara: o_O I accidently found it out, but after I started writing Ltyd... you know it because I know it.


	4. Have to hate Whiskers

**I don't own One Piece.** Now read and review, maybe my sickness goes away. Who gets a cold in the summer anyways?

Gloria: A suckish person like you?

Snoara: x_x Be warned: there's another WoW reference running wild, because I'm suffering from... from... why can't I remember the word for it? Neither in english NOR finnish! Anyway, I'm suffering.

* * *

><p>When their day was coming to an end, they packed up the fruits into boxes and lifted them on carriages. There weren't any animals to pull them, so she figured they had to do it themselves.<p>

"Tomorrow is our turn ta work in the factory."

"Wha? These guys have a factory?"

"It's just a big hall where we make clothes, furniture 'n' such for the pirates. The place is strictly guarded, because it's also the place where we make weapons," Umiko explained. Moriko walked at them from somewhere, she too as tired as a killed worm. The girl flopped onto one of the carriages.

"Oi, don't lay on it! You're heavy!"

"Come ooon, Aoi-chan~! I've worked all day at the dock!"

"We've all worked all day! Every day! And I'm sick of it!" the woman, Aoi, dropped the rope she used to pull the carriage. Gen had a really bad feeling about this. "Why should we work and serve for these bastards?_!_ They're nothing but filthy trash who think they're better than anyone else! Why should we take the way they're treating us_?_! I WON'T TAKE THIS SHIT ANYMORE!_!_"

"Aoi!" Umiko whimpered. The girls stopped and stood back.

"What? Oh, I see. You're all nothing but spineless maids."

"Hey you!" a guard snapped and came to them. Aoi had no chance when she was dragged away, screaming and kicking. Gen looked at Umiko, and then at Moriko. The latter was pale and she looked terrified.

"My... my fault..." she sobbed. Umiko was by her side in a second, shushing and calming her down. The others looked like they had seen the poor Aoi-chan getting torn limb by limb in front of them. Gloria believed they were seeing it inside their heads. She felt like crying.

Night came, and Gloria was curled into a ball in her bed. Moriko was silently sobbing next to her mother in Umiko's bed where the teen had climbed. Gen fleetingly wondered how old had Moriko been when the two were brought in.

Gen fell soon asleep and jolted awake by something. She had a weird feeling that someone was watching her. She felt awfully drowsy and she was sore, how long had she slept? An hour or two? All the same, it wasn't nearly enough, but she couldn't shake the feeling something was there. She tried to see around her, but couldn't. It was too dark. She rose and pulled the dress on her, not bothering to tie up all the ribbons and stuff. Slipping the shoes on, she stalked to the door and peered from a gap if there were guards. To her luck, there weren't any, but she frowned at this. Did they think they were so hopeless they weren't worth guarding? No... she remembered how last night she heard the guards talking to each other about rather lewd things they would've gladly done with the maids, that guarding them was like putting a goat on watch to a cabbage field.

So where was everyone?

She went into her 'ninja-mode' and left to scout the area. It wasn't as empty as she had first thought, so she had to dodge the pirates still wandering around, more or less drunk. They didn't seem so intimidating as in the daylight, but she had to hold her breath when someone turned to look in her direction.

"Ya 'ear somthng?"

"Nay, I did not. Ya'err had one too much?"

"N'waaay" stagger "I 'adn' haf enough!"

She made it painfully slowly to the harbour. She saw in the eerie light of the lighthouse's gaze many ships floating in the bay.

Her heart skipped a beat when someone grabbed her from behind and pressed a hand on her mouth to stifle the scream. She struggled against the muscular arms wrapped around her like steel, but once she had had a good hit on the man she heard a groan and she was twirled around to face him as she had first been pressed to the cold wall. They were in a shadow of an alley and her attacker froze in the spot, his hand still on her mouth. She didn't know why, but the same time she stilled too. Then Gen heard it too: footsteps.

Once the person, whoever it was, was gone the man let go of her and she slid down.

"You good?"

"Yeah- wait a minute... Zoro?"

"Shh. Let's go."

The ship was hidden off from the ship traffic behind a high cliff and the silhouette of Going Merry was making her feel a lot more better.

"GEN!" Luffy's cheery yell greeted her when they got closer. She stopped in surprise and then broke into a run, not stopping until reaching the rubber boy and squeezing the life out of him.

"Gen? Hey, are you ok?"

She cried.

* * *

><p>They had docked away in safety yesterday and looked around the island. It wasn't one from the friendlier end, and they soon took notice of the women in white dresses; they were treated like slaves. Zoro had seen such a few times before and he was still disgusted by it. So, he tried to turn a blind eye to it. The rim of his hat hid Luffy's face, but he could see his mouth set in displeased frown. Nami was tense, but she concealed it well. Usopp was... just like always. Scared.<p>

The pirates were tough looking, but aside from bad behaviour they were just a bunch of weaklings compared to Luffy and him.

Nami had told them beforehand about Jeremy Goldylocks. He had a tendency to gather bad folk around him and he just couldn't resist pretty girls. Why the pirates in their attack hadn't taken Nami was still a mystery.

The small crew of Strawhats stuck together, walked up to a bar/restaurant and ate in silence. Someone asked if the navigator was free for the evening, but one look from Luffy cleared that out. There were at least two maids in the bar who served the customers with fake smiles. Zoro listened in the conversations that flew around the tables.

"Eehehe, Goldy-chan was out again, wasn't he?" a woman rubbed herself against some boar-like man. There was only one word for her in his mind...

"Hum? Sure, he was. Brought in two this time!"

"Oh yes, the cute little brunette and the whitey with a bad attitude. Hmmmmm, I'd like to see she getting a spank!" and the woman proceeded to lick her lips much like a predator.

"Should we ask boss for it? Public Spankers!" he laughed so that the big belly jostled.

They stocked and returned to the ship.

"It's clear now, she's here," Nami frowned.

"How can you be so sure, witch?" he earned a hearty glare.

"How many other young people can have white hair like Gloria?"

"Old people?" Luffy tilted his head and the navigator hit him.

"I did recognize the flag. It's definitely them," Usopp gave his input.

"Ah. And we'll take her back! She's our Nakama!" the captain raised his fist.

"We'll spread out and look for her tomorrow. Let's go to sleep."

Zoro had wandered off first thing after breakfast, letting his intuition lead him. He saw more of those maids, but didn't see Gen anywhere. He stopped to eat and drink when his gut feeling said so and continued on, ignoring all the sneers and challenging stares. Someone even flashed a sword at him. The time he noticed that the sky had become a warm hue of orange and yellow from the setting sun, he started off back to the ship.

The girl they found floating in the sea... he didn't know what to think of Gloria, to be truthful. Luffy seemed to enjoy her company and he was sure he would ask her to join soon, if he hadn't already. He didn't mind, but was she even good at anything besides looking pretty? In no case was he sexist, far from it (_he did get a beating from one certain girl uncountable times..._). He was ok if Gen was on the ship, but... You get the picture.

Even after too many hours, he was walking in circles. He was sure of it: he had seen the same street lamp six times already. When he finally got the gist of where he was, he noticed a maid standing at a clear sight. He had to take a double check, but yes, it really was Gen. _Suck on that, Bad Luck!_ Then he heard the approaching steps of someone and decided to act fast.

She hit him good, and he had to pin her down to the wall. He relaxed himself to hear what was happening, and Gen's squirming halted to a weary tension. He could feel her fast, startled heartbeat and her breath in his palm.

Then he let her go and she slackened to the ground on her butt. Her dress was severely untied, and he wondered how she had gotten in there. Her hair was a mess, no surprise.

"You good?"

"Yeah- wait a minute... Zoro?" she yelled in surprise.

"Shh. Let's go," he helped her up. "Now. To the ship." Fortunately, he now knew where they were and managed get them there in one try. Gloria had walked behind him, but to the sight of Luffy she rushed past Zoro and latched herself to the boy.

"Gen? Hey, are you ok?" She didn't answer to him, only gripped his vest and kept on bawling her eyes out. "Tell me, what's wrong?" Luffy held her by her shoulders.

"Let's go to Merry, and I'll make you some coffee," Nami suggested. The girl sniffled few more times and wiped her face.

"S-Sorry, Nami. I don't drink coffee..." she gave a sad smile.

"Tea, then?"

"Yes, please."

* * *

><p>Oh unholy gods... all what had happened felt like a dream to her now, and she quickly got out of the awful dress of a maid and burned it. Well, almost at least.<p>

"Are you an idiot?_!_ You can't start making smoke signals in a place like this!" Nami was fighting with her for the torch.

"BUUURN BABY,** BUUURN!**"

"She's back to normal, isn't she?" Usopp asked blandly.

"Na, Gen? What happened and made you cry like that?" Luffy asked. Gen stopped struggling and Nami seized the torch. She fiddled with her new clothing the navigator had so kindly offered her.

"Um, I guess it was a combination of everything right now..." she said abruptly. "That, then the shock of this, and then the storm, ah, but that wasn't actually too stressing... well, then there was him, and the ping-pong and Whiskers, then there was that-"

"STOP BEING SO RANDOM!" Nami and Usopp yelled.

"What's ping-pong?" Luffy tilted his head and a yellow question mark appeared above his head.

They _swore_ they saw a weird gleam in her eyes.

"Do You Require Help?" she bowed slightly to Luffy. She was suddenly speaking with a weird accent.

"Aaaa... bring me some meat?"

"Then, is The Reward a Hug?"

"A hug? Oh, if that's what you want!" He smiled, and the girl bowed.

"Quest: accepted!" she announced and left. A moment later she came back... with a plate of meat.

"Wait wait wait, where did she conjure up that!_?_ Wasn't all of it gone_!_?" Usopp freaked out. She handed out the meat and received the promised hug. She struck a pose.

"Quest: complete!"

"..."

"That was cool! Now, bring me more!"

_SMACK_

"What are you fooling around?_!_"

"Maa, don't bother your head with somethin' like that," she waved it off. They went to the galley and Nami put water to boil for tea. Only two minutes ago the girl was so energetic, and now she was drawing circles with her finger on the table. They were quiet for the exception of the normal surrounding noises: the ship was creaking, the pot starting slowly to boil. "I hate Whiskers."

"Who's Whiskers?" Luffy asked.

"Cap'n Jeremy Goldylocks," her tone dripped with sarcasm and her head dropped to the table. "He's a twisted, floppy, perverted..." the list went on and ended with a rebellious "_rooster_".

"He's a bird?" the boy in the hat tilted his head in confusion.

"...I'm starting to see why your mother won't let you swear," Usopp said with a sweatdrop. "No Luffy, don't think about it more."

"If he's a rooster, I can eat him after I've plucked him!" he laughed. Gloria had a hard time keeping her composure for the multiple meaning of the comment.

Zoro smirked. "Knew it was coming to this."

"Coming to what?" Gen asked genuinely surprised.

"I'm going to KICK HIS ASS!_!_" Luffy declared with an air of finality.

* * *

><p>Usopp's knees rattled, when he stood next to his crewmates. This Goldylocks-guy had his beard plaited and he had a puffy-sleeved white button-up shirt and lime green pants with orange stripes going up and down along his left leg. The jerk had a big, ugly feathery captain's jacket and nasty boots with four studs on both.<p>

Intimidating!

"I-I see that we had a bad timing, so what i-if we just came back some other- _eeek!_" he hid behind Nami, when a big boar-like man sneered at him. Luffy had come bursting through the door and they had found the man in the middle of his lunch.

"You made my nakama cry!" Luffy accused and pointed a finger at the man. Usopp noticed that there was a sleepy girl with a white dress and an apron. He remembered that Gen had been in one when they had found her. This girl, a tray pressed against her chest, looked with her downcast eyes so... broken. She was one of those 'maids'.

"Aa? Your nakama?" he drawled, one finger on his lower lip.

"Yes. My nakama."

"I don't remember... I've made several people cry in just this week! MrahahaHA!"

Luffy hit him square in the face. Usopp could- scratch that, _everyone_ could see how pissed the young captain was. Usopp had seen that face twice now; when there was the scuffle with the Black Cats and once when he had learned that Goldylocks had taken Gloria.

She was truly the weirdest girl he had ever met. Gloria was random and cheery and outright lunatic from what he had learnt in these two or three days they had known her, but yet she had that sad air about her, like she'd lost a family member or something like that. She was also quite brave, to take on a Zoro-glare. The great captain Usopp was going to unravel this mystery! Yosh!

Buuut... not right now.

This act made the pirates bristle around them and caress their weapons. Zoro did so too and Nami was ready to whip out her bo-staff.

"_GET 'EM!_!" Goldylocks ordered from the heap on the floor, "but leave the arrogant brat for me."

* * *

><p>OH DEAR UNHOLY <em>GODS<em> that was _lame_...! *writhes in pain* And I hate summer. The vacation is good, the season is baaad, BAAAAD I TELL YA!

Gloria: She's finally lost it...

Snoara: What? The poem-book I was supposed to return to the library? ...yeah... about that...

Gloria: I wasn't talking about that. If you continue this stupidity, I'll have to take over your story.

Snoara: What stupidity? *offended*

Gloria: You, in general.

Snoara: WHY ARE YOU SO MEAAAN~!

**EDITED**


	5. Let 'em go!

Whee... I'm cured! And the vacation started, I'm happy. I had a drawing strive...

I do not own One Piece ~¤

I had to edit this twice, because the first time I made such bad job of it. Reason: I was talking to a cellphone -_-'

* * *

><p>They had insisted to leave Gen behind to the ship and as a result she was rapidly getting more and more bored. Greg had been in heaven to see his master in somewhat good condition and heavenly pissed for her treatment. Now the bag was sitting on the railing of the Going Merry, next to Gloria. Before Luffy had left, he had given her a reassuring thumbs up and a big grin. She was sure they were going to be alright, but she felt useless. She wanted to give hell to the jerk!<p>

Combined boredom and want for revenge, she got up, stretched and flung Greg on her shoulder.

"Where are we going? To see the fight?"

"Nope. We are going to free the maids!"

"The maids?"

"Yes. I don't know, but I think they'd want to have their freedom back." She exited the ship and after kissing the side of it, she left jogging down the road.

Gen knew there would be some pirates hollering around. She wasn't in a maid outfit anymore, so she had a fairly good chance to just walk up the main street and mistaken for a common pirate, but she didn't trust no one to recognise her white hair. She snatched a big gray and green scarf and tied it aroun her head in a piratish manner. Looking at her reflection in a short sword she had found she was pleased to her looks. It only needed some more boosting and she gazed around the street and it's many stands. The sword she took with her, just for good measure.

She noticed a clothes vendor and there... hanging from the sale basket was the perfect pirate vest. Made out of brown leather, it had an ornate high collar that just screamed 'Cool'. Nothing more out of ordinary, she was in love with it. Now, if it only was her size, it would really be perfect!

She stepped into action. Sneaking behind a pair of barrels that sat next to the desired object, she reached her hand and tugged lightly on the hem of the vest with two fingers. The thing was on a basic hanger and just a little more would unhang it. She looked descreetly around if anyone was looking and while the half sleepy vendor was looking the other way, she yanked the vest free. Quickly backing away and behind a corner, she stood up and pulled the vest on her.

She made a wiggledance and hugged herself. It was the most perfect vest ever made! Not that she ever had one before, but she knew that after this she'd never want another.

"I love, love,_ looooove_ it..." she chanted as she walked, now completely blind to the fact that she was in plain sight. When she first saw the mass of maids in their hated dresses, she ducked behind a corner to think.

"What are we going to do? And by the way, you are aware that you just stole from a pirate?" Greg suddenly decided to scold her.

"Shut it. I want to free them, I guess..."

"Then may I suggest?"

"Shoot."

"We need firstly a ship so they can get out of here, and someone that actually can sail one."

"Uhm... right. I don't know if any of them can do it. I'd have to ask about it, but I don't want to reveal the surprise yet."

There was suddenly some yelling and all the pirates dug out their wepons. The maids squeeled some and were ushered off, probably back to the sleeping hut.

"I guess that's cap'n moron on it," Greg said casually.

"Haha, I guess so," Gen smiled and sweatdropped. She had a good guess wabout his actions: barge in a ridiculously absurd moment, tell the wrongdoers their crimes and beat 'em to a blubbering pulp. Then party up and ask her to join him.

Another sweatdrop.

"Yeah, right. And I'm the queen of sea."

"Huh?"

"Nuttink."

* * *

><p>She stalked back to the harbour, where several ships were docked and still some pirates lingered. They all looked alert and she was suddenly reminded of a game she played long ago, and couldn't hold a snicker.<p>

"What's so funny about this!" Greg whisper-yelled.

"You remember the Sly-games?"

"Uh, no."

"Ah, don't mind then."

Not like in the said game, these were real pirates, ready to mince her if she was found, but she needed a ship big enough to hold people.

"Wait a minute... Not all of them are stolen! Some of them were living on this island before Goldylocks. If we can make the pirates go away, the maids can have back their island! Then, it could be named Maid Island!" she had a brilliant idea. Greg hmmmhd and nodded.

"That is better than trying to get a ship for... how many?"

"Sixty, I recall."

"That's enough to start a new civilisation. All they need is a bunch of gentlemen."

"What are you, a pimp?" Gen looked down at the bag, that gave a creepy zipper-smile.

"Don't answer that. Then. What should we do? Wepons? I bet my shoelaces that the girls are tough, but not so sure if anyone can actually use one."

They went back the now deserted allyways, only once seeing a passed out man that reeked of something vile.

"Dead or drunk?"

"Both," Greg gagged.

"Why did we go to the docks in the first place?" she muttered under her breath. The hut was guarded by two goons, leaning heavily against the wall. The other was lean and moved like a cat, the other was big and all muscles. She knew she couldn't beat either of them.

"...doodles... oh wait!"

"Wha-what are you-!" before Greg had more time to protest, Gen was already on the move. She stood up, took an uninterested face on and walked boldly to the two guards. The lean one cocked his gun at her, uncertain of her.

"Who're you?" the big one asked.

"The hell are ya two still doin' here? GET MOVIN'!" she yelled.

"What?" he blinked stupidly.

"Cap'n wants ta see ya, said there's somethin' inconvinient goin' on an' wants all tha' can do shit back," she placed her hands on her hips and cringed at the swarewords she had to spout. The two men looked at each other mildly confused.

"I thought he said ta guard th' maids?"

She snorted.

"Guard th' maids? Do those stupid, pathetic things need ta be guarded, when all it takes is a one bad look at 'em an' they'll quiver?"

"Heh, yer'ight!" he spat "Why should we waste good bashin' time ta these bugs?" the lean one sneered. The big one laughed harshly. "Yeah, les' go! Uh, ya'll take ta job fer us?"

"Yeah, since th' boss doesn' like me ta hurt 'em _too_ badly, hehehe," she put all the evil in her to that low chuckle and the two pirates decided that they didn't want to face her in a fight.

Gen watched them hurry away from her.

"How stupid can one be? Seriously!" Greg said in a low voice, making Gen stifle a giggle. She was playing risky, that could've gone horribly wrong.

"Gone~ finally!" she sighed and let her shoulders slump. She knocked on the door of the hut, three sharp pangs, and the door slid open only for a crack.

"Hey! Is Umiko-san here?"

"U-uh, Umiko... yes, I'll get her now, miss," she left the door ajar, leaving Gen to frown, and soon the woman came into view.

"How may I hel- Gen!"

"Helloo! How was your day?"

"Gen? Wha- you got away, and- you_ idiot_!" she hissed suddenly and hit her shoulder.

"Why did you come back! You had the opportunity, and you wasted it!"

"Shh, Umiko-san! My friends-" there was a distant _BOOM_ and a huge flash lightened up the sky for a moment, followed by an omnious cloud "are... taking care... of it..."

"You mean, your crew came to look for you?" Umiko was stunned. No one had come after any of them, and Umiko could remember how she nursed hope like she nursed her daughter, waiting her husband to come and save her from Goldylocks. No one ever came. They were abandoned.

The older woman grabbed Gen's shoulders with a new passion and looked her straight in the eye.

"Gen! You have hope! Leave now, and you'll be saved from this hell!"

"Nah-a-ah!" she shrugged the hands away and held them.

"Don't you worry about me! I want to chase the pirates away!"

"You... are you crazy!"

"Shh! How many of you can fight?"

"I don't know. I don't believe any of us would be willing to, even if we had any..." she directed her eyes down in shame. Gen looked at her briefly, before pushing her in and closing the door behind her. The maids were baffled by the sudden change in situation and were animatedly discussing about it with each other. Some of them recognized Gen as she stood on the steps that rose froom the hut's floor to the door, and another topic spread among them.

"Quiet! May I have your attention, ladies?" Gen clapped her hands.

"Thank you. You all wonder what's going on and I'm happy to tell you that-" there was another boom that shook the hut, making several maids cringe in fear "that the crew I sailed before my capture is here, currently kicking cap'n Goldwhiskers' bottom!" a wave of whispers rang through. Gen raised her hand to gain silence again.

"But, as you all know, there are still a bull-load of 'em, and I tell ya, girls - it's time for some serious cleaning!"

They didn't say anything about this. All they did, they stared at her. One hand rose and the girl, maybe the same age as Gloria was, spoke with uncertanity.

"You mean, like, wipe them out?"

"Yes!"

"Ahh..."

"Are you sure? We are nothing but maids! What can we do?" another one said. Gen smiled wickedly.

"What _can't_ you do? You work from day to day, so you must be tough and in good shape! You know every way of this stupid place, and- is there any way that we could get to the factory?" She saw doubt flicker in several pairs of eyes.

"Why do you try to rise our hopes? There is none. Come on, we'll get you another dress," one she recalled extremely melancholy and pessimist said in a flat tone. Her eyes were the most creepiest in the lot. Ok, there was one whose eye had been popped as a punishment, but you know the feeling when you stand in front of a zombie.

Back to the point.

"The Netherworld are you saying? To abandon all?" Gen almost snapped, but then raised her hands in a I-give-up motion.

"Fine, fine, you go crawl under a rock now, but you who want to have your freedom - let's put our pretty heads in a bowl!"

"Wha-?"

"A figure of speech, ma copine."

* * *

><p>Zoro had hard time, and that made him happy. He had an ugly gash on the upper left arm and a stabwound in his gut, but nothing more outside of scratches and a spurt of blood on his shirt. Luffy had barged off with a huge golden 'bear' hot on his heels. That was Goldylocks, and apparently he had eaten the Kuma Kuma no mi. They had blown up something not too long ago and the debris was still falling around.<p>

His enemy was surprisingly ordinary person: faded blue pants, a black and white tee, black hair and brown eyes. He also had a wicked sword, which looked more like a saw with it's jagged edge, and it hurt like bitch when it had hit him.

"Gettin' tired?"

"No way, that wasn't even worth a warm up!"

"Yer bleedin' quite nicely! Whaddaya call that?"

"A nick."

"_A nick_! Your insides are coming outside!" Nami screeched from where she had collapsed. She had fought surprisingly well for a sea witch, before some random chick had taken up the challenge.

That opponent had ran off after Usopp after he had ruined her new shoes.

"Shut up, witch!"

"Are ye two married?"

"WHAT? NO!" the two said in unision.

"Well, ya sound like an old couple," and he barged at Zoro. He was ready and crossed his swords in front of him, but due the fact that the damn sword was jagged, he had to get rid of it quickly, if he wanted to still have his swords after the fight. The guy had had a knife too, see the stabwound, but Zoro had gotten rid of it.

Zoro kicked him away and saw an opening. He sliced him before the saw was there again. He felt the pique before Nami's warning and twirled around to cut one of the pirates that felt that it was wise to come from behind a dangerous swordsman in the middle of a fight.

"Shut up!" he tossed over his shoulder and resumed back to fighting.

"Tell me something," the boring guy said, never stopping his assault. "Why do ya fight right now? Loyalty t' yer cap'n? Love fer one of th' maids? That girl ov'r there? Fer _fun_?" by the last word he pushed harder on Zoro.

"Right now?" he talked around his sword and blocked, throwing the saw off. "For several reasons. Captain said so, and you're a bastard."

The man stopped to laugh coldly and moved to behead him. He dodged, but this time the black-haired pirate moved quicker than the previous pattern he had been in and managed to make another gorey wound, this time across the right side of his chest. Zoro bit down to the hilt in his mouth.

"**Asa no ejji**!" the not-so-boring-anymore-guy grinned.

There was a flash, a musical _BZOIIIN_ and a spurt of blood and Zoro fell to his knees.

"How'dya like that? My morning's edge," he cackled. The man before him smirked.

"This is just getting better."

* * *

><p>Usopp in the meantime was still running within the cloud of dust the wind brought on them from Luffy and Goldylocks. There were some lesser bursts of stuff.<p>

"Hold still, ya ssssstupid retard!" the woman after him yelled. The sniper had no intention on doing that, since the mentioned woman was blowing up stuff with a whip. How did she do that, he had no idea.

"I DON'T WANNA DIIIIEEEE!"

"Sssssstuupid!"

Whip, crack,_ BOOM_ and there was again another broken bench.

He had to form a plan, and fast. Otherwise he'd be bombfood.

Whip, crack, _BOOM_, swoosh. Something unhealtihly pointy flew over him.

"EEEHK!"_ 'What am I gonna dooo? I'll be doomed! Doo-doo-doomed!'_

Then he was in a clearing. He stopped and turned to look at his chaser, who halted in response to glare at him and lick her upper lip.

"You pathetic little sssssstupid! I'll make yer insides a skipping rod and hang ya with it!"

"Scary!"

"I'll show ya some 'scary' things if ya want!" she lashed her whip out and it connected with Usopp's cheek.

Crack,_ BOOM_.

His head rang and was in searing pain. He fell to his side, waiting for the world to stop spinning like mad.

"Pathetic~! I don't feel like fighting ya anymore, so I'll just get back to finish off that infuriaiting little skank!" she started walking away.

Oh no, he was not going to let her go just like that!

He fired a pachinko ball to the back of her head, making her stumble on her steps.

"Never! They are my friends and I, Great Captain Usopp will not tolerate this kind of behaviour!"

"Ya sssssstupid! Ya dead now!" she lunged at him furiously and Usopp yelped, waiting another bomb to hit his face. He was saved by a second blast on their right side, making the girl and the sniper fall due the aftershock. He heard Luffy's angry war cry and saw an arm stretch to the sky.

"I can't fall down!" Usopp decided and stood up, walking all macho to the woman.

"Wahaha! Hear that? That was my crew of 8 million! Hear them roar, you are a goner!"

"You can't be serious."

"I mostly am! I am INVINCIBLE! Muahahaha!" he posed. Then was the moment he noticed that the talker wasn't the woman still sprawled in front of him (she was unconcious), but a new and quite familiar voice behind him.

"Get goin' moron, or I'll prank ya 'till next week!"

"WHUAA! Gen, don't sneak up on me like that! Huh? Who're they?" Usopp related to the women behind her. They quickly hid something within their skirts as he looked at them.

"They are maids, Goldylocks' slaves. We are going to free 'em," she said, while poking the piratesse that harassed Usopp not only a minute ago. One of the maids turned to whisper to Gen.

* * *

><p>Why is it so damn hot outside! My brains are melting...<p>

Gloria: You have one?

Snoara: -_- I am going to ignore that. I tell you now: I am really bad at writing action, but I'll do my best with it. Reviews would be nice, thank you!


	6. Netherworld to pay

Sorry it took some time to upload this one, I've been lazy on writing and eating way too much ice cream. It's been hellish week, but I'm alive! My brother has been playing Black ops, and I'm getting sick of it.

Gloria: Don't turn this into your diary!

Snoara: I'm not, and** I don't own One Piece**. Only Gloria. She's my biatch.

Gloria: Why you little-!

* * *

><p>"Can we trust this guy?"<p>

"He has a problem with outragious lying, but he's good. The Strawhats' sniper, actually." The maids relaxed a little.

"Shouldn't you be at the ship so you wouldn't get caught in this?" Usopp reminded her of their agreement, crossing his arms. She waved him off.

"I'm not a strawhat, remember? They are just suggestions on what I should do, no orders can bind me!"

"That's not the point!"

"I know I'm weak, but I want to help. Period. Now, where are all the Goldylocks' pirates? There's Netherworld to pay!" she hit her open palm with a fist, glaring around, daring anyone to pop out of hiding.

"Zoro and Luffy wiped out most of them, but I'm sure they are still around."

"Goldylocks had many different piratecrews on his side: the cap'ns are on his side, and their subordinates on theirs. Logically, if we take out Goldylocks, they'll cave in," Umiko pointed out.

"Luffy's fighting him right now," Usopp looked at the fight still raging in the distance. They really moved quickly around.

"Is he going to be alright?" Moriko held her mother's hand, worried for their only hope.

"I trust him," Gen said genuingly. They set back on the move: the factory. The pirates hadn't given them keys, so they had to think about it once they'd get there. They had to clobber some pirates on the way, Usopp telling them stories of his 'adventures' until Umiko had to shush him.

"But mom! Captain Usopp is so cool!" Moriko whined.

"We have better things to do, you can hear out all the things you want later when we through a liberation party."

"A party?"

"Yes. I think it's appropriate ta have one," Umiko smiled.

"You said 'when', shouldn't it be 'if'?" one of the girls said. She was still not convinced about this, but one can always try.

"Exactly."

"Well well... wha' do we have 'ere?" someone said with a gruff voice. They were surrounded and the maids let out silent gasps. Gen counted quickly eleven men. Oh wait, tweleve, but the last one looked a little torn on what to do, to keep leaning to the wall or help out his mates. She remembered him because he was one of the rare pirates who didn't treat the maids like filth, rather tried to avoid being in contact with them. He had long, dark hair and a goatee.

"Did ya think ta could run away, lil' ones?" another asked, leaning to them and grinning madly.

"There's twenty five of us and eleven of them. We could make 'em our bitches!" Gen reminded. Usopp looked at her weirdly.

"It's not a sware word!" she defended, making the liar bring his hands up.

"Bu-but they look tough!" one of them cried out. Gen sighed. She approached the talker and kicked him in the nuts with all her might. He let out a painful gurgle and Usopp's hand strayed over his own groin in sympathy. Gloria looked over the maids. Moriko was snickering, Umiko looked surprised.

"Well?" Gen cocked her head.

Her example brought resolve to the maids and soon there were eleven whimpering pirates in a bunch with several aching places. The twelveth looked amused and Gen had come to a conclusion that he wasn't big of a threat to them. Umiko noticed him first from the maids and her eyes widened. She walked briskly to him and Gen was worried for the guy's near future. They were all quite surprised: Umiko hit him, _hard_, and engaged soon after in a less than modest liplock.

"Oh so _that's_ daddy," Moriko giggled. "He's handsome!"

Gen gawked. "Your... dad...?"

The two stopped kissing (Umiko had her hands around the man's neck, and he was grasping the back of her head) and gazed at each other, Umiko with anger.

"You..! You were here all th' time and didn' do a thing!"

"'M sorry! I couldn'! There are others who would like nothin' else than ta get rid o' Goldylocks, bu' when I talked with 'em, they simply said 'he's too strong, can't do a thin''!" he said and Gloria could see animetears.

"You mean that there's other pirates like you?" Usopp asked, getting a nod. "Good! If you can get them together, we'll have less to fight off!"

"Good idea!" Greg gave his two cents. "And we have less to chase away."

The pirate was reluctant on leaving his wife again, so they took him with them. Soon they reached the factory and the other half of the maids, got the keys and sneaked in. The factory was... a factory. There were several sections of it, an armory, a carpenter's area, a tailoring corner and other such places. The maids set to work and gathered a good variety of different kinds of swords and guns. One even had a sturdy spear.

"Amazing! Have you done all these?" Usopp admired one certain gun with awe. Umiko was really proud of their crafting.

"Yup! And we're good at it too!"

"Ne, Gen-chan, what do ya pick?" Moriko asked. She was clinging to her father's left arm as the right arm held a rather nice katana. Gloria was thinking rapidly, but Usopp saved her from the pickle.

"Take this. You can stay hidden and still be able to do damage," he handed her a long piped gun. She weighted it in her arms.

"Nay, can't use this. Too heavy."

"Then wha' 'bout close combat?" Umiko held a short katana and a knife for her to see.

"Never tried properly, what I little fooled around with-" and she cut herself abruptly. "I mean, I haven't tried, but I should take 'em with me."

They didn't comment on it, but Usopp tucked it away to think about it later.

**_KA-BOOOM_**

"Aaa!" Moriko yelped. The loud explosion made the earth tremble and Gen fell down from the surprise of it.

"What the hell?"

"It's Luffy! He's still fighting that guy!"

"Apparently." Gen stood up and dusted her pants. "I'm going to see! No way in Netherworld am I goin' ta miss it!" she had that crazy gleam in her eyes again. Usopp shrieked.

"YOU CAN'T GO THERE!"

"Oh why not~?"

"'COS IT'S NOT SAFE, YOU IDIOT!"

"_SO WHAT!_" she yelled at him and continued with a more calmer tone "Why wouldn't I want to see that bastard getting beaten to a pulp? That guy..." she grit her teeth "is not worth to be called a pirate." The others stared at her awkwardly, glancing at eatch other. The athmosphere had turned out quite heavy, but she broke it with a sudden bright smile.

"Come on! If you're all ready, let's go! And kick some-"

_sshlink-bzoiiin..._

The noise came from another direction, followed with some rapid klashing.

"Oh hey, Zoro's over there," she said casually.

"Zoro? Seems like he's still having his battle."

"Yeah, but he can handle himself. It ain't biggie." she looked around the poeple, cocking her short sword (the knife was safely tucked inside her bra): "Giddy up, people! We ain't got all day!"

"And your grammar sucks."

* * *

><p>Luffy was no hard time finding, just follow the trail of destruction. They had agreed that Usopp would go with the maids to 'protect them' as the sniper said and locate the remaining pirates from the town. Gen in turn wanted to see the epic battle before it ended. She fell on her butt in surprise, when a house went in pieces right next to her.<p>

"Hey Gen! Didn't notice you over there!" Luffy grinned. His hat had flewn somewhere, his clothes were dusty and ripped slightly from the edges and he had some cuts and random blood spots on him. Like a true warrior. Otherwise he looked fine.

Then she risked a look at his enemy. There stood a HUGE golden bear on it's hinder legs, glaring at them angrily. He still had the ridiculous beard. Goldylocks too had seen better days.

"Uhm, you are going to be alright?" Gloria asked, not out of worry but because it seemed appropriate.

"Shishishi! I've beaten bears bigger than this!"

Gen didn't really have a reply to that.

"So this is the 'nakama' I made cry? She's pretty! Wanna be a maid fer me?" Goldylocks chuckled. Gen couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine.

"Like Netherworld I'd do that again! I jus' got out of the horrible torture called 'dress'... Woulda burnt it too if Nami hadn't stopped me," she crossed her arms in a pout.  
>This had an awful effect on Goldy. His expression darkened and he trembled with anger.<p>

"You... escaped? MrahahaHA! **NO ONE ESCAPES ME!** YA ALL BELONG TO ME, YA STUPID **MAID!**" he roared and lunged at them, but Luffy was quicker than he was and punched him with a good pistol in his face, making him skid back for a few steps, before shaking his head and continuing his rampage. Luffy grabbed her waist and jumped out of the reach as the bear crashed through the house and was way too soon on them again. All they could do was dodge and run. Gen was starting to tire and her feet ached.

Luffy pushed her suddenly away and made a slick move to jump on Goldylocks' head, grabbed his round ears and stretched his legs around his neck. He howled in pain and anger.

"NO ONE TAKES WHA' IS MINE! YA FILTHY SHIT, LEGGO O' ME SO I CAN TEAR OUT YER HEART!"

"**NO ONE CAN OWN A PERSON!**" Luffy answered, he too getting pissed off. Gen was still sitting where she had fallen from the push, watching in awe how Goldylocks tried to shake the rubberboy off. In this action he broke some more of the surroundings and she was forced to retreat further away.

Goldylocks rammed his head to the ground, squishing Luffy as well. Of course it didn't work much, he was rubber after all. She hoped the jerkface would get a good headache from it.

Gen saw something flutter in the wind and turned to see the precious hat trying to wander off in the wind, so she dashed at it and held it carefully. She had never seen it so close before... the real, original Straw Hat! She squeeled inside and hugged the object on her chest. She then inspected it, looking at the details. The ribbon was made from silk, it was smooth and slightly worn. The hat was thicker than the strawhats she had seen before in her home world.

Watching at it a little while longer, she pulled it in her head and giggled. "The crown of the King!"

Snapping back at the situation at hand she turned around to see Luffy finally letting go of Goldylocks. The boy didn't wait for him to get up.

"Gomu gomu no _PISTOL_!" he had whirled around and punched the bear in the face.

He wobbled, groaned and turned back to human before falling on his front. Gloria cheered.

"JERK!" she taunted the fallen captain in front of him.

"He is," Luffy frowned, but then turned to look at her with a Luffy-smile. "Hey Gen! Join us!"

"No way!"

"Eh! Why not?"

"You didn't answer the riddle!" she smirked.

"_No fair_!"

"Yes fair. We had a deal. Ahh, I wonder if Umiko-san would like to take me in~?"

Luffy's eyes bugged out.

"Noo! You must come with us! you promised!" he gave the puppy-eyes. He was so easy to tease.

"Sorry, I'm immune to that! Ha!"

Since Gloria was facing him and her back was turned to what remained of Goldylocks, Luffy saw behind her and gasped. He could only utter a hasty 'duck', before she was thrown off into him. They skidded as a pile of limbs and dust until they hit an obstacle and came to a stop. Luffy was a good cushion, Gen thought. Then she noticed that her back stung unfavorably.

"That was cowardice!" Luffy's eyes were turned to the attacker - Goldylocks. She craned her neck to see him and in the process saw the blood staining her shirt like no tomorrow.

"Oh fudge... Tha' ought ta take ta fun out."

"MrahAH! Ya thought tha' would take me out, did'ya, rats?" despite still talking like the Bad Guy, he was panting and on the verge of collapsing again. His face was swollen and his nose bled, which made him look all the more... ridiculous.

She friggin' _laughed_, not thinking much of the wound on her back now, and whinced when it gave a painful throb.

"Oi, don' laugh at me!" he yelled. She had no idea why she was laughing, but he was now in the demi-bear form, his upper body and arms pelted in hair and his fingers like long daggers. 'Ah, that's where the wound came from.'

"Go die in a hole somewhere," she heard a voice, and the three turned to see a pissed off army of women. They had gotten rid of the uniforms in favor of some more normal clothing. Usopp, a limping Nami and a bloody Zoro were all with them, and none looked too happy. It was Moriko though, who noticed something really weird: "Ooi! Gen-chan~! Why is your blood turning purple?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm secretly a smurf!" she quipped and laughed lightly. Her shock-o-meter was full for the day, so nothing could make her any more weirded out.

"What's a smurf?" Luffy asked.

"NE, UMIKO? WOULD YOU TAKE CARE OF THIS DECKBRUSH-UP-THE-BUTT!" she yelled unnecessearily loudly. She must've had lost a little too much blood. The statement made Luffy laugh madly and the others look at each other and her in concern.

* * *

><p>Zoro felt better when he had wiped the stupid smirk off the guy's face, and wandered off to find Luffy. The town's trashing had subsided, so he concluded that he was near ready. On the way he had found Nami and they had come across Usopp and the big herd of women, which apparently had been in the same situation as Gloria. The liar had filled them in (with a crapload of lies) and then they had found both Luffy and Gen as well as Goldylocks. All three were bleeding, one changing color too.<p>

"Ladies," Umiko-san called out. "I believe we have a score ta settle with 'captain'!"

Zoro had never believed that men were any better than women, but he still was awed at what they did to Goldylocks. He wouldn't dare to describe it.

"Please! have a little mercy!"

"Do you hear anything?"

"No. Have more tea, Fuyu-san?"

"Yes please. Does someone want more of this cake? It's excellent."

Some of the women were having a tea party, including Luffy, at the docks where the Merry had been brought. He was scarfing down the treats they had conjured from Godly's stash. The injured had been treated and Gloria was finally sleeping. The girl was a pain! She whined and whined and didn't want to stay put for a second, and he had to haul her off to the ship twice before he threatened to cut off her hair if she didn't rest.

He slumped tiredly on the bench and he was handed a pint. What began as a teaparty was quickly turning into a mild party.

"Ya need a drink, dude!" it was Umiko's husband, Itaru. More or less drunk, he guessed.

"Hmm."

Itaru sat next to him and leaned heavily to the left, fortunately away from Zoro.

"She's so pretty," he sighed. "Moriko-chan, I mean. Such a cute daughter I have! M' hair, her eyes she has, and soo 'appy all th' time," he paused to drink from his tankard.

"Mmm," Zoro answered. His drink wasn't as strong as he'd liked, but still good quality.

"D'ya think she's pwetty? They're all pretty, the girls."

Oh look, that tree over there looks like the one at his old dojo.

"An' that one who turned blue! She's freaky, but cool. An' she's pretty too. 'Er hair was so loong.. D'ya think she's pretty?"

"Hmm."

"Wassit her name? Nev'r got it.."

"Gloria."

"Ohyea! Glooory. Is tha' 'er?" he pointed somewhere. Zoro groaned in frustration.

"Yes, and I told her to stay!" he got up and marched up to her. She was sitting at the tea/feast table next to Luffy, who was egging her on at a game of tug-o-war with someone he didn't know.

"Gloria, what did I say?"

"But I don't want to! It's too lonely to be on the ship!" she whined.

"Yeah, yeah, Zoro! She's all healed!"

"No one can heal that fast!" Nami said disapprovingly. She had a pile of papers under her one arm and a glass of wine.

"B'sides, Luffy and Zoro got more hurt than me and they can party!" Gen tried to reason. He sighed. There really wasn't much he could do, as every time he would drag her away, she'd come back double the more stubbornly. The only way to ensure she'd actually stay down, he'd have to sit on her or... Hmm... where could he find a rope long enough...?

Why was he even bothered?

"Hmm.." Gen hummed. "Where's the whiskey?"

"That's it!" and he hauled her to the ship for the third time of the night as well as the last time, as he did find the rope.

* * *

><p>Crappy action and everything ran a bit too quickly. Read twice if missed something, or ask. Reviews would be cool.<p>

Gloria: Where _is _my whiskey?

Snoara: None for you! You're still a minor!

Gloria: So are you. ...and everyone on the Merry... and they're still allowed to get drunk...

Snoara: They're pirates. Laws don't apply to them. If you want to drink, you'll just have to become one. *hint hint*


	7. Pair o' good legs

I'm so happy I got the Starting Adventure off the list, I was getting annoyed by it. I'm sorry that this chapter is a little short (2,143 words), but I just take good sized chunks out of the 'mass text' as I'm writing it. _Hi Jhonie!_ *waves*

Gloria: It's so gray outside...

Snoara: I know! I love it! It's not so hot anymore, and this weekend is the Desucon! ^^

Gloria: Yayy, spend all your hard gathered money into manga and ****...

Snoara: What's with the stars?

Gloria: I do not sware, but I couldn't find better suitable word for it. **Snoara doesn't own One Piece** (nor me!)

Snoara: We've had this conversation before! You Are My Character! (And so is the mystery chick...)

Gloria: Whut?

* * *

><p>The next morning they were off before she had woken. When she finally got out of the bed she was feeling really bad as a contrast to yesterday. Everything came back rushing and she leaned to the wall for a moment. She was sore from several places and she had a dull ache in her back.<p>

"_Gruaaaah..._"

"HEY GEN!"

"Please, Luffy! Don't yell so loudly!"

"Oh, sorry Gen," the boy whispered.

"Hey, hey, guess what!"

"What?" she asked blankly at his suspicious behaviour. Like a kid with a big secret, a goliath beetle in a pillowcase or something like that.

"We kidnapped you!"

"Huh?"

* * *

><p>Nami had done some breakfast for them, if it could be called that anymore at twelve o' clock. She ate her porridge and drank her strawberry juice as Luffy explained in triumph of his 'genious' abduction.<p>

"Even when Gen said she didn't want to come with us, I decided: she will! And then we left before she could run away! Shishishi!"

"Horaay," Gen said blankly. "From a pick-up ta a hostage?"

Luffy nodded.

"You can't say no to him," Zoro grunted. She guessed he had a hangover of some level. If not, she'd make sure his day would be bad. Nami sighed.

"I have a bad feeling about this..."

"About what?"

"That we took her with us. She'll be a trouble magnet or something."

"And you don' think he is?" Gen piped up, pointing at Luffy, even when Nami was talking mostly to Usopp.

"Luffy seems to have a liking to you, so all I can say is: don't make it cost me my money! It's mine!"

"Don't you mean 'ours', Nami?" Usopp rised an eyebrow. The navigator glared at him with murder in her eyes.

"**MINE**."

"Okay, okay!" he surrendered in seconds.

"But yannow, I don' know much about ships and hasn't sailed one at open sea, ever. I can do small chores aroun' an' - pardon me - I think even Usopp could beat me in a fight," she said thoughtfully, fidling with one of the two braids that her hair had been tied into at some point of the night.

"Oi.."

"I don't believe that. He's really weak, you'd beat his ass in an instant."

"OI!"

After she ate, she clampered back down to the infirmary and holed up in there.

"Greg, I never asked this, but what's exactly in you?" she dug through the protesting fabric. She had no idea how the bag had come with her, how it became a living, thinking... _thing_, or what she'd packed in it. Was something missing? Was something added without her knowledge?

As a result to the trashing, the bunny fell off, the bag stopped flailing and the fallen bunny layed motionless on the floor for a while before sitting up and glaring at her.

Like expected, she found what she had packed in there before she had left her house in the dark of the night. Her scetchbook, penbag, the lipstick, two black T-shirts and a set of underware as well as other small items, like her wooden whistle and a necklace she thought she had lost a long time ago. It was a round plate made from iron and there was a flower in the center of it, a black engraving running at the edge of it. It hung on a strip of maroon leather. What she couldn't find was her Mp3 or her cellphone, but then she remembered that she'd stuffed it in her pants pocket... and the pants were laying on the floor of the Trout.

"Yayy!" she pulled out the pens and the book and sat on the bed. She turned the pages, fondly remembering the occasions when she had drewn them. She passed the seastrand, looking at it briefly, and then turned out a new page. In a way, it was her diary as well.

...

...is Inspiration home? No? Well, will you give her a message? ...yes, I can- no, not at all! I think I'll just wait for her, then...

She sighed and laid down on the bed, crossing her arms behind her head. If you couldn't get an idea, you couldn't get one. Her mind was bustling through the events. '_Good Draketrees! Almost a week!_' Then there was a figurative light bulb above her head, and she started schetching away rapidly, before the picture burned out of her mind's eye. Soon enough, she had a rough picture of Moriko in a princess-y dress, much like the maid dresses, but longer and less lacy (Nami had taken the dress away, saying that it could be sold at somewhere). The girl even had a tiara.

She continued in peace with her drawings, until there were hurried steps slapping against the floor and her door was yanked open. She didn't bother look up from her work.

"Wha' is it, Luffy? Did Tim fell down the well?"

"Who's Tim?" he tilted his head.

"Nevermind that. Why did you come?"

"Haha," he looked sheepish. "I thought you jumped off the ship and swam back to the last island."

"And how th' Netherland would I be able ta do that?" she tried to look annoyed.

"Hey, one can never know! You are just like that, and when I asked where you had gone, Zoro suggested that..." he drawled on.

"Ah. So he was mean to ya?" she uncorked one of her loved pens and started inking her picture. When Luffy just stood there, she was starting to feel awkward, teacher-has-nothing-else-to-do-than-hover-over-your-desk-and-breath-down-your-neck awkward. The second she put down the pen, she was yanked off the bed, making her possessions fly around.

"OI!"

"You've been here too long! Come and play with us~!" he sung and dragged her out to the deck. Sun was beaming down on them... she grimaced.

"I can see the light! _And it buuurns_!" she screeched and tried to claw away from his grip.

"Zoroo! Come and help me! She can't go back in! Captain's order!"

"Ya ain't me cap'n!" Gen wailed. The marimo was sitting next to the railing, an amused grin on his face. Nami laughed, but then remembered the airhead's injury.

"Aren't you in any pain?" she asked. Luffy and the girl turned to look at her, and he let go of her like she'd burned him. She made an '_ooff_' noise before getting back up, feeling her back.

"Ow."

"Stop fooling around then!" Usopp scowled. He was fishing with no apparent luck so far.

"See, Luffy? I can't play around with my back open," she nodded gravely and scooted to Zoro, using him as a pillow.

"What... are you doing?"

"Using you. Got a problem?" she cracked one eye open to see his stupified expression and smiled.

"Don't sleep on me, woman!" he pushed her aside, but she grinned and giggled.

"WHAT!"

"Ya called me a 'woman'!"

"So? ...you are one, right?" he looked at her with uncertanity.

"Stupid: of course I am, but no one has ever recognized me as one."

"Oh joy. Now shut up, I'm sleeping."

"No you're not. You are _trying_ to sleep. There's a difference. And it's not really sleeping but _napping_."

"Go away, before I do something I won't regret."

She rolled her eyes around and rolled away like a log. No way was she going to let go after yesterday! She didn't remember much of the later hours of the celebration (no, it was _not_ a party. She hated parties, so it couldn't be one.) but she did remember that Zoro was a jerk to her. And that he'd roped her down.

That in mind, she climbed up to the crow's nest, hand full of small bits of food. She had seen the few seagulls flying around the main mast and had a payback ready in her head. She looked around and settled some food on the railing, where the gulls snatched them, feet touching the wood only briefly. She looked at them fondly. Gen had never thought seagulls as 'gracious', but right now...

Oh yeah, the prank.

"Gull, gull, gull..." she whispered and waved the hand with food above the empty space to make the birds notice it, before dropping the food down. On Zoro. Then she ducked out of sight, as the flock dived down after the food, and she heard the seagulls and the swordsman screeching. Nami and the rest came and started laughing at the man's cussing. Finally the birds decided to fly back to the feeder, a little confused and hurt too by the trick.

"Oh, don't give me that face!" she smiled. "I only wanted to mess with the marimo," she cooed and stretched her hand to the closest seagull, which surprisingly let her pet it's head.

"You're so cute!"

She swore she saw it's eyes turn into small hearts.

"_**GLOORIAAAAAH!**_"

"...doodles."

* * *

><p>She had hidden until lunchtime, listening as Luffy and Usopp played with the cannon. There seemed to be a weird stretch or a loop in the timeline, as she remembered this happening almost right after Going Merry left it's birth island. The jolly Roger flapped in the wind, so the whole Goldyjerk issue was squeezed between The Flag and The Cannonplay scenes. And what kind of twisted bastard was he! Keeping women like items...<p>

Back to the present: Zoro hadn't caught her, or then he had done something she'd notice later. She didn't like these kind of situations, but he had started it! At the table, he glared at her between the bites. Gloria ignored him skillfully and opted to listen to Usopp's story about giraffes and pink sharks.

"Hey guys," Luffy started, a foreign, thoughtful expression on his face. "There's still one position that we'll have to fill before the Grand Line."

"I agree. We do have a nice kitchen," Nami leaned into her palm. Zoro took a brake from trying to make Gen burst into flames with his glare.

"He's the one we need most on a long journey."

"You think so too? Because we aren't real pirates before we have... A musician!" Luffy smiled brightly and Gloria laughed.

"Are you nuts!"

"Incorrect. He cannot be all nuts, he's just a coconut," she said sagely.

"You're not a nut. You're a purebred idiot," Zoro said, either to Luffy or Gen, but she still narrowed her eyes at him.

"For a second... I thought you had a good idea, but then you just had to crush my hopes!" Nami yelled.

"What do you think being pirates is about?" Usopp yelled too.

"What? Shouldn't pirates have some kind of entertainment?" Luffy asked. Gen snickered, he really only thought about having fun.

"What we need..." Gen held a dramatic pause to gather attention "...is a pair o' good legs."

"What the-!" Usopp sputtered. Nami's eyebrow twitched, but Luffy looked confused. Zoro sighed.

"Oh yeah, Gen, you promised me a fortune!" Luffy suddenly remembered.

"That is a fortune good enough for now. Keep it in mind, and you see what I mean!" she winked, just as they heard a yell coming from outside. Luffy went to investigate it, followed by shouting and a few crashes.

"How many?" Zoro asked from the floor, where he had taken his nest.

"Just one," Nami and Usopp watched through the galley window.

"He can take care of it, then."

After some more trashing, Zoro got up and went out. Gen smiled to herself: she knew this scene quite well. Johnny, telling him Yosaku was sick etc. so she spaced out and sat there, waiting for something interesting to happen. She didn't even notice when the two idiots came to fetch the lemons, but when she felt the teeth in her shin, she yanked her leg up from the floor in instinct.

"What the Netherworld!"

"Finally, M'Lady! I thought you had left your earthly being!"

"Uh... huh?" she was too confused to nag about the 'M'Lady' part, as the palm-sized black and white bunny bowed in an apology.

"I called you, but I couldn't get through, so I had to bite you. I'm sorry. By the way, your pants taste like lemons."

"...right. Did you have something important or did you just want my attention?"

"Ah, yes. I have a message: 'Stop by the head, when you have time.'"

"A message."

"Yes."

"From who, if I may ask?" The bunny looked sheepish (how can a toy do that?) and rubbed it's paw.

"Can't tell. It's a secret."

"Come on! Tell me! Aren't I your lovely Lady-sama?" Gen batted her eyelashes and Greg started to sweat nerveously.

"I-I can't! She told me not to-!" and he slapped his limbs over his flappy mouth (or the place where it should've been).

"It's a chick?"

"Noo! Stop asking me, M'Lady!"

"Stop calling me that."

"So-sorry..."

"Give me a name."

"_NOOO!_" and the little thing ran away. Gloria sighed, she could've easily caught him since his small size made him slow, but didn't want to pressure him more than that. She'd find out. _'Stop by the head... when you have time'_. What head?

"Greg? You still hear me?"

"_I'M NOT TELLING!_" came his reply from somewhere.

"Not that... just what 'head' did you mean?"

"Head? The message, you mean? She didn't tell any more than that- AH! You sneaky seaurchin-! Don't make me talk!"

She sweatdropped. How sneaky is a seaurchin? Gen shook her head and got up, going outside to meet with the 'bounty hunters'.

* * *

><p>Gloria: Hey, who is it? *shuffles through the chapters*<p>

Snoara: OI! *grabs the computer* No peeking!

Gloria: Come on! _Who is it?_

Snoara: Not telling! Again, I'm terribly sorry that it's so short.

Gloria: *snicker* Like ya...

Snoara: *frown* Go to hell.


	8. Fishy person

AAAARFGH! I edited this and then the computer did SOMETHING and NOW I have to edit it AGAIN! Shiii... I slavedrived myself yesterday to write for the whole day, so I think I popped a vein in my eye.

Gloria: Weren't you supposed to do the dishes? And maybe you should put the computer away for a while?

Snoara: x_x I'm hungry... and Yayy! I have four reviews! I'm happy and motivated! Thank you!

Gloria: You just completely ignored me. _...Are you listening belly dance music?_

Snoara: I don't own One Piece, but I do own Gloria and - tattadadaa! - see for yourselves!

* * *

><p>"How's this? The Baratie!" Johnny and Yosaku showed the floating restaurant. The strawhats were awed The latter looked better than yesterday, but both of the men had a nice bruising on their faces and a lump of good measure on the head. Gloria 'hmph'ed somewhere behind them.<p>

"We are really sorry, Gloria-aneki! We didn't know you were there! Honest!"

"Yeah! Yeah! We didn't know you were taking a shower- ayeee!"

"SHUT UP, THE BOTH OF YE! I don' evr wanna 'ear about that!"

"We are REALLY sorry!" they bowed.

"That's what you get when you walk around snooping a pirate ship," Zoro grinned. He apparently found this very amusing.

"Although... she really had a cute- AAAAAAAH!"

"I don' know how ta use a knife, fer I 'ave nevr gutted a fish, but I guess one could do it wit' a spork," she smiled, towering above Johnny. Their Big Bro stepped in to save his dorky but loyal friends.

"Come on, let them be."

"You are not off the list, green."

"Whatever."

"Hey, isn't that a marine ship?"

"It is! Where did it come from!" Luffy's jaw hung. Everyone got suddenly a little more tense, but Gen couldn't help the loud yawn. She hadn't slept the previous night well after the shower incident.

"DUUUUDE I'm tired..." she flexed her arms.

"There's someone there," Yosaku pointed out, covering behind the rail with Johnny.

"I've never seen that flag before. I'm Lt. Fullbody, The Iron Fist, of the marines. Who's your captain?" The blond, dorky man with a scar and a nasty brass knuckle on his right hand said. Luffy declared his ownage, that he had made his flag two weeks ago - the weird time stretch, Gloria reminded herself - and the bounty hunting duo laughed at the rookiness of it. Fullbody noticed them then.

"I've seen you two before, in some government office... Oh! You're the shabby pirate hunters Yosaku and Johnny, right? Finally got caught?"

"Hey, Yosaku, that guy's asking for trouble," the two were suddenly all cool, but Gen thought they were still just a pair of pervy losers.

"You said that we're Shabby hunters? That's rude. Even if we won't get paid for it, we should teach him a lesson, Johnny."

_'No, not shabby. Just big time losers,'_ Gen corrected in her mind. Then they attacked him, calling him stupid too. It didn't take long, when they got beaten the stuffing out of them.

"We almost got him!" they wailed.

"You really suck!" Luffy said.

"How many times have you 'almost got 'em'?" she crossed her arms.

"What are you doing?" Zoro asked. She really didn't see him travelling with these two.

"Fullbody, stop teasing them and let's go," a pretty woman in a dress held his hand.

"Okay. Hey you! You're very lucky because I'm on vacation. I just want to eat and have a good time, but next time I see you while on duty, you'll be feeding the fishes," Fullbody threw his final threat and she saw them angling the cannon at them. Gen sighed, she'd never live a normal life on a pirate ship.

But, did she want one? A normal life. Normal in her own world was almost every time a synonym for a boring life.

Nami was kneeling, crumpling a poster with a set and bitter face. Gloria knew she had no choise on the matter, Arlong was who he was. She folded her hands behind her head and gazed at the blue-blue sky. That's why she didn't see Nami's face when she said: "Everyone has a past, everyone deserves a future. No one can hold the burden alone."

That, ladies and gentlemen, was her career's second half-assed prophecy.

"THEY'RE SHOOTING AT US!" Usopp cried out.

"Leave it to me! Gomu gomu no FUUSEN!"

Usopp, Johnny, Yosaku and the marine all had surprised faces, when the cannonball was swung back... and it crashed through the Baratie's roof. Gloria couldn't help but laugh.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

Nami facepalmed.

"AND DON'T LAUGH SO MUCH!" Being the closest, Zoro kicked her side to make her stop, but all it made was make her yelp and continue, soon gasping for air and forcing the fit to giggles.

"That's the first time I've seen you laugh like that," he commented wryly. "You'd get a nice, padded room with that."

"Aww, thanks! WAIT! I'm still mad at you!"

"Mad at me? Why?"

"'Cos ya tied me down wit' a kinky rope!"

"That rope was _NOT_ kinky!"

"Ya got somethn' on yer face.. somthn' red," she swirled her hand on her own face to demonstrate.

"Gah! Go jump over board!"

"Okay!" she jumped up and advanced the railing, all ready to do her mighty jump to the ocean.

"He wasn't serious!" Usopp said, holding her back from her waist.

"Kyaaa!"

"What what!" the boy let her go immediatly, afraid he'd hurt her somehow. She took the look of a robber's victim, hand pressed against her chest, eyes cast downwards. Then, the picture was torn when she looked back at him with a big smile.

"I believe it's 'when push comes to shove, scream rape'."

"_What_-!"

"Shut up, you idiots. What's taking him so long? Maybe they made him work for the accident."

"You mean Luffy? Of course they made him work, for a whole year. Not sure how wise that is, though," Gloria layed down on her back.

"Why didn't he tell them it was the marine's fault? He's too honest!" Nami huffed.

"Why not go and see him? We could eat too. What do you say?" Usopp had a great plan.

They dropped anchor and went inside.

The Baratie was beautiful. Gen saw instantly, why the place was so highly respected. People were having a good time, old and young, rich and not so rich. Someone came to get their order.

"What would it be, young ones?"

"I take this and this!" Usopp showed from his menu.

"Steak," Zoro was quick to pick, unlike Gen. She was glaring at the different foods on the list. They were named in french, but there was a translated name below, so she didn't have to bother her lonely braincell to recall her french classes. Salmon with almonds, bass with cream sauce or fried prawns and a salad...?

"What is taking you so long?"

"I haven't decided yet! Hmm.. agh..."

"She takes this."

"No way! I don't even like it!"

"Then what?"

"Ahh... I want... hmm... maybe..."

"Oh come on! I'm starving!"

"PRAWNS! No, salmon! Wait wait, I think it's bass... no! Salmon! Prawns! AAAAGH!" They were starting to gather audience.

"Prawns it is! Now run, before she changes her mind!" Zoro ordered, and the poor lad escaped. Gloria was on the verge of hyperventilation.

"Breathe, breathe, goood girl..." Usopp patted her back.

"Does this happen every time you go out to eat?" Nami asked blantly.

"Unfortunately. Some problems with making my mind, but mom always said I lost mine in the woods when I was born..." she muttered. The food came and she was happy she chose (_*cough* Zoro *cough*_) the prawns. They were marvelleous.

"Hey, there's Luffy!"

"What's up, chore boy?"

"I heard that you have to work for a year," Usopp had on the most freakish face.

"Can I change the flag?" Zoro grinned.

"Then you'd be the new captain. All hail cap'n Zoro, the leader of the Marimo pirates!"

"Don't go insulting my hair,_ snowflake_."

"I didn't!"

"Wha! You're all here eating without me! That's not fair!" Luffy yelled and in vengence flicked a nasty surprise to 'captain Zoro's' glass.

"Not fair? But we have our rights."

"True! True!" Usopp and Nami snickered. Gen had found something more interesting to pay attention to, as she found this only gross.

"This restaurant is good. It seems unfair to you..." he lifted the glass and suddenly shoved it into Luffy's face: "...but WHY DON'T YOU DRINK THIS!"

"What are you doing? Trying to poison me?" Luffy was gagging.

"ME? What the hell are _YOU_ doing!"

The others laughed, making the other occupants look at them weirdly. Then Sanji started spouting nonsense.

"Oh, have I died and gone to heaven? I could trek down the path of hell and become a pirate or a demon for your sake, but alas! Our love is doomed! Please," he held a rose to Gen "take this, my fair-"

"I'm a dude dressed in distractingly feminine clothing. Go woo the red."

His reaction? Priceless.

Fending off boys had never been a problem to her, since she wasn't on the list of Most Dateable Chicks, but no way was she going to bare with this syrup. Zeff literally kicked some sense into him.

"You should go with them, we don't want you here anymore."

"I'm the sous chef. You said this place needs me, what changed your mind?" the guy looked offended and things rolled smoothly.

She had finally come up with an answer to the message. It was so obvious, that she felt like slapping herself. _Of course_ it meant the Baratie's fish head! Even Luffy had commented on it! Or was it Usopp...? Anyway, she wanted to sneak away and see who this mysterious woman was. Maybe she'd get some answers regarding this odd trip to One Piece.

"Pst! Usopp, if someone asks, I'm outside," she informed the sniper, who nodded and cocked an eyebrow at her.

Compared to inside, it was nice and cool outside. She went to the front of the ship and looked up to the fish. Like the Merry would be, Gen had no doubt that this ship was deeply loved. Maybe it had a spirit too? Should she say hi?

"Uhm... good day, Baratie. I apologise for Luffy making a hole in you..."

"I spy with my little eye..." she almost jumped from her skins and whipped around to see who was talking, but didn't see anyone. _...Baratie?_

"...something white. Yohoo! Down here." Gloria looked down, to the water, where she saw a woman.

She had a black, rich hair sticking to her white skin. It was _white_, not just pale. White, like paper. Her eyes were turquoise and her mouth beautiful red, that smiled to her slightly mischiviously. Gen guessed she was somewhere between twenty-eight and thirty-five. The woman also had a bronze armor around her neck and little ways to the shoulders as well as on her upper arms and left wrist. It also served as a top/bra, and the three main pieces on her chest and neck were all held together with a small, round and ornate plate. A see-through, wispy light blue cloth was fastened with clips to the armor below her breasts and the upper arm plates. On her right wrist she had a bracelet of arabian coins that jingled whenever she moved the hand.

All in all, she looked beautiful and she felt suddenly very self-consious about herself.

"Don't just stand there looking like a fish out of water, come 'ere."

"There?" she was a little unsure about taking a swim with some random chick. "Err..."

"Not in the water if you don't want. Come sit here."

"Why can't you come here? Why _are_ you there in the first place?"

"Hehe, questions already? All in time, sweetie."

"Oi, no sweetie-ing me... umm..."

"Call me Herka," she held her hand to Gen, who took it in her's. Only a brainless carrot (or marimo!) wouldn't have noticed the fine webbing between her fingers. Her skin was cold and slick.

"I don't think I want to know... Ah, I'm Kindheart Gloria, Gen in short."

Hands still together, Herka looked at her face closly and smiled happily: "You're so pretty! I've so long waited to meet you in person! How's life?"

"Could be better. What do you mean 'finally meet in person'?"

"No no! I won't tell you much about me right now. Tell me, how are you enjoying here? Have the Strawhats been nice to you?"

"You- you _do_ know why I'm here," and she wasn't talking about Baratie. Herka rubbed her hands together and inspected her bracelet.

"Maaaaybe. The strawhats...?"

"They're great people. You are the one who set me up, weren't you?" Gen said accusingly and placed her hands on her hips.

"You will understand in time. Patience, sweetie."

"Don't call me that! It's creepy!"

Gloria climbed around to sit on the lower lip of the Baratie's fish head. She learnt on the way that Herka _didn't have feet_. Her whole lower part from hips down was a sea serpent. She had rings of black and white and every once and then there was a blue narrow one.

"That's it: what are you?" she asked. Herka smiled mysteriously and slithered up to coil next to the girl. The flat tip of her tail was still in the water.

"For now, you don't need to know more than that I am your friend. I can't enter islands because of... circumstances, but whenever you are at the sea, I won't be too far away!" she promised. Gloria had a dumbstruck face, she had fallen completely off the carriage and rolled down the hill.

"Right... Are you some kind of stalker?"

"Seas no!" she turned to her and petted her hair. Her face softened and made the older woman look heavenly.

"If Sanji sees you, you'd get a whole bunch of roses," Gloria slipped before she could contain herself. Herka's hand stopped and she looked at the girl, before she gave a laugh.

"No, seriously! I can imagine: 'Oh, how my eyes has been blessed! My love! I would roam the seas, sail to Hell and back and bring you the treasures of the world, but against your beauty, they'd wither!'" she made a melodramatic gesture, placing her hand on her forehead and flipping her hair over her left eye. Herka laughed hartily.

"Hahahaha! You have really captured the core essence of him!"

* * *

><p>"Where is she?" Zoro asked. They had returned to the ship for the time and Nami couldn't help the anxiety. Wherever she went, she couldn't get rid of HIM. She had been a fool to fall for the illusion of friendship. All the more worrying, she did consider the strawhats her friends. That was why... she had to leave them behind, and soon. Somehow, they had wormed their way to Nami's heart. She didn't want to get them hurt, and that's why she had to leave.<p>

Luffy, her 'captain', The Idiot. Zoro, the feared swordsman and Usopp, the liar who was intimidated by everyone and everything.

And Gloria, the weird girl they had picked up from the middle of the sea. Nami couldn't help the feeling that the whitey was hiding something. First she had presumed she had hidden something big and shiny, but now it was evident she hadn't. Nami would never admit that she tried to take a peek in her bag...

"You're right, it's been a long time now," Usopp answered. "She said she'd go outside, but there's really not much to do here. Aaaa! What if she went swimming and something ate her! Or worse, those chefs thought she was a fish and_ cooked_ her!"

"Shut up. Who would think of her as a fish?" he asked and held a pause before continuing: "Maybe someone should go and check the Baratie?" Zoro got up and walked to the gangplank.

"GLOOOORIAAAA! WHEEREEEE AAAREEEE YOUUUU!" he yelled, before getting hit by Nami.

"If you want to go and _find_ her, be my guest, but_ STOP YELLING IN MY EAR!_"

"You are yelling as well..." Usopp said. The bounty hunters were snoring away a few feet from them. Zoro snorted at Nami and walked away.

* * *

><p>Herka was nice company, even if she had to keep her skin moist all the time. She wasn't comfortable, she said, but in Gen's opinion it only made her even more fish-like. They talked about stuff, their likes, dislikes, etc. and get to know each other. Why? Maybe the snake-lady wanted a friend with legs or something, but Gen still couldn't get her answer to the question <em>why was she here in the first place?<em>

"...and- listen? Someone's calling you, hun."

"Would you quit sweet talking to me? That's creepy! ...yeah, I guess they miss me already. And I'm gettin' hungry too." The girl pushed herself up and grimaced to the tingly feeling and numbness of her limbs for sitting down for so long. Herka sloshed back to the puddle and dived seeing that someone was coming their way.

"Glooriaa?"

"Here!" she called back.

"What were you doing there?" Zoro raised his eyebrow and held out his hand to help the girl back to the safer ground (board?).

"Ah, you know me, jus' walkin' around, stalkin' sealife, scarin' th' life outta chefs..." she rambled, covering up nicely her wander-off.

"The last time you disappeared I got bitten by a sausage on feet," he pointed out. "Don't go around getting in trouble, babysitting you is a pain in the ass."

"Soop? He bit you? The mighty swordsman Roronoa Zoro?" she snickered.

"I don't care what it's name was, but it fucking hurt!" his eyebrow twitched. He tried to hit her arm lightly, but she dodged.

"All 'n all, ya sayin' ya were worried fer me?" she smiled playfully.

"No, but now that Luffy's otherwise occupied, as the first mate, it's my responsible to keep you all alive until we leave," he answered gruffly. Gloria frowned at this answer, and abruptly kicked the gangplank from it's place.

Roronoa Zoro _can_ scream like a little girl despite his fame.

"**I'M GOING TO SLICE YOU UP IN TINY FUCKING PIECES, YOU SHITTY FUCKTARDIOUS ASSHOLE!**" he spluttered and roared with his face red and soaked. Gloria laughed uncontrollably.

"Hey Zoro, how's the weather down there?" Usopp snickered and Nami was laughing freely.

"Zoro-aniki, you're so lame! Getting bested by a weak little girl!" Yosaku called.

Oh, he should've never done that...

* * *

><p>Gloria: SNOR! THE DISHES!<p>

Snoara: Noo! I don't want to!

Gloria: Then don't let them pile up like that! And who the heck is Herka? Some kind of supermermaid?

Snoara: You could say that *giggles* I've started writing draddled Sidestory Of Sorts from Ltyd, but I'm not sure yet should I publish it in this life.

Gloria: You don't _have _a life.

Snoara: Oh and I noticed something, Gloria, you have a namesake! In DMC4, there's this 'voluptios' girl named Gloria (or Giloria...?). Now that I think of it, she too has white hair... White is popular!


	9. MIIIIHAAAAAWK!

Desucon was great! I bought lots of things, but I completely forgot to get One Piece stuff :'( My feet are sore from all the walking and the weather sucked big time, but who cares! I had fun, even when NO ONE cosplayed Sanji! There was one half-assed Zoro, a few Luffy's and four Choppers (they were really cute, by the way) as well as two Nami's, but the best was when we (me 'n' my pal) spotted Ace! The Sir Crocodile cosplay was best, he had a real cigar and all. And, and-!

Gloria: Stop rambling and get to writing! You had your fun, but because of it you fell two days behind schedule.

Snoara: Bleeeh... Wait, I had a schedule?

* * *

><p><strong>(Two days later)<strong>  
>Gen was on the verge of committing either a suicide or a mass murder. She had retreated right after lunch back to the small temporary room of hers, gazing sadly at the six last pages of her beloved schetchbook. Dampening the boredom with doodles was a bad and pricy decision.<p>

And she had an ear worm. The damn song was repeating itself in her head, and she was determined not to reveal that she, in fact,_ could_ sing decently. When Luffy had asked if she was a mucisian, she hadn't lied. She wasn't. A musician was a person who could play instruments and sing an' stuff. She just sang every once in the while.

"'...me for forever, one of the lost'- aaaaagh!" she hit her head with the schetchbook to make herself quiet. Gen's throat was tickling, the song itched to be let out. "'Once and for all, and all for once-' that's it. Greg, it was nice to know you, I'm going to ask Zoro to kill me now."

"NOOO! Please, consider your words!" the bunny jumped up from where he had been laying. He latched himself to her leg and looked at her pleadingly.

"You should really work on that sense of humor of yours."

"That was an awful joke, M'Lady."

"I'll kill_ you_ if you call me that even once again. 'All I wish is to dream-' fudge!"

"Should you find entertainement from the others?" Greg suggested. Gloria seemed to consider this, and nodded then. Grabbing the bunny with her, she skipped to the deck, only to see a huge, ready-to-fall-apart ship looming over the Baratie, that suddenly looked really really small. It had a lion's head and the jolly fluttered with two hour glasses.

"It's _the time_, M'Lady," Greg muttered from her shoulder, where he was hanging from his paws.

"That's a stupid pun."

"Wasn't intentional."

"Hey! I don't want to be a part of this!" Usopp was yelling and his knees rattled badly. The bounty hunters were siding with the sniper and moaning in pain from the beating they received from Fullbody. Gloria walked next to Nami, who was peeking through the railing. A huge, slumped figure emerged from it and dragged itself inside.

"That's one big-butt battle ship!" Gen commented, making the other girl jump.

"When'd you come here?"

"Jus' now," Gen replied. She was thinking. What should she do? Stay and see how Zoro gets beaten- _ehm_, SLICED, or should she sneak in the Merry when Nami leaves. ...and what then, if she made it to the Arlong park? She didn't feel like getting caught by the fishsticks. Zoro again decided for her.

"Let's go see what our captain's doing."

"No way I'm going in there! You saw that guy!" Nami flat out refused.

"Fine by me, witch. Usopp, we're going."

"_WHAT!_?" came from both the boy and Gen.

"Usopp, you come. Gen, you stay here and _stay out of trouble_."

She sat down and pouted.

"...meanie."

"WHY DO YOU WANT TO GO!" Usopp yelled.

"'Cos 'M **B**_o_**R**_e_**T**h."

Zoro glared Gen back down to sulking.

"Zoro-aniki is so brave!" Johnny praised. "That's unmistakebly Don Krieg's ship, and they say he's the worst on this side of the Grand Line!"

"Unbeatable, even," Yosaku quipped.

Gloria fidgeted. She didn't want to stay here, when all the action was happening in the restaurant not far away. It was a crossed feeling: you were practically useless against anything the world was hurling at you (Gen didn't know it, but she did pack a punch) and yet you wanted to be there and cheer for the good guys, maybe kicking some butt yourself.

Gloria Erin Kindheart, 17, was a complex being. She was a woman and damn she had the right to be complex. Now though, she was just impatient.

She waited almost four minutes.

"Where do you think you're going?" Johnny asked, when he saw the whitey half way climbing over the rail.

"To gather some daisies?"

"Fat chance, missy. Get down," Nami ordered with a mild frown.

"**NEVAAH!**"

"HEY! COME BACK HERE YOU BRAT!" she heard Nami's final yell, before everything was drowned in the unmistakeable sound of gunfire.

"Oh, _shit_," Yosaku groaned.

* * *

><p>They had gone in from the back and sat down to a table to be there for their captain and, on Zoro's behalf, see what was happening. Usopp had manned up too, showing his worth of sailing under the Strawhat flag.<p>

That was how they had been witnessing how Don Krieg had started shooting, Zeff given the food, Don Krieg demanding the log and Luffy correcting that he was going to be the gratest pirate of all, not him. Pirates freaked out, Don Krieg threatened, Luffy standing his ground and the pirates freaking out some more.

"Goin' to fight, Luffy? Need some help?"

"You're here? Naa, you just sit there," Luffy reassured.

Usopp pointed out that Zoro had slipped into talking like the certain someone. He fought the urge to hit himself. (_"The damn troublemaker is rubbing off on me..."_)

"Ha... Hahahahaha... HAHAHA! Are _they_ your _crew_? Just a bunch of brats! **HAHAHA!**" Don Krieg laughed like a maniac.

"No, I have three more," Luffy raised three fingers up.

"Hey! Don't count me, too," Sanji said in the background.

"I said I'd _consider_ to join IF you could answer the riddle, which you haven't done yet."

"Gloria..." Zoro sighed. She was sitting next to their new chef. He was really fast beginning to feel like a babysitter to her. He could've even bet that he'd have to save her ass again before the night came.

* * *

><p>No one had noticed how she'd gone through the window. They were too engrossed to the situation at hand, perhaps. Gloria sat next to Sanji to the floor, there she believed to be generally safe. They exchanged a quick greeting.<p>

"Hey! Don't count me, too."

"I said I'd _consider_ to join IF yu could answer the riddle," she reminded him. Why was he so thick? She'd sue Oda the second she'd get back home! ...if she ever would.

"STOP FOOLING AROUND, KID! My 5000 men were wiped out in a week on that evil sea because I lacked the knowledge!"

"Did you hear that? 50 ships in seven days!" Usopp cried anime tears.

"Interesting," Zoro only smiled.

Don Krieg threw the challenge and 'kindly' warned them:

"Listen. I'll give you all a chance. Think about my offer while I take the food to my men. Then I'll be back. If you don't want to die, leave while we eat," and he turned to go. "My goal is just a journal and this ship! If you want to die, I'll give you a hand, even though that would cost me some time."

There was a heavy silence, but it was broken soon again by poor Gin, still kneeling on the floor and holding his shoulder. '_Krieg_', she guessed

Gen frowned, she didn't especially like him and he was a cold, heartless killer, too. Now, watching him like this... she couldn't hate him either. No, she couldn't hate him... but she really didn't like him, at _all_.

"I am so sorry, Sanji-san. I never thought that it would come out like this! I-"

"Don't apologice for feeling guilty. Everyone here always does something for their own sake." The chefs started accusing Sanji, and her attention was again drifting to other things. Like home, her parents. Chiselle

Surely, she was already at the hospital. Was she in pain? Her birthday was three months away, her's was coming up in one. What calendar was One Piece world even following? ...what day was it?

"Hey..." she called softly, staring dreamily at somewhere far in her memories. "What day is it?"

Whatever the others were talking about then, they were stumped silent by her random question.

"Seventeenth," Zeff answered.

Luffy picked up where they had stopped. "By the way, Gin. You said you didn't know anything about the Grand Line, but you've been there, right?"

"I don't! Because I still can't believe what happened to us. It happened so fast. 50 powerful pirate ships, destroyed by ONE MAN!" there was a desperation on Gin's face. Hmm... Gin, Gen... Ah, drifting again.

"_You must be kidding!_"

"_What!_"

"**ONLY ONE!**"

"One by one, sunken before anyone could notice! If not for the storm, even we would've not made it. The worst nightmare ever-"

"Stop ramblin', Gin-chan, an' say it!" Gen was getting tired of the drama. Heglanced her way and continued.

"I will forever remember those "Hawk eyes"!"

"WHAT!" Zoro was suddenly alert.

"He must be "The Hawk eyes" man," Zeff said more to himself. Gin was now trembling, the picture of a haunted man.

"He's the one I'm looking for," Zoro told his two other crewmates at the table.

"Eh?"

"He dared to fight all the troops by himself, which means that he must've had something to do with you," Sanji voiced out his thoughts to Gin.

"I can't remember, everything happened so suddenly."

"Maybe you interrupted his nap or something," Zeff guessed nonchalantly.

"Don't joke around! If that's true, why would he destroy all the ships?" Gin yelled.

"I'd sink 50 ships if someone woke me up," Gen muttered darkly.

"Don't be upset. I guess it's just because many people said that Grand Line is a bad place like that," Zeff continued with his wisdom.

"You mean it happens all the time?" Zoro confirmed.

"It does," Gloria said. "I don't know if you can understand it, but when you are far more better than the others, you just feel like blowing up the small ones only because you can do it."

"Wow, that's exciting! I really, really have to get there!" Luffy was hardly staying in his skins.

"Aren't you afraid at all?" Usopp scolded. "Where have you been a big factor? Are you a bully or something?" he then asked her with one raised eyebrow.

"No, I just play a lot. Now shut up."

"If Hawkeyes is there, it means that my goal is at the Grand Line too. And weren't you supposed to stay at the ship?" he quit his speech with annoyance.

"...you're crazy, all going to die." Sanji dragged his cigarette.

"You may be right, but we're not crazy. I left my life behind when I decided to become the gratest swordsman. I am the only one allowed to tell myself that I'm crazy."

"Yeah, me too!" Luffy raised his hand.

"True for a real man like me!"

"Stop lying," Zoro hit Usopp with the hilt of his sword.

"What about me?" Gen pointed to herself.

"We are all questioning you of your sanity. You have no right to speak."

"Completely nuts," Sanji gritted his teeth.

"You still don't understand!" Patty looked pissed. Gen pat herself on the shoulder for remembereing his name at the first try.

"That huge galleon out there belongs to Don Krieg, the leader of pirate troops! It's also the ship of the scariest pirate of East Blue! Do you understand? You can all go waltz in the Grand Line and do whatever the hell you want to, but you clear out this first!"

"Yeah yeah yeah, whatever man. Jus', don' yell in me ear."

"Gen," Luffy called.

"Hm?"

"Stay out of trouble. Captain's order."

"Why does the hedgehog cry?"

"Noo! Not that again!" the boy groaned.

"You know the rules. Oi Zeff! I got the image that all yer waiters ran off on ya! I'd be-"

"SHE WONT!" Luffy stood up and yelled over her next words.

* * *

><p>Everything started with the big ship sinking. They all looked amazed and Don Krieg's angry yell rang all the way from his ship.<p>

"Ah shit, our ship! The others are still there!" Zoro remembered. Luffy zoomed out.

"Pull up the anchor or we'll be sucked in the whirlpool!" Zeff ordered.

What did Gen do?

Sit there and look way too happy. Things were finally starting to happen, but what good would it do to indulge in the panic too? They knew what they were doing, they didn't need her to survive. She was just a bystander, someone who didn't belong to there.

It made her feel outsider, reminding her of her origins.

"...doodles." She got up and tried to stay upright when the ship rocked, desperately trying to find the balance in the waves again. Finally when everything calmed down, she seeked out stairs and climbed to the second floor and out to the balcony. From here it would be a perfect view (and somewhat safer) to see the fight between Zoro and Mihawk - who drifted from the eerie cloud of mist that was shrouding the sea. Her eyes caught a shadow sliding fluidly in the water, before it hid in the wrecked ship. It _could've_ been a normal, albeit big, seasnake or a small sea king lost from the Grand Line, but it _could've_ been Herka too. She did say she wouldn't stray too far from her...

_'Yippee, I have a magical stalker.'_

"Impossible!" someone yelled. "He only used a swrod to cut the ship!"

She saw Zeff standing there, arms crossed. He was telling them about the world's gratest swordsman. The said man came to a better view, and she couldn't help but to fawn over the _cool hat!_ And **damn** that was one soft-looking plume too... Gen smoothed out her pirate vest. She'd need a hat, pants, boots, a sash, a wepon of some kind... that is, if she'd ever join them.

"Damn you! Why did you follow us!" some random guy with dreadlocks shouted.

"To kill time."

"STOP INSULTING US!" the pirate yelled and tried to shoot him, but failed miserabely when Mihawk flung out his sword and led the bullets astray.

"He missed!" Gen heard.

"He changed the course of the bullets with the sword. You won't be able to land a single hit," Zoro explained to them. "I've never seen such a gentle skill before."

"If a sword doesn't have gentleness, it's not strong," Mihawk resheathed his crosslike blade.

Suddenly, Gen had this odd, spontanious urge to call out:

"MIIIIHAAAAWK!"

He didn't even glance her way.

"MIIIIHAAAAWK!"

No, still nothing.

"MIIIIIIIHAAAAAAAWKKK!"

_Now_ he was looking at her. So was everyone else. Some of them had a horrified expression and the two lousy bounty hunters were trying to make her shut the hell up.

"**MIIIIIIHAAAA-!**"

"I heard you girl, what do you want from me?"

"Nothing! Jus' wanted ta tell ya you've got a sweet hat! Where'd ya get it? An' that ya've got pretty eyes!" she smiled widely. Luffy stared at her and Usopp looked like he was ready to keel over dead. Zoro was just staring at Mihawk, a weird, nervous and excited grin on his face.

"Not answering?" she mumbled, a bit disappointed but not surprised.

"The ultimate power!" Zoro continued the story where Gen had interrupted it. He and Hawkie resumed back to the discussion and Zoro tied his bandanna around his green hair. Gen felt like she'd jostled the story-train from it's tracks and that it'd bounced back on it without much change.

"Heehee, fun, ain't it?" Gen said to herself.

"He's Zoro!" Dreadlocks yelled. "Roronoa Zoro of the santoryuu!"

There was some distant mumbling and Zoro got his swords ready.

* * *

><p>Mihawk regarded the people around him. Like expected with his status, they were shaking in their boots. The youngling before him wasn't, but he was sweating too. He wanted to challenge him, the master of the sword.<p>

He ignored the weird girl for now.

"That pirate hunter?"

"Him?"

"Hey! This is not a good time. Our ship is almost out of sight!" a young boy with a long nose said from the sidelines.

"I really feel sorry for you, weakling," he said, "even the best swordsmen won't fight me. They know they would only lose. The strong will you have wants to challenge me. It comes from the heart... or foolishness."

"It's my dream and my promise to my best friend," the boy placed one of his swords in his mouth.

"Never thought I'd find you this soon."

"That does not make you any better."

"The gratest swordsman and the pirate hunter?"

"No one can defeat our sempai," the boy's friends were saying. Foolishness.

"What will he do to our ship...?" Like he'd waste time to a rubble like that.

He revealed the dagger hidden in his necklace.

* * *

><p>"Hurry up, I need to pee!" Gen was wiggling cross-legged. She'd have to go to find the restroom, but the fight would only take a second. Only if they'd get to it!<p>

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Zoro talked around the hilt.

"I don't hunt rabbits with my best. I know that there are many of those who seek to become famous. This is East Blue, the weakest of the seas. Unfortunately, I don't carry a knife smaller than this."

Did he just mock Zoro?

"Watch your words, otherwise you'll regret it when you die!" he attacked.

"GO ZORO!" she cheered, but suddenly she leaned a little too far on the empty and fell down on someone.

"Ughhh..."

"Oops... sorry. Hey, you know where the bathroom is?" she asked from the chef underneath her.

"Killer SWORD!"

CLANG "He's toast," she commented and got up, walking inside the Baratie. The WC wasn't so hard to find after all, and the place was well kept. She guessed that Sanji had something to do with the level of tidyness. He was a perv and famous for it, but she didn't feel like he'd go groping around. He was too classy.

...

_FLUSHHH..._

"All better!" she hurried back out, to see that things hadn't gone too far. The dagger was buried in Zoro's chest. She wasn't panicking about the blood, but it made her feel quesy.

"Ehck."

"SEMPAI!" Johnny and Yosaku called for their friend, firmly in Luffy's grip. The poor boy, he looked like he was battling against himself. To help and be fool, or not to help and watch how the start of his crew get tattered.

"Do you want this knife to go through your heart? Why arent you stepping back?" Mihawk asked. his boat was floating not far away from them, loyal to it's master. Was it loved?

"I-I don't know. However, if I take even one step back, I'd feel that I've broken my promise, and I won't be able to stand here again," Zoro was shaking badly from the strain on his body. Even his voice was shaking.

"That is called 'losing'," Mihawk pointed out.

"Heh. That's why I can't step back."

"Even if you die?"

"I'd rather die than lose!" Zoro grinned. Gen caught herself from admiring him.

_'I always knew I'd fall for swords'_ she thought to herself. Marimo had a tendency to clean up things before or after his captain came in the picture. Take for example the Whiskey peak. He was the demon working for the saint.

_'What the hell...'_ she facepalmed.

"Tell me your name, kid." Mihawk withdrew his dagger.

"Rorona Zoro."

"I'll remember that. I haven't met such a strong will in a long time, and to repay that, I'll use the 'Black sword', the strongest sword ever crafted, to take your life," he showed off his sword. It was big and looked a lot like a cross. The thing probably didn't have a scabbard.

"He's using that sword! The one that cut our ship in half!"

Zoro stood in his position, ready take the black sword on. Gen was glad she'd used the restroom, this was thrilling!

"Please stop, sempai!" his pals freaked out, Luffy was gritting his teeth.

"Go! Go Zoro!" she whispered to herself. The pirate hunter waved his two swords in an arc: "The secret technique of the santoryuu!"

He rushed.

_'Don't die, first mate. You have a long way to walk yet'._

"TRI ELEMENTS SWORDS!"

The two swords broke, and he sheathed Wado. Mihawk was surprised, when he turned to take the potentially leathal hit arms open.

"What are you doing?"

"It's a swordsman's shame to have a stab in the back," he smiled.

"Excellent!"

_SWIPE_

Luffy finally snapped like a rubberband (ha ha): "**ZORO!**"

"SEMPAI!"

"Is this the true power of the Grand Line? Even Zoro the piratehunter lost!" people yelled and cried out around her, as Zoro fell to the sea. Next to her, Sanji was in his mind debating how stupid they were. One... two-

"It's just too easy to give up your dream like that!" he yelled. Gen placed her hand on his shoulder and he turned to look at her.

"We all have dreams the others see foolish, so do you, seeker of the All Blue. Do not belittle others, when you have a dream like that," she gave a warm smile and walked calmly to the edge and elegantly jumped to the water. By this time, the others had found another thing to gape at - Luffy's display of his gum gum devil fruit.

Mission _Play With Sanji's Head_ was a success.

* * *

><p>My head's aching... this was so far the longest chapter, so savor it. I have one more ready, but if the updating catches up with my writing pace, you'll have to wait much longer for the story to update.<p>

Gloria: *Drinks tea*


	10. Byebye Krieg, Hello Arlong

Highly bored, got my hair dyed today. It's red again~! I was supposed to say something, but now I forgot again.** I don't own One Piece**, and I forgot to say, but the song she was singing at the... previous? chapter was **Nemo**.

Enjoy.

* * *

><p>Somewhere between here and there was a small, sheep-headed ship. It had a big, grinning skull with a strawhat on it's main sail and the only occupant at the time was crying her pretty brown eyes out.<p>

"I just hope that we can be friends again, if we ever meet again..."

_'Everyone has a past, everyone deserves a future. No one can hold the burden alone.'_ The words had startled her then, as if the airhead knew something more. Gen, they didn't know anything about her despite her open personality. She never talked about herself. Every time Gen slipped up she immedietly tried to cover it with something else. The girl was annoying, but missable.

The Strawhats were an odd crew, different from other crews she'd joined and robbed in her life, but they were _pirates_ and nothing would change the fact. Pirates were the scum of the seas.

Nothing more, she told herself. Nothing more.

* * *

><p>Gloria felt old. She was sitting on the roof of the bounty hunters' boat, recalling Mihawk's parting words.<p>

**FLASHBACK, (because we all hate 'em)**

Zoro declared his vow and between the lines his loyalty to the captain.

"I WON'T LOSE TO ANYONE EVER AGAIN! Until I defeat that man and become the invincible swordsman, I WON'T LOSE AGAIN!" he was crying, Wado held high towards the sky. "Got a problem, King of the Pirates?"

"Shishishi, nope!"

Gen couldn't help but smile. Such loyalty, and to make Zoro cry. This would be the only time anyone would be witnessing anything like that from him. '_Get wise, or die weak and foolish_,' she thought. Zoro had gained years.

"You are a good man. I hope I'll see you sometime in future," Mihawk turned to his coffin- excuse me, _boat_.

Then the fugly-butt Don Krieg just _had_ to ruin it all.

"Hey! Hawk eyes! Don't you want my head? Don Krieg, the most powerful pirate of East Blue."

"No, I had my fun. I'm going back to sleep."

"What? Even if you had fun I didn't!" he didn't take it well. He launched his weponary at him.

"Before you go, **DIE!**"

"Fool... Didn't you learn your lesson? Good Bye!" he swung the sword in a large arc, destroying the rest of the ship. The wave made everything unstable again, but Gen wasn't even on the boat yet. If she remembered correctly, it belonged to the two bounty hunters. She was propably the only one to see how Mihawk's boat drifted away steadily, not bothered by the rough sea.

"Girl! Are you part of his crew?"

Oh, _now_ he was talking to her? ...ok, she'd take what's offered.

"Which one? The Krieg, the Strawhat or the Baratie?"

"The Strawhats," he specified, clearly annoyed by her attitude.

"Nay, but Luffy sure hopes I would."

"Figures. Why werent you intimidated by me?"

"Should I? I'm no swordsman, so you don' have any reason ta hurt me. B'sides, he'll live. No big."

He knew she meant Zoro. There was a brief pause.

"You are either very naive or surprisingly wise, I can't decide. Farewell, have a good life."

"Ya too! Ah! Were'd ya get the hat? I want to know!"

"...Lougetown."

**END OF DA FLASHBACK~**

"I want a hat!" she declaired, hitting her palm with her fist. "But not one just like that, it wouldn't fit... but defenetly one with a feather!"

"What are you rambling?" Usopp asked. Johnny and Yosaku were patching Zoro up, who by now had come down from his little breakdown.

"Stop whining, big man! You're ready to get sliced in half without fear and then you cry under the needle!" Gen said disapprovingly from her perch.

"I take it that you don't have such weaknesses?" Zoro's words dripped sarcasm.

"I have, one. Okay, two if I were honest here," she crossed her legs and rolled her ankle.

"Really? What are you scared of?" Usopp asked. The master of fear.

"Hmm," she hummed "'M not tellin'."

"Is it spiders?" Yosaku asked. She shook her head no.

"Dark?" Johnny guessed.

"Na-ah."

"Clowns?" No.

"High places?" Still no. It soon turned into a guessing game and Zoro started napping. How could he sleep through everything?

"Tell us!"

"Yeah, tell!"

"Hmmmm, no."

"You're no fun!" they gave up and sat there in silence. Gloria looked high in the sky, watching the clouds sail by like they were on the waves.

"She's crying," Gen said softly to herself.

"By the way..." Zoro said, gaining attention. He had his eyes closed and he was still cross-armed and leaning to the rail.

"Yeh?"

"Hm.. I guess it's nothing. How close are we?" he directed the last words to Usopp, who squinted his eyes to see the Merry in the distance.

"We're lucky, for now we're keeping up with her, but barely. We can't afford any distractions."

"Good. Keep it that way. I'm gonna sleep this ache away," Zoro said and settled better. Gen rolled around and dropped down with a thud. She crawled to him... and started petting his hair.

"Oi! What the hell?"

"Shh, shh. Sleep tight."

"I'M NOT A KID!"

"Sure, you're a _big_ boy. Now shut up and _sleep_."

* * *

><p>Some time later they were finally at the Arlong park. They had kicked Yosaku out to tell the others where they were headed. Gen had kept quiet about the fact that she could've just told them in the first place, but where's the fun in that?<p>

"We're here..."

"Please don't tell me she's THERE," Usopp and the lone bounty hunter were keeping a 'low profile', which meant that they were hiding behind the rail. Gen had slept too _(not to mention almost on Zoro)_ and was now stretching her sore limbs, throughly refreshed.

"She is."

"We have to first find out where Nami-sempai took the ship to," Johnny planned.

"And then I'll cut her into little pieces," Zoro hefted his now only sword and revealed an inch of it.

"WHY DO WE NEED TO DO THAT?"

"ARE YOU CRAZY! WE DON'T HAVE A CLUE ABOUT ANYTHING AND YOU WANT TO KILL HER!"

"They are right, Zoro," Gen crossed her arms. "We don't know a thing- well, _you_ don't know a thing about what's going on here."

They all turned to look at her. She had decided that keeping everything in was really frustrating, giving out weird tips fun. It would come out eventually, anyway.

"...you know what's going on?" Johnny sweatdropped.

"Still, I'm gonna-"

"No, you won't. Luffy asked us to bring her back, she IS the best of the best. Oh, and..."

A few moments and a generous amount of 'kinky rope' they found the Merry popping on the waves gently.

"There she is!" Usopp looked through the binoculars.

"HEY! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

"Poke."

"Strange, she's anchored near Kokoyashi village," Usopp looked over a map.

"UNTIE ME!"

"Poke."

"AND STOP THAT OR I'LL-!" Zoro kept yelling at the boys and Gen, as she had taken the job for poking him with a random pen that rolled around in the boat's hut.

"Stop yelling! B'sides, yer not good enough to run around slicin' up lil' girls," she poked a little too hard on the wound, making Zoro jerk away as much as the rope gave allowed.

"Just leave everything to me! I'll get her back in no time!" Usopp ignored everything that was happening behind him.

"He wouldn't laugh if he knew what kind of place that is," Johnny deadpanned.

"Yeah. It's a sharktank on land an' the shark's ain't be waiting for feeding time," Gen commented, trying to pat off the blood that was trickling from the wound's corner. She put down the cloth and checked if she had anything fragile in her pockets. Nope, just the pen she decided to take with her, a pebble and a stray bill of beri.

"Steer straight ahed!" Usopp kept shouting. "Let's go to the Merry!"

"Aye!"

"With my courage..." and so on, but she didn't stay and see how the fishies would catch them. Na-ah, no way would she let some scaly-butts paw at her.

_Splosh_.

Gen swam to the direction of the Merry, as the boat turned around and tried to make a brake for it. No use, since the mermen dived in and went directly to the foreign vessel in their waters. Usopp and Johnny jumped and fled, swimming to the open waters and away from the approaching mermen.

"Whee, got away... now where to? Kokoyashi?" she talked to herself and swatted a fish away that was getting a little too personal with her.

_'I could wait for the rest of them, but I'm most sure I won't be able to hold my own-'_ "What the h- uh, Netherworld?"

The fish was back, but from closer look it was different than the last one.

"What...?" suddenly she found herself in a school of fish.

"Hey hey _hey_!" she swam to the shore to get away from the molesting tiddlers.

"I'm not that feminine..." she muttered while squeezing water from her hair. She patted her pockets if she had a hair band, but she didn't find any and sighed. '_Should I cut my hair?'_

She looked around and found out that she was, in fact, near Kokoyashi, the town Nami had started to fight for in way too young age. Why was it that One Piece women always had a tough childhood? Both Nami and Robin. Maybe that's why they were such strong women and Gloria wasn't.

Ah well.

Gen didn't want to risk it to be found by the fishies, so she went into the forest and started walking a straight line. There got to be a road or something eventually, right? Right?

"Yohoo, were am I~?" she called out after a good fifteen minutes. '_Doodles, is my sense of direction as bad as Zoro's? No way, at least I know when I'm lost-'_ "EEEK!" the ground underneath her suddenly gave away and she fell down a cliff.

"Ouch! Ow! Oof! Hey- ow, OW! I think my- uh! Auauauauau, ughhhh..."

_THUD_

Nice that a huge butt rock was there to soften her landing- THE NETHERWORLD IT WAS!

Gloria twitched her limbs to see if anything was broken, but excluding the starting bruises and the again aching back she was fine. Her palms had caught an asphalt rash and were oozing small droplets of blood. she stared at it curiously as it started turning color before her eyes.

"Wow... I'm a smurf!" she giggled. "But oww... now my everything hurts again."

Silence.

"And I'm talking to myself. I guess Zoro had a point, I am going crazy in the head." Gen wiped her hands on her pants and got up leaning on the rock. Now that she looked around, she saw the steep hill behind her and one almost like it in front of her as well. The valley was narrow from where she was standing and continued on both sides, everything hidden in thick foliage.

The wall in front of her wasn't as steep or high as the one she'd fallen down. She could've walked in either of the bottom of the pit, but instead she climbed up. _'When I go straight, it means it!'_

...

I spy with my little eye... something orange.

* * *

><p>"Speaking of a ship, is that yours?" Gen heard a female voice come from the slighlty open window.<p>

"Ah! The going Merry! Why is it over there!"

"'Cos ya made a loop," Gen said, slapping her hand on the glass and smudging it with purplish blood. Usopp shrieked, Gen laughed and came to their view.

"Are you trying to kill me!" he yelled.

"Naaw, ya'r 'maginin' it."

"Your grammar just got much, much worse, you know," he said and got up from the floor where he'd fallen in surprise. "I'm starting to get the geography now.. Arlong Park is furthest to the west, then it's Kokoyashi, this place and the Merry, and in the east is Gosa village."

"Who are you?" Nojiko asked Gen, who introduced herself while Usopp kept mumbling to himself.

"'M Gloria, but call me Gen. I'm with this idiot ov'r here."

"You must be after Nami then, too," her brows knitted together.

"Hmm... not really, I'm not one o' ta strawhats ta be honest, and I'm not really cut out to action. 'M more like the cheering squad," she grinned. "Ne, Usopp, haven't ya forgotten some?"

"Hm? ... OH!"

"What's wrong?" Nojiko asked.

"One of our friends is in trouble. I almost forgot that he was captured by those mermen, and he's injured. I hope he won't provoke them and get killed for it."

"I'm not taking the guilt later," she said.

"Hey! You're the one who tied 'im down. Oh crap, your faulties are getting to me... " he slapped his forehead.

Nojiko sighed.

"Let's get out to town, maybe we'll get a lead on your missing friend's fate," she said, and then took notice of Gen's exterior.

"You have something in your hair."

Gen asked where the bathroom was and sighed, when she found the mirror. She had a small version of the forest in her hair and her bruises as she checked were annoying, but happily not such a screaming purple as her palms and the few cuts on her right leg's knee, where the poor pants were ripped. WHY WAS HER BLOOD PURPLE?  
>She washed her hands and face and picked most of the plant parts from her persona quickly and went out, where Usopp and Nojiko were patiently waiting for her.<p>

"Why do women take so much time in the bathroom?" Usopp exaggerated as they started walking.

"Really? How much time would it take to tame _your_ hair if it was this long?" Gen held out her white mane, now sadly in many knots. "Oh doodles, now I have to use a whole day in taking care of this..."

"Ever considered cutting it or something?"

"N'way! Haven't you ever heard? 'The hair is the woman's crown'," she said proudly.

"That looks like it's been in a swamp for two weeks."

"How do you know how hair looks when it's been in a swamp for two weeks?"

Usopp put his 'scary' face on: "Funny that you ask: one especially dark night that I had to travel through I came across this weird little wooden house. I, the BRAVE-"

"Stop it, before I use you as a fish bait."

"I'll shut up."

He did stop fooling around, asking Nojiko about the terrain and the island's history, and Usopp and Nojiko tried telling her how the house on the hill and in the middle of the mikan orchard was Nami's and Nojiko's house and that Nojiko was her sister, but Gen held her hand up.

"Save yer breath. I already know."

"What? How?" Usopp asked. "How long were you there?"

"Just enough to scare the life out of ya," she smirked evilly and started skipping the road down, never going too far not to hear the two's conversation.

"Is she always like that?" Nojiko asked silently.

"Yeah. She's a weird troublemaker. The weirdest thing is, that nobody really knows anything about her. She's an enigma," Usopp told her. Gen picked up a flower and twirled it around in her hand.

"She's like a little kid right now."

"One day she's going to be the death of us," Usopp sighed.

"I won't!" She piped up. "'M gonna stay here: lookit da flower! It says: stayy, STAAYY~!" she laughed like a lunatic to top it off. "Mm... cherries..."

Usopp and Nojiko looked at each other and the sniper vowed to tell Luffy that whatever sanity she had in the first place died along the ants she stomped on while walking. She was laughing like an evil villain, too.

Soon they arrived to the village and immediatly noticed the mermen roughing up Genzo.

"AIEE! THAT'S ARLONG! He's not human!"

"He's a merman."

"He's a fishstick."

"Nami's not with them...!"

"Arlong park, I'd guess," Nojiko leaned against the house as Usopp was shaking in fear... and hanging vertically on the wall for some odd reason. She poked his bare shins and slid a blade of grass on it, making the skin react.

"I have twenty villages, all in my control. If someone dares to go against the higher authority, it can disturb the whole system." It was Arlong speaking. _'Man, where'd he get those HUGE clothes? Special made?'_ He was the biggest man she'd seen. Well, so far, she thought. The shark looked weird with the furry hat.

"Gosa is a good example of what happens to those who dare to rebel against me. If they don't pay the 'tribute', it means they are rebelling!"

"That's SO laaame," Gen scruntched her face up.

"What's a tribute?" Usopp asked.

"It's the money we have to pay him every month. Like that-"

"You have to buy your own lives," Gen ended the sentence. "I'm getting that feeling again..." she muttered darkly.

"Correct. No adult nor child will be spared. If even one refuses to pay, the whole village will be crushed, like Gosa."

"That's bull shit!" Usopp shouted. "Just for one person!"

"That is the way of Arlong. Their kind can kill someone and not feel a thing," Nojiko said, frowning.

Gen was fuming. She'd known Nami's story, but witnessing it, hearing it from Nojiko made everything way too real.

"Heartless. Twisted. Sad and bitter," she said to herself, voice angry and venomous as she watched the wind make the little white flowers under her gaze sway. She was snapped from her little world by a yelp and a huge CRACK.

"What's that?"

"Gen-san!"

"Who, me?"

"No, not you! Genzo!" Nojiko bopped her in the head. Yup, definetly Nami's sister.

"A person with a wepon is one who wants to go against me! I can't forgive him." Things had gone out of hand and the shark was holding Genzo from his throat. No big feat for a giant like him! "Because he has disrupted peace in my area! I'll kill you as a lesson to others, so they'll see first hand what'll happen if anyone disobeys me," he had a toothy grin that could've split his face in two.

"ARE YOU KIDDING? He just has a sword and he's going to get killed?" Usopp panicked. Nojiko rushed away and stood against the shark. Gen put her hand on Usopp's shoulder.

"I'll be counting on you," she whispered - and again ran away, before he could do more.

Netherworld no was she going to get caught _ever again!_

There was an omnious crashing sound, and the house she'd seen Usopp climb on got ripped up and tossed away.

"CATCH HIM AND KILL HIM!" Arlong shouted orders. His men were keeping him from doing anything more. 'At least they're not afraid of him,' she sighed and upped into a light jog, before stopping. 'I almost forgot, that Nami's going to be here any minute... Hmm, I'll hit her later for beign an idiot. Then I'll hug her,' she thought and took a few steps, stopping again and looking back.

"To stay or not to stay, ah what a question.." in the end she crept back to the village, but by now Nojiko and Nami were both gone. There was a huge hole in the rows of houses as the one was missing, and Genzo was being treated outside. The villagers were cleaning up Arlong's mess. Some random guy was the first to notice her.

"Hey! I haven't seen you before. Are you from another village?" he put down the mallet he had to shake her hand.

"Mh, I'm here to wait for my friend, if you wouldn't mind me."

"No, of course not! Ah, how rude of me, I'm Koji."

"I'm.. Gloria." _'Wow, it's going to be slightly confusing'_, she thought.

"You shouldn't wander off, girl," Genzo called out from where he was sitting. "Arlong's a dangerous man."

"No worries, he ain't coming here again in my time," she grinned and walked to her namesake, sitting down to the dusty ground.

"You seem to have had a rough day too? Oh no, did you roll in a poisonberry bush?"

"It's my blood."

"It's purple," he pointed out.

"Yes, I know. I'm just as baffled as you are. Can you believe it, I just found out I'm a smurf a few days before!" she threw her hands in the air.

"...a smurf?"

"Don't think about it, ya'll jus' strain yer brain," she giggled. "Oh yeah, Gen-san have ya seen Nojiko-chan 'round?"

"Nojiko isn't here right now, you just missed her," he looked surprised.

"Ha, I knew that much. Is she comin' back anytime soon?"

"Wouldn't know."

She pouted. She wanted to go to the others soon and see that they were all alright. She knew they would be, but it wouldn't hurt anyone.  
>In the other hand.. now she had the gratest opportunity to stay behind from them all... a nice, secure place to stay. She glanced at Genzo. 'He's cool, and I kinda like Nojiko. That one guy over there isn't that bad looking either... yosh.'<p>

"I'll be gone for a bit," she said randomly. "Which way is east?"

"That way," Gen-san pointed to their left.

"Good. Thanks a lot!" she started walking west.

"Don't go that way!" someone suddenly yelled.

"I want to go west."

"Arlong park's that way!" Genzo had a panicked glint in his eyes.

"Yeh. So?"

He fell quiet.

* * *

><p>I'm getting royally annoyed by the story. Don't know why though. Maybe because I'm on a difficult place right now?<p> 


	11. Pillows, sorbets and one cucumberspine

Mom hid the computer and now I'm at least three days behind T-T Here's the next chapter, enjoy.

**I Don't Own One Piece.** Only Gloria, Herka and some of the villains (aka. Goldylocks and Dorgon). Oh, and Greg.

Gloria: Who's Dorgon?

Snoara: Find out for yourself. I drew him, and I must say that I'm kinda happy how he turned out to be.

Gloria: But you totally failed that Ace, didn't you? His face is so deformed!

Snoara: *cry* I knoooww! I can't wait to get to Alabasta-arc. Ace is there~ I'm still fighting over myself if I should just let the man die or give him another chance...

Gloria: We'll see. If he's a perv, down the trashcan he goes.

Snoara: HOW CAN YOU BE SO COLD~! *sniffles* (Where are all these OCs coming from...?)

* * *

><p>Genzo had seen many things in his life, many stupid stunts and idiocy, but this was taking the cake. The random <em>(purpleblooded<em>) girl named Gloria had just marched up to their village only a moment after Arlong and was now going to follow that shark. Was she possibly in his crew? Despite his hate for humans, he had taken Nami... well, more like forced.

The girl smiled. She had a charming smile even if she was covered in dirt and her eyes were sparkling like two pieces of blue ice.

"No need ta fret, Pinwheel-san. There's gonna be shark fin soup served in 'bout..." she looked at the sky as to find the time from it "...30 minutes or an hour. Now, 'M gonna see a friend o' mine. Bye!" and the girl ran away.

He was left gaping at her.

* * *

><p>She ranskipped along the road. She was in a good mood for a change, but she was sure that it wouldn't last long, so she was going to enjoy it.

"'Two faced drama rebellion, are you the Joker, King or Quee-een?'" she sang "'Place your cards as they're coming, came to win, lost everything'- no wait a minute, I can't sing like that before a battle, now can I?" she huffed. "Blaa, nothing else comes to my mind now, though."

She stopped and narrowed her eyes: there were figures at the distance, one at the side of the road and two directly in the middle of it.

"'I don't care what you say, 'cos your lovely words decay, welcome to the Anteroom of death!' OOOOOIII!" she yelled and sprinted at them. In the end she was panting and leaning to her knees.

"Where'd you disappear?" Zoro asked gruffly.

"Wo-worried *pant* much?"

"No, just making sure you didn't bring something like Arlong with you."

"What, no faith in me? I'd do better than _that_!" she huffed and sat down next to Luffy. She looked at Sanji, who was again higly confused. His basic instinct to dance macarena at every girl he saw was fighting the faulty knowledge that maybe Gen wasn't a girl after all.

"You really believed when I said that I was a guy?" she asked blankly.

"Then, you _are_ a girl?" there was hope in his voice and Gen knew she was digging her own grave. '_How bling can he be?_'

Sanji was _cool_, especially when he used his moves or had his glasses on. When he went noodles over Nami, that wasn't cool, but again it was a part of his personality she'd never take away from him.

Now if she could get a glimpse of his abs it would be perfect...

"I don't know. Zoro? Am I a girl?" she poked him with the pen she had taken with her and remembered his wound. "Are you sure you're going to be alright?" she asked, mentally adding 'are you still aching?' to it, but knew that it wouldn't be fair to say in front of Sanji.

"You're more like a pain in the ass and _yes_ I'm okay," he answered in irritation.

"So Gen's a girl afterall..." Sanji mused this, before glowering at Zoro. "DON'T ILL-SPEAK OF GEN-CHWAN!"

"Down, boy," Gen said sternly. Somehow it wasn't surprising to see him obey.

Gloria looked at Luffy.

"Nami was here, wasn't she?"

"How did you know?" Zoro asked.

"I just do."

"Gen-chwan is so mysterious!" Sanji cooed.

"Shut up," Zoro and Gen said and she placed her head on the rubberboy's stomach. He was firm and warm and she could hear the strong heart beating in his ribcage. She poked him with a finger to find that in actuality he was quite squishy.

"The best pillow evr.." she muttered before moving into a drowse where she really wasn't sleeping but neither was she awake.

* * *

><p>(some time later)<br>She was jostled to reality by someone poking her in a bruise. In reflex, she grabbed the offending object and yanked on it.

"Hey!"

"Hey to yourself! What the hell do you think your poking at!"

"Hm. I'm not sure, I've never much looked into sea slugs," her brain finally recognized the color green and associated it with Zoro. He got hit in the head by Sanji.

"Stop insulting her you brute!"

"Thanks, Sanji," she said and got up. Luffy had vanished from under her and was shaking something that seemed to be... Usopp.

"He looks dead," she commented.

"Who did this to you!" Luffy demanded.

"Sorry, our fault," Sanji quipped.

"You mean yours," the swordsman tried to dump the fault on him. Usopp, yippee and hooray, gained consiousness.

"Luffy! You made it!"

"Haha, yeah. And look, now we have a cook too!"

"Hi!" Sanji smiled.

"I'mma kill you!" Usopp yelled for some odd reason. He became serious and started telling his suspicions of Nami. "She's the one who saved me. There must be something else behind why she's with those mermen."

Gen smiled like no tomorrow. She stretched her arms up like a cat and yawned.

"Hi Nojiko!" she greeted as an afterthought, when she caught a glimpse of her.

"It's hopeless! There's nothing you can do," the older woman said.

"Nojiko!" Usopp noticed her too. Sanji went immediatly gaga.

"Who's that?" Luffy asked.

"Nami's elder sister."

"Nami-san's sister! No wonder she's so beautiful!" the cook was spurting hearts and blushing, the smoke of his cig making heart shaped clouds.

"What do you mean?" Zoro was the only one to react to her words.

"Please, don't butt in our business! If you leave this island, I'll tell you everything," Nojiko said. She looked stern, with her hands on her hips.

"I don't care, I'm not going to listen," Luffy decided. "I'm going to take a walk."

"Take a walk? You don't want to know about her past?" Usopp was surprised. Zoro was leaning on to a tree by now, one leg over the other.

"No I don't."

"Waaaaaait for meeeee!" Gen called and caught up to him.

"_YOU TOO!_"

"Don't worry!" she waved a goodbye and turned away from them.

They walked in silence - Gen behind Luffy - for some time before she realized something. '_Unholy mother of everything, is he THINKING?_'

"Hey Gen."

"Uh, yeah?"

"You really know the future." He didn't look at her. "I did what you suggested and kept that legs-thing in mind. You should've seen what Sanji did!" he sounded awed. She didn't find anything to say, but he continued.

"But please don't tell me more, I prefer to keep it an adventure." Gen smiled.

"I already knew that."

"You did?" he turned to walk backwards. "Instead of asking what do you know, I ask: what don't you know?"

She cast her eyes down, inspecting her shoes. They were going to need a scrub later.

"Many things, my young friend, many things."

"We are the same age," Luffy pointed out. They were silent again and he turned to walk the right way.

"This time, I'll have to stay," she sighed.

"What?"

"I said-"

"No, I heard you. What do you mean by that?"

"Ah. I meant to say, that I'm going to stay on this island."

"Like on the last one?" he grinned slyly to her.

"No, for real this time. As a captain, you must know that the crew is as strong as the weakest member of it."

"You're weak? I didn't notice," he sounded surprised, and Gen sweatdropped.

"Well, yeah, I've had my part of fights at home, but I'm not really a fighter. Against these mermen I'm useless, and I didn't joke about when I said that even Usopp could beat my a-" the last word was left hanging awkwardly "erm, butt."

Luffy stopped so abruptly that she bumped into his red back and he turned to look at her. Gen noticed now that he was little taller than she was. He held two fingers up and grinned.

"I give you two options. One: you get stronger and then you won't be weak! Really simple! And two: otherwise I'll kidnap you again."

"What the Netherworld? Don't go deciding things for others!" she frowned. "Why do you want me anyways?"

"Because!"

"THAT'S NOT LOGIC!"

"Shishishi! I decided I'd take you with us, and I'm going to stick with that!" he walked forward, before pointing at her and saying with finality: "Deal with it, Kindheart Gloria!"

* * *

><p>She had in vain tried to convince Luffy, but he had stopped talking and was just grinning like an idiot. Now she was tired of talking to him anymore, and they had reached the mikan farm and Luffy sat down to watch how the marines trashed the place. Nami was putting her bo-staff to work.<p>

"DON'T TOUCH BELLEMERE-SAN'S ORANGES WITH YOUR DIRTY HANDS!"

"Augh!" the guy yelped. Nami was angry.

"That money's not for you! It's...!"

Genzo interrupted her. "Her money is the money that can help Kokoyashi village! What right do you have to take that money away, marine!"

"What? Do you think you can talk like that to a marine major?" the mousy guy said. Nami looked striken.

"Gen-san... how do you know that?"

"Is she talking to you?" Luffy whispered.

"Nay. The pinwheel's name is Genzo, but she calls 'im Gen-san."

"I've known it for a long time," he pulled his hat on his eyes. Damn, she wanted one.

"I never believed that you betrayed us, so we made Nojiko talk. Everyone in the village knew, but we didn't want our hope to prevent you from leaving the island. That's why we pretended to not know."

"What!" she asked shakily.

"What are you talking about?" the mouse asked. "You saying that everyone in the village is a thief and you want all to be arrested?"

"We're trying to say that we can't expect anything from the government! SO, WE HAVE TO FIGHT OURSELVES!" Nojiko yelled. She was finally done with Usopp, Sanji and Zoro. Where were they, anyway?

"If you didn't come here to help us, get the hell out! If you don't hurry, Arlong will sink your ship!" she yelled. Gen cringed, she knew the truth already.

"Fools.." she whispered.

"Arlong? Sink my ship?" the mouse asked creepily. 'What was his name again?' Nami was confused. The major talked to his men: "Still can't find it? What's so hard on finding 100 million berry!"

"Hey! How do you know!" Genzo shouted.

"Huh? Oh! I just thought it would be that much!"

"WHAT!" Nami was shocked. "DID ARLONG ASK YOU TO COME HERE!"

"The marines were on his side all along..." Gloria whispered again.

"Corrupted marine bastards?" Luffy growled in low voice. "That's low."

"Ahh, about that, we're only using the identityas government personnels to do what was supposed to be done to the thieves."

"WHAT? You piece of SHIT!" -Genzo.

"Marine, the pirates pet!" -Nojiko.

"...!" -Nami.

All three angry as Netherworld. Mousy the Major turned his back and gave order to his men: "Take care of them! Don't let them involve in our search!"

"Yes, sir!"

_Click-click POW_

"Ah!" the blue haired girl got shot.

"Nojiko!" Nami called for her sister.

"Hey! You were shot by the marines?"

"Gen-san! What happened?" people were starting to gather, when the marines were gone now.

"Go! _Go!_ That's your cue!" Gloria pushed Luffy.

"What? Oh!" he got up and went to see closer what had happened. He was smiling, but Gen knew that inside, he was starting to get pissed off.

"What happened Nami? Need some help?"

"You're still here?" she didn't exactly welcome him...

"Eh?" he managed to say, before Nami's bandaged and bleeding hand was on his vest. Gloria was still sitting against the tree.

"IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" she yelled in his face, shoved him away and sprinted off. Luffy came back and sat down next to Gloria.

"What's with her?" he pouted.

"Couldn't you tell? Pissed! A woman can be pissed about anything! If you'd listened to Nojiko, you'd know," Gloria pushed a hand on his hat and slipped it on his face, blinding him in the process.

"You know?"

She looked at him blankly, waiting for him to remember.

...

"Oh yeah! You know the future!"

Sweatdrop.

In the meantime, Genzo had started rousing the villagers to fight. They were all for it, and even when Nami stormed back with a wide, fake smile, telling them to back off, they didn't.

"LET'S GO, EVERYONE! EVEN THOUGH WE CAN'T WIN, WE HAVE OUR PRIDE!"

The dagger she'd threatend Genzo clattered to the ground and she dropped to her knees, clasping the shoulder wwhich contained Arlong's shameful tattoo insigna.

"Arlong!" she cursed.

"Hey, what's she doing?" Luffy asked, looking intently at Nami.

"ARLONG!"

"Oi!" Gen said to herself, as the dagger started plunging into her shoulder. Nami was crying out all her misery, betrayal and anger.

"Arlong! _**ARLONG!**_"

Luffy and Gloria had gotten up and she stood back as Luffy with a serious face grabbed her hand and prevented her from doing more damage.

"Luffy..." Nami seemed to notice him finally. "What is it now? You don't know anything!"

"No, I don't."

"It's none of your business," Nami scooped a handful of the dry dirt from the road and whisked it on Luffy without watching.

"I TOLD YOU! Get off!" she sobbed.

"Yeah, you told me." He waited patiently.

"Luffy..." Nami called tiredly. Gloria smiled softly to her friend. "...help me..."

Luffy took off his hat and pushed it on Nami's head, before yelling his lungs out: "OF COURSE!"

"Luffy, I'm going to stay here and see that Nami's going to be okay, 'kay?" Gen told Luffy, who nodded, and then went back to the navigator. They watched quietly how they marched away to Arlong park and stayed like that until they were out of sight.

"A'ight, time ta get up. Let's get you patched up," she held her hand out to her and yanked her up.

"... thanks."

Now that Nami was up and standing, Gloria wrapped her arms around her. Nami was a little surprised about it first, but then returned the hug.

"Thanks, again."

Gloria hummed and smiled.

"No biggie, but you should get a band aid or something."

"Stupid," she smiled and slapped Gen's forehead. "This needs little more than a band aid!"

They walked all the way to Nojiko's and Gloria secured the bandage around the shoulder.

"You should get this removed later," she suggested, poking the side of the tattoo.

"Stop doing that! And yeah, I guess so. I could take another one on the scar, It's bound to leave one."

"The stunt with the dagger didn't help," Gen scolded.

"Ouch!"

"Painful?"

"Yeah," Nami wiped her tears to her arm. "No more crying! Let's hurry, they're all fighting. Hey, do you think that... they can win?"

Gloria pressed her index finger on her lips and smirked. "I'm not to tell, Luffy wants to keep the future a secret, but remember what I said? Something something about something."

"I don't remember you saying 'something something about something', but yes I remember you saying something weird, even if you do say weird stuff every two minutes..." Nami muttered.

"I wonder if there's going to be any sorbet?"

"I rest my case."

Nami grabbed her bo and dragged Gen with her. She couldn't run as long as the redhead, so she dropped behind her and walked the rest of the way, letting Nami rush to her crewmates.

She already saw the Arlong park, when something rammed into her, HARD, sending her flying to a tree with a scream.

"Owowowowoww..." she layed still, momentearly paralyzed by the shock. A hand grabbed her shirt and lifted her up.

"What do we have here? A little girl, lost, perhaps?"

"Who're you callin'- Oh My Flippin'..." she took a look at her attacker.

He looked like a koi-carp, but instead of happy orange, he had splashes of shiny black on his otherwise pasty skin. His puffy, frowning mouth was sickly dark gray and he had ridiculous, short tentackles hanging from the upper lip like two white larvae. As his pale gray left eye was glaring at her with a fishing hook on his eyebrow like a piercing with a piece of fishing line and a sinker, on his right eye was a black eyepatch with a lovely pink heart on it. She could see the three ends of a scar peeking from underneath it. He seemingly had no nose but a pair of nostrils nor did he have much of a lower jaw, and he was bald. His head was like a ball, and his neck was so thick that he lacked an occipital.

Oh, and he was FREAKIN' _HUGE_!

"...I guess ya can call me a little girl," she squeeked.

"Little girls shouldn't run around."

"For your information I was going to see how Arlong's gonna get served!" she dared to be a little smug about it, while trying to wriggle free. That was a doomed mission, and the koi laughed.

"Arlong? Served? Aren't you an arrogant brat! I was going to just rough you up a bit and then let go, but now I can't let you go spreading stupid nonsense around," he leered at her. Gen looked at him blankly.

"Where have you been for the past day?"

"Hm? Oh, I was attending to my daughter's wedding and arrived just now! She've grown so fast that I almost cried at the seremony, but I really don't approve of her choise in men."

She just stared.

"Previously on One Piece: Nami came back and the crew she last fooled decided not to let her go so easily. They followed her here and got Kokoyashi through some events into rebellion. The aforememtioned crew is at the moment slicin' an' fryin' fish tail at the Arlong park, and by now only the boss is standing."

"..."

"You're not from around here, so I guess you're one of those invading pirates."

"I'm not one of them, but yes, I came with them."

"Good enough for me!" he tossed her up in the air and punched her. She connected harshly with the ground and gasped. The impact had taken the breath out of her, and she clutched her stomach where he had hit. Gen had a coppery taste in her mouth and she spat blood. Slowly but surely it turned color. She knew that mermen were strong. One well aimed strike and it'd be the end of it.

"Huh, weird. Who are you anyway?" He rolled his shoulder.

"'Tis rude to not tell your name first," she gave a lopsided smile.

"Khm! Fair enough. I'm Dorgon Hook-eye!"

"How cute," hail to sarcasm "I'm Kindheart Gloria."

"Nice to meet you!" he tried to hit her, but she rolled away and was met with another fist.

"Ahg!"

"Die, pest!"

She dodged the next hit and instead of waiting for the second move, continued to distance herself from him. Soon she found herself in a tag of pain with him, dodging and ducking everything that came to her. The rhythm was broken when he sucsessfully grabbed her leg, smirked and hit. She felt a nasty crack and knew that somewhere on her right side there was a broken rib.

Gen thudded on the ground again and grimaced at the pain. She was full of adrenaline and managed to get out of the way when Dorgon tried to crush her under his own body weight. In reflex, she rammed her elbow into his side.

She couldn't believe her eyes, when the huge mass of muscle grunted and skidded two meters away from her. Gen looked at her hand like she'd realized she one in the first place.

"What the...?" Dorgon looked at her, the only eye widened.

"My words exactly."

"Ahaha," he chuckled. "You're full of surprises, Kindheart Gloria. Let's see if I can beat them out of you!"

"Yaaa!" she screamed and escaped another attack.

"Come on, girlie! Don't tell me that was a one-timer!"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" She ran to the forest and ducked behind a tree when Dorgon's right approached rapidly. It took a chunk off the poor tree.

"Hey! No hurting the nature, you fish face!"

"Kahah! Caught you now!"

"No you DIDN'T!" she dropped on her back and kicked the guy's round, fishy head. The kick sent him over her, and he was momentearly laying on her feet.

"Dsheesh! Lose some weight, would ya?" she stood up and he glared at her full of fury.

_Eep!_

"I'm going to KILL YOU!" he charged at her.

_'Fudge, he's pissed for real now!'_ she ran away, but not quickly enough. He tripped her and sat on her back, pinning her there like a butterfly. The broken rib and all the recently gained injuries screamed in response. Her vision went all black and white lightshow, when he hit the back of her head.

"You're not so tough anymore, are you? Huh? You should've just gone home like a good little girl!" he wrapped his hands around her neck and started squeezing, SLOWLY.  
>She started panicking and tried to free herself desperately.<p>

_'No, nonono_ NO!'

* * *

><p>Three minutes later when she was sitting dumbly on the grass, still very much breathing and aching, she was trying to gather what had happened. Slowly, the blurry memory started to clear.<p>

She had gotten her leg free and kicked him immediatly in the back, unbalancing him and making him lose the deathgrip on her. She took advantage of it and kicked him in the face, followed with a blow to the chest. He let out an 'oogh'-noise, but she punched him again in the face, not stopping to that. After few more hits she kicked him with all the force she could muster and sent him flying into a tree.

Gen blinked.

'_Ah, so that's what happened,_' she got up and stumbled. Her leg was now hurt from the kick, but at least it wasn't worse than that.

Her throat wasn't delighted either, and her head was tender from the bad treatment. She grimaced at the blood that stuck to her hand when she touched it. 'Great, my back wasn't even healed yet and I'm already getting a beating? I sure hope that Luffy's done'.

Gen turned to look at Dorgon.

"Rude, soggy cucumber-spine! Only for your daughter I hope you're still alive, but I guess it would've been a favor to her husband. Lets never see 'gain," she coughed and threw a rock at him before staggering away. Her throat was hurting, so she decided not to talk anymore.

'Luffy could not possibly be ready yet... Besides, the place is still standing, I can see the flag.' She turned around and looked at the direction where she came from in the first place.

'_No, I should at least go see that they're still intact, Zoro had a big wound from the start and I don't know how much this anime world excuses blood loss. Hmm..._' she looked at herself and the blood covered arms. Where'd it come from? '_My head's bleeding, but I can't see how much. Unhh, I feel like sitting down though._'

Gen looked around and layed on a bush. It was sturdy enough so that she wouldn't fall through it and she wriggled around so no random sticks poked her in the back. The canopy above her was green and the light seeped through it, making constantly moving, hypnotizing patterns.

She waited, and when the low rumble of a collapsing merman tyranny rolled over her senses, she allowed herself to smile and close her eyes.

'_Bye bye, Arlong,_' she giggled, but only inside of her head.

* * *

><p>4,683 words. My enthusiasm came back! The song she sings this time is <strong>Anteroom of death<strong>. During the time I wrote this chapter the song seriously repeated itself in my head, and I was starting to go nuts.

Gloria: What the Netherworld! Now I'mma supersmurf!

Snoara: There are lots of things that you don't know about yourself *evil giggle*

Gloria: ... like what?


	12. More like a filler with chocolate cake

Here's some more. Special thanks for** avatoa**'s keen eye that pointed out that mermen and fishmen are different species... I blame the translation I'm following.

Gloria: I blame you. Snoara doesn't own One Piece.

Snoara: I want ice cream.

Gloria: Get up and go get it.

Snoara: Why can't you go?

Gloria: Because I'm a fictional character, and I doubt that stores would take fictional money.

Snoara: ...Oh yeah. I still want that ice cream, though.

* * *

><p>When the villagers ran away spreading the word of joy, Nami remembered suddenly something. First she was worried, then she was annoyed.<p>

"I thought Gloria was with me..."

"Gen? She's here?" Luffy tried looking around, but nope, no white heads in view.

"Gloria-chwaaaaan! was with Nami-swaaaaan! right?" Sanji stretched the names into love-calls.

"Gloria? That white-haired weirdo?" Genzo asked, rubbing his chin. Nojiko watched them interract with an amused smile.

"Oh no!" Usopp gasped. "Maybe the villagers mistook her for one of the fishmen and killed her!"

"You damn numbskull! Why do you keep associating her with sea life?" Zoro growled. He was in pain and tired and wanted nothing more than a barrel of whiskey.

"She is the mystery mermaid!" Luffy smiled deviously. Then he looked thoughtful and then panicky. "Oh no!"

"What this time?" Nami asked, pushing people to move back to the Kokoyashi.

"She said she'd leave us, this time for real! Maybe she went hiding! Nami!" he looked at her and asked accusingly: "Why did you leave her alone?"

"She couldn't keep up with me and let me run ahed!"

"Why would Gloria-chwan want to stay behind?" Sanji was confused.

"It's Gen," Zoro corrected him, "and she's not part of the crew."

"WHAAAT!"

"She doesn't want to, but I already decided! Zoro, get the rope. We'll be needing it."

"Moron, it's time for him to get patched up!" Nami scolded the captain. They'd walked to the area where Nami'd left her and looked around. She couldn't help the fact that she was worried for the only other female on the ship.

"Looks like she got attacked," Zoro pointed out. True, there was a tree that was missing a sizeable piece from it and skidmarks on the ground.

"Hey!" Genzo raised his hand and whispered: "You hear what I'm hearing?"

"..."

"...zzzzz..."

"It came from here!" Nojiko pointed away from the road. They looked through the small part of the forest, stumbling upon the bulky fishman (Usopp nearly jumping out of his overalls), but it was Nami who finally found Gloria. She pressed her finger on her lips, when the others approached her to the big bush.

Gen was sprawled on it, other hand resting on her tummy and hair flowing down the sides. She was dead to the world, and Luffy, Usopp, Nami and Zoro were silently battling for who would have to wake her up. Finally it was Sanji, who reached out and instead of sealing his fate by doing the feared deed, he lifted her to carry her bridal style.

* * *

><p>She came around in a foreign room. Somehow it was turning into a custom in this weird world, but she was really more concerned for the coat rack that was looming over her, staring.<p>

"..."

"...I wouldn't want to tell that marimo jerk that he might have a point about my sanity."

"M'Lady! You're finally awake!"

"Greg?" she tried pushing herself up, but her hands gave away. The coat rack stepped (?) back and jumped/danced around. She noticed the black bunny hanging on it and clinking against the metal parts.

"You're finally awake! I thought you'd never wake up!"

"Shu' up... ow..." her throat was sore much like everything else in her. She had numerous bandages around her and one a little sturdier around her middle. On a little table next to her bed was a glass and an ewer. Once she got enough strenght to get up, she poured some for her and drank greedily.

"Doctor-san said that you should sleep through the night, so please go back to sleep," Greg said, bending down (a coat rack... bendable item?) and grabbing the sheets so he could tuck her in.

_'Didn't you just say something about never waking up?'_ she sweatdropped and shoved the rack away from her. She stretched her hands and felt her throat - bandaged, too - and around her head was another bandage. Someone had taken the job to change her from her clothes into a comfortable nightgown and braided her hair into two.

"How long...?"

"You slept? Hm, just for a few hours."

"And you thought -*cough*" 'that I'd never wake up?'

"Please don't talk, M'La- erm, Gloria...-san. Your throat might be a little itchy.

_'_ITCHY!_ I'll show you itchy!'_ she fumed in her head, the emotion flaring out in her glare._ 'Right... when I get up...'_ she drooped and layed back down.

"Do you need anything?"

"Food."

"I'll bring you something!"

Greg the coat rack hopped away and she was left alone.

_'I beat a fishman... wow.'_ Gen was awed, She brought a hand up to see it. Her palm looked raw, but she saw no bulging muscles anywhere. Dorgon Hookeye was a sizeable man, fishman, whatever, but by any laws of physics it was impossible to a 'little, frail girl' to beat up something that weighted three times more than her. _'The wonders of anime...'_

The door opened and in peeked a black tousled head with a strawhat on it. The curious face turned soon into a wide smile, and Luffy rushed next to her. His hands were full of meet and he had his cheeks full of food. He started speaking rapidly and gesturing wildly, spraying the food around her bed. She looked disgusted and sloshed a glass of water on him to make him shut up.

"Swallow. Slow down."

_-GULP-_ "You're awake!"

"Mmh."

"You almost disappeared again," he scolded her mildly, but it turned into bright smile again. "You beat a fishman!" and back to a frown: "Youliedtome!"

"Slower."

"You lied to me."

"About?"

"You beat a fishman! You said you were weak, but you beat a big, ugly fishman!" he was pointing at her.

"Mmm."

"You're not really talkative now?"

"Hurts."

"Oh." He looked down at his meat, before smiling at her again. "You beat a fishman."

"You mentioned *cough*."

Luffy manouvered so that his other hand was free, looked at it and wiped it on his pants before petting her head gently.

"Good girl."

_'Hey! I'm no dog!_' she furrowed her eyebrows. He left her soon after that and Greg came back. How on earth was he able to bring a bowl full of food as a coat rack without braking it on the way? The bowl had some warm soup and a spoon sticking in it, and he placed it on the bedside table.

"It's chiken soup, and I brought you some dessert too." True to his words, there was a basket on one of the hooks.

_**'Chocolate cake!'**_ there was a predatory glint in her eyes. Next to the cake in a glass container was a flask of mead.

Greg chuckled.

"They were all worried for you."

'_I'm not a damsel in distress,_' she stared at him flatly.

"Especially that curly guy... what's his name?"

"Sanji."

"Yes, him," the coat rack said in a disgusted tone. He was protective over her, so she understood him well. "Eat up, I'll be outside if you need something."

_'First a stalker, now a chaperon...'_

The soup was good and she ate it while listening to the happy music and cheering that floated in from the outside. It was nighttime and the numerous torches flickered through the curtains that had been pulled in front of the window. She took the cake and walked to the window, each step taken carefully and gradually growing steadier. She opened the curtains and opened the window wide, pushed the chair to it and burrowed into a quilt with her chocolate cake and mead.

_'Purr-fect'_, she sighed in bliss.

"Gloria-chwaaaan~!"

_'...doodles.'_

The chef danced to her, a bouqet of flowers in tow. When he reached the window, he whipped out... a guitar.

She closed the window and pulled the curtains back over it.

_'What the Netherworld!'_ she screamed inside her head, as a song she didn't recognize started floating in. Since someone had been nice enought to leave her a set of clothes, Gen pulled them on _(a sleeveless, yellow shirt and an orange full lenght skirt with little red and white flowers littering it)_, opened the door and stomped past Greg.

"M'Lady-!"

She glared.

"'M Leavin'."

"Please, you are still not-"

Another heated look.

"I'll shut up now."

"Good."

She sneaked out and looked around, inhaling deeply and taking in the party with all her six senses.

The people laughed and sang, joyous cries rang through everywhere. Usopp was telling his stories, possibly drunk like a duck. There was a huge bonfire near where she was standing, and people were dancing around it. The tables were tiitering with all kinds of foods, their wonderful smell blended in with smoke, salty seawind and the heady scent of flowers. Even when the night was chilly, the bonfire was heating up everything and she started feeling uncomfortable. Gen saw Zoro chugging down the umpteenth glass of beer aside from the partying people and headed there. Her shoes were gone, and she tip-toed around passed out villagers, broken bottle and various piles of... something.

"You're awake."

"Mmm. Hate parties."

"Why?" he looked surprised.

_'Don't make me talk you inconsiderate jerk!'_ she rolled her eyes and gestured towards the heart of the celebration.

"Throat hurts."

He smirked. "Hey, that's good! I don't have to listen to your bull shit!"

She kicked him and regretted it immediatly, sitting down on a crate.

"Sssshh..."

"You're still injured, so take it easy, girlie."

"Die," she said flatly, making him laugh loudly. "You're one to-*cough* talk, mister-*cough* I Can Bleed-!*cough, cough* owww..."

"You beat a fishman," he stated thoughtfully. She wanted to hit her head against the wall, if it wasn't for the creeping headache she was feeling.

_'Yes I did, thank you for informing me, otherwise I'd never found out why I'm so fudgin' achy,'_ she thought sarcasticly. He seemingly caught on her expression, because he laughed again. She used the opportunity and snatched the half-done beer out of his hand and took a tentative sip from it.

"Hey! That's mine!

"Was," she said, grimaced and poured the rest of it one the ground.

"OI! WHY'D YOU DO THAT!"

"Tastes bad," she grinned devilishly and handed the empty glass back before trotting away.

Gloria wanted away from the party, but remembered Zoro saying in the series that the whole island was a one huge party, so she had to walk for some time before she found solitude. She ended up to the crumpled Arlong park. It sure was a pitiful sight, wrecked and blood splattered, but otherwise there was no sign of the fishmen. They had been hauled off to somewhere, hopefully for the rest of their lives... not Hachi, he was an important albeit weird and sometimes dumb person.

She stood at the middle of the poolside, in front of the bay where Luffy had been thrown into and sat down to soak her feet in the water. How much was the clock?

_'I like this place, but if they're going to party like that anytime soon I might rethink about this.'_

Gen was in her mind decided that she'd stay here, but somehow her heart wasn't anymore in it. She wanted to see these kids grow up to fine pirates, gather friends and foes and fight their way to the top...

_'Facepalm, what am I thinking, getting all mommy on them? I can't be with them forever, but neither can I really stay here. I have to go home, see that everyone's okay. Mom, dad, Adrian and lil' Carl... and I think 'Rian owes me anyways.'_

She angrily kicked the water.

'They're going to leave in the morning and I bet my pens that Luffy's not going to let me get away that easily. I have to hide!'

"Time ta be a ninjah! *cough*..."

* * *

><p>They had started stocking the Merry and in the middle of it Usopp pointed out the absence of their pain-in-the-ass fortune teller.<p>

"Neither is Nami," Zoro said from underneath the two barrels of grog he was hell bent on bringing with him.

"They're different! I'm sure Nami's going to be here, but Gen doesn't want to come with us. I bet she's hiding," Luffy crossed his arms and pouted. "I was never good in that game and she could be anywhere."

In the meantime Sanji was going ballistic over his two missing queens, muttering something about swimsuits and cold desserts. Genzo and some other villagers had voulanteered to help them.

"It's a little confusing," he said.

"What is?" Luffy asked.

"I've always been called Gen-san, and now when you're calling her Gen... it's just weird."

"I agree," Usopp quipped.

"Hmm, someone has to go to look for her," Luffy said. He and Usopp looked at Zoro.

"Hey, don't look at me! I'd be more than happy to leave her here!"

"Why would you do that? You obviously like her," Usopp nodded sagely.

"I_ what_!" he was flushing rapidly.

"WHAAAAAAT!" Sanji screetched.

"Shishishi!"

"Strawhat!" they heard someone call them. It was one of the villagers, who came running to them. "I was told to give you message!" he came closer and leaned into his knees for a moment.

"What is it?"

"Ah, here," he handed him a little, folded piece of paper which he opened. He looked somewhat confused first, but then his mouth opened in disbelief.

"That cheat!" he zoomed off, shoving the paper on the closest person, Genzo. Sanji took it from him and looked at it, cocking an eyebrow.

"What is this?"

"Show me," Zoro said, and the message changed hands again.

It was a picture, a good one too. It was a picture of a white-haired girl, half way turned away from the looker, waving her hand and holding a black shoulderbag. For some odd reason the girl was wearing a red cape, too... Whatever, it was a clear message: 'G'bye!'

He growled. Of course, this should've been expected. She was _Gen_ after all.

"What is it?" Usopp asked.

"She left," he answered briefly and followed his captain's leave. He grabbed a piece of rope with him, just in case.

"WHYY?" Sanji wailed.

"You'd have to ask Luffy about that," the sniper retorted, "But I believe it has something to do with her low self esteem."

"Didn't she say earlier that she'd consider joining if something something?" Sanji strained his memory.

"Oh yeah, that too. She's not really a part of the crew, just someone we picked up from the middle of the ocean. We were going to drop her off on the next island, but then things happened, and the GREAT captain USOPP saved an island full of beautiful, young maidens!"

"Island full of women..." all rational thought flew out the window.

"Anyway, Luffy wanted her to join us, but she refused. You know how stubborn Luffy is?"

"Positive," Sanji grinned, as well as Usopp when he said: "So is Gloria."

"That's a war of wills," Genzo stated. "Why didn't she want to join?"

"I told you, low self esteem (I think)."

"How can she have a low self esteem? She's so wonderful!" Sanji twirled.

"We all know your opinion on women, but being pretty alone doesn't help you out at sea," Usopp pointed out.

"She thinks she's weak?" Genzo realized. Sanji stopped twirling and they looked at each other in moment of silence.

"But she beat a fishman all by herself!"

* * *

><p>"We have our bounty hunting business to take care. Thanks for taking care of us," Yosaku said.<p>

"We have to say goodbye for now, but let's meet someday," Johnny continued.

"Good luck."

"You too, sempai!"

"We'll miss you too, Gen!"

"Aren't you two supposed to be pirate hunters! _HELP ME! These pirates are kidnapping meee!_"

The girl had been found and dragged back screaming and kicking like all hell loose, but Luffy had just grinned victoriously. For now, she was pouting and refusing to talk to him or Zoro, tied to the main mast. She'd tried to invoke Sanji, but they'd given him strict orders not to free her until they were far enough from the island.

"Nami's not here yet," Usopp peered at the distance.

_"OOOI!"_

"I'm not going to run after her as well," Zoro said, rubbing his thigh. The whitey had tried to kick his jewels.

_"HEEELP MEEE!"_

"Nami-san's not coming!" Sanji asked, but was ignored by Luffy, who was accusing him of lying about some fresh ham melon. The villagers gathered to say their farewells to Nami were talking amongst themselves.

"RAISE THE ANCHOR!" Nami's voice rang sharply from a distance.

"She's running here. What's she thinking?"

"She said to raise anchor. Just do it," Luffy commented. "Unfold the sail!"

"Nami! Stop! You can't leave without saying goodbye!" the villagers tried to reason her.

"Is it a good thing to say goodbye like this?" Sanji muttered.

"Let her do it her own way."

Nami made a huge leap over the growing gap between the ship and the dock.  
>Gloria couldn't see anything from where she was, but concentrated on burning holes to the boards in front of her, seeing if they'd melt.<p>

"...lousy pirates... gonna sic bad luck on their tails... sink their ship... feed to the hounds of the Netherworld... or lapins... yes, big, white fluffy lapins..." she mumbled under her breath.

When the commotion of Nami's departure was done, they settled down and Sanji freed Gloria.

"There you go, my beautiful flower~!"

"Go die under a rock," she glared at him.

"Yes, Gen-chwaaaan!"

_'Unhealthy,'_ she sweatdropped, as he layed on the deck with a stone on his head._ 'More so than smoking.'_

"Gen!" Luffy called her, but she ignored him. "Gen!"

"Aah, such a nice weather. I wonder if I'd see a gryphon today~" she spoke. "I could tame it and then I'd be able to fly up high- yaaaa!"

"Don't ignore me!" Luffy sang, tickling her. She was laughing madly.

"Tickle, tickle, tickle!"

"Uaaahahahahahahah! Sto- stop it _gyaaaaah_!** DORK!**" she managed to get free for a second and bite him.

"_Youch_!"

"Get off!"

They kept wrestling until neither could move, slapping each other lazily after that.

"Weirdo!"

"Slugface!"

"Old hag!"

"Dickless idiot!"

"..."

"You said 'dick'."

"So?"

"Weren't you supposed to avoid swaring?"

"It's not a swareword, just an organ."

"Ah. So, I can say 'boobs' without getting into trouble?"

_SMACK SMACK_ They got hit by a pair of pink slippers.

"STOP IT! I'm getting a headache from this!" Nami yelled. "Why can't you two work out your disagreement in a more civil way?"

"Wrestling is the perfect solution!"

"Hea' hea'!"

"Oh, _noe_ you're agreeing?"

"NO WE'RE NOT!" they yelled together.

"Hurry up and join us, Gen!" Luffy turned to her.

"I've said before, I'll say it again: _No_!" she stretched the word in his face.

"WHY NOT!"

"Just 'cos!"

"That's not a real reason!"

They growled at each other like two fighting dogs, forehead to forehead and sparks flying in between.

"Hey, don't tease her!" Sanji frowned. He was smoking against the rail.

"Let's rock-paper-scissors over it," Luffy suggested.

"No."

"Zoroo!" he whined. "Tell her to stay!"

"Hey, hey, you're the captain," he reminded between his push ups.

"But she listens to you," he pouted.

"If she's going to be a part of us, she'll have to listen to _you_, captain."

"He's right."

"SEE? She listenes to you better than me!"

"'Ey, tough luck," she waved her hand. "But I'm not pissed at you anymore. Don't annoy me in few days an' we'll be ok."

"Good!" he smiled. "So, when are you going to join us?"

"Mrrrh... if you answer the riddle."

"Myaaaanh!" he moaned. "Let's see..."

"Look! He's really trying to think!" Usopp said.

"Hm, did I step on it?"

"No, you would be the one crying," Usopp pointed out.

"Hm, what about... did it hurt itself?"

"Yeah, anyone would cry, except the great captain Usopp! wouldn't!"

"Nay."

"Ehh... is it sick?"

"Non."

She was getting bored again and started watching Zoro.

Up, down, up, down, up- ooh, a clap! down, up...

"Please stop that."

"What? I'm not doin' anythin."

"You're _staring_ me."

"So?"

"So stop it. Ah! Now I lost my count you bastard! One... two..."

She turned away to not bother him when he trained, but kept stealing glances. _'He's really strong for a young person like him.'_

"I know that you're still looking at me," he grumbled.

"What? Is your sixth sense open or something?" She stuck her toung out at him.

* * *

><p>The sky was littered with light, whispy clouds and the sun was shining upon them. She sighed and fell into her thoughts. Aside from the previous family-Chiselle-angst, her mind was now filled with the fact that she was finding herself really different from her previous life. She was sure that others had normal, red blood, but it was quite interesting to know that for example, Nami, was able to kick Luffy's and the rest of the monster trio's tails when needed. She glanced at her hand.<p>

_'I'll have to test this out somehow.'_ "Zoro, where are your weights?"

"Huh? Why would you need them?" he asked, stopping to lean on his left arm, holding himself up. She was minutely distracted by his sweat-shiny, flexing muscles.

"W-well, I just wanted to try something," she felt the flush rise in her cheeks out of embarassment.

"Just as long as you won't sabotage them," he answered, raising his eyebrow. "The light ones are down in the men's room."

"How about the heavy ones?"

"I don't think that you'll be needing them."

"Just tell me."

"In the anchor room."

"Thanks."

Gen went first in the men's room and located the handweights pretty quickly. She took a look at the room, since this was the first time she'd been there, and the first thing that tried to hit her lights out was the STENCH.

"Oh dear god! Hasn't anyone ever aired this room!" She saw the big pile of clothes on the floor. Most of them were Zoro's shirts, but there were other clothes as well, such as two pants she didn't identify and at least three food-splattered red vests. She didn't want to know how long they had been in there. The smell stung her eyes and she held her breath as she advanced to the weights. In haste she grabbed the two first she saw and scampered off, sealing the door behind her tightly.

"Eeeewwwwww..." she shivered and walked back to the deck when she'd gathered herself. Once outside, she kicked Zoro, knocking him off balance.

"What in the Netherwolrd died in your room! Bluagh!" she sat down and set the weights in front of her. She'd noticed that they were different in weight.

"Why the hell did you kick me!"

"Because men's room _stinks_!" she pointed at him accusingly. She turned the lighter weight around in her hands for the number, but couldn't find it. "Hey, how heavy is this?"

He grumbled something under his breath and picked it up.

"Five kilos."

"Five? I thought it was less!"

He looked at the other one and frowned. "Lift that."

"What?"

"Just do it."

She looked at the weight and picked it up. She had assumed that it was five too, since they were the same size. Gen picked it up with ease.

"How much?"

"That's..." he cleared his throat. "That thing is a mixture of iron and lead."

"...how much?"

"...about 20..."

* * *

><p>The chapter is more like a vague filler -_-' I apologise.<p>

Gloria: You better! But 'ey, ya finally got over the Red Line. Wait.. she-!

Snoara: *Pushes Gen out of the room* Hehehe! No spoilers! Until next time.


	13. I love Loguetown!

Heey, look what I have, another update! So you better be happy about it. Oh, and this one was written during mom's 'takeover' so I had to use a finnish translation.

**I don't own One Piece.**

Gloria: Your mom was mean.

Snoara: Yeah, but she had a point about '24/7 online'.

Gloria: ...nerd.

Snoara: Am not!

Gloria: Geek better?

Snoara: Oi!

* * *

><p>The mailbird stood bravely in a salute, getting an earful of Nami's rant. The price of the newspaper had gone up. Gen was sitting on the stairs that led to the mikan grove and ignored the SanjiVSLuffy fight that was going on behind her. She had used two of her precious pages to draw Usopp and Zoro and she was scetching Luffy for the moment.<p>

"I won't buy it anymore if you keep raising the price, you hear?"

"Don't shoot the messanger," Gen said absentmindedly.

"It's just the paper," Usopp said from his spot on the deck.

"When you read daily, you won't get stupid," Nami defended. If Gloria'd been listening better she'd said something along the lines 'I wonder when was the last time Luffy read'.

"Didn't you stop gathering money?" Usopp asked.

"Nonsense! Now that that's over, I can keep all the money! I don't want to live in poverty," she ranted.

"Careful there! I'm making my new Tabasco Shooting Stars. When you get this stuff in your eyes-"

Luffy had lost the battle and crashed into the sniper, who started writhing in agony and screaming with the hot sauce in his face. Gen sighed. Somehow nothing could lift her mood up that day...

"These are Nami-swan's trees! Hands off! Nami-swaaan~! Our love is secured!" Sanji stood on guard in front of the grove.

"Mmh, thank you, Sanji," she answered.

"Whatever! Life's good nonetheless!" Luffy gave up on the mikans. "**GRAND LINE AWAITS!**"

"Loguetown first!" Gen said with sparkles in her eyes. Strange how one's mood could swing up and down. _'Hat hat hat hat hat hat hat- oh poo! I don't have any money!'_ a cloud of depression fell on her. _'Netherworld if I start loaning from Nami!_' ...and down.

Nami leafed through the news, muttering half to herself.

"Hm?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, a piece of paper..."

Gloria grinned, as the wind blew it to her direction and placed it down to her feet.

"What was that?" Sanji asked.

"Oh, this?" she waved it in the air and tried to look bored. "It's Luffy's new wanted poster."

"WHAT!" Nami, Luffy and Usopp asked from the aft deck. She gave the paper to Luffy, who had bounced to her.

"Look! Now we're outlaws! And it's 30 millions!" he laughed.

"Again, you're completely missing the point," Nami facepalmed. "Our lives are in danger! That sum is going to draw in the strongest bounty hunters..."

"Don't be down, Nami! From now on, it'll be more interesting, ay?" Gen patted her shoulder.

"Come on Sanji, stop sulking! You'll get your own pic in no time!" Usopp held the poster up, admiring the back of his own head that had somehow ended up in the photo too.

"...we'll have to leave East Blue," Nami kept muttering. 'Paranoia?'

"To the Grand Line~!" Luffy jumped around, Sanji and Usopp were dancing cancan...

"Island, ho!" Zoro called.

Gloria's eyes lit up as she turned to look at the destination.

"Gen's all fired up, too!" Luffy noticed to his delight.

"Buahahahaa!" she cackled. "My _preciousssss!_ I'm comin' ta get ya! Nehehehehee...!"

Sweatdrop.

"Oh yeah, I meant to tell you Luffy: her last shread of sanity died back at Nami's," Usopp remembered suddenly.

"Ok, let's have a silent moment," Luffy took off his hat and Usopp his bandana, before casting their eyes on the deck underneath their feet.

...

"Okay, we're done!" Luffy smiled.

"I don't know if I should've gone with it or hit them," Zoro commented. Sanji did the latter.

"Don't mock Gen-chwan's brilliance!"

The girl turned her head at him, an eerie, frozen smirk on her face.

"Oi oi, that's too scary," Usopp waved his hand.

"Anyway, this island means that we're finally near the Grand Line!" Nami said. "There is Loguetown (_"Wohoo!"_), the city of the beginning and the end, where Gol D. Roger was born and executed."

"Where the Pirateking died...!" Luffy said in respect. Gloria started at the island.

Roger had done so much in his life and left a huge legacy, something more better than the One Piece: his childlike hunger for adventure to pass on younger pirates-to-be's. "The challenge... of a free heart," she said silently, still staring at something the others could not see.

They hid the ship and marvelled the size of the city after they'd gotten to the gates.

"Whoo! It's huge!"

"So this is the place where the Golden age started," Sanji commented.

"I'm going to see the platform," Luffy informed with a serious face.

"I wonder if there's good food here."

"Yeah, I need some new stuff too," Usopp said.

Zoro looked at Nami. "There's something that I need to buy too. Nami, lend me some."

"Okay, but I take 300% interest."

"WHAAAAT!" he screetched. "You fiend! Goddamnit, I don't have much choises here..." he grumbled.

"Here, 100.000 berrys~!" she sang. Gen was starting to get second thoughts about asking the money. _'Oh, but since I'm not part of 'em, I don't have the right to ask for it,'_ she remembered. _'No biggie.'_

Zoro stuffed the money into his haramaki (_...no' gonna say anythin' 'bout that..._) and turned to walk away like the rest of them, but she reached out to grab his arm.

"Want to get a heads up?"

He was about to say something, but hesitated, before answering: "Not really."

"Oh? Good, but anyways, don't get your arm cut off, 'kay?" she smirked before skipping away to mingle with the crowd.

She hadn't remembered to give the lone berry to Nami, so it was still in her pocket. _'Not going to get anything with this...'_ she sighed mentally. She saw an ice cream stand and looked at the money, before smiling and heading that way.

* * *

><p>The scene with Zoro's weights played in her mind.<p>

**FLASHBACK~**

"Hey, yer not pullin' me peg?" there was a pause as Zoro's brain tried to decode her sentence.

"No, I'm not. That little weight you're holding right there _stop tossing it around like that! _ is a 20 kg."

"So... COOL!"

"How much is the heviest weight you can lift?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. All my weights are too light to me, but the heviest I own is... 500 kg."

"Woah! So, can you tell how much I could lift if I squeezed your hand?" she asked.

"Nope. You'd have to twist my arm."

"Arm wrestle, then? Not like 'win', but that I push and you try to keep it in the middle... like that?"

He rubbed his chin. "That would do it."

"Great! Let's get a crate!" Zoro ended up dragging an empty wooden box to the deck. They sat down face to face.

"Ready?" they clasped hands.

"Yup!"

She noticed how Zoro's hand was bigger than hers. It was also calloused and rough from years of swordplay, and deliciously tan. To steer her mind back on the right tracks she consentrated to the task. She pushed and pushed, but his expression didn't change. _'Hello, he lifts half a ton, and that's too light to him...'_

Her hand gave away and the marimo managed to stop his hand midway to the top of the crate.

"Ow!" she yelped, more accusingly than pained.

"Sorry."

"You just-! Nevermind, how was it?"

"At least more than 20..."

"Stop stalling," she glared at him, nursing her arm that was complaining about the arm wrestle.

"I'd say... about 40, 45 maybe?"

She stared at him.

"Ya absolutely _sure_ yer not pullin' me peg?"

**HERE ENDS THE FLASHBACK**

She had eaten the ice cream she'd used her money into and ventured without noticing to the market. Sanji was propably here somewhere, getting groceries and chick-checking. Ah, and Usopp.

'What would I need? Money, for the first thing...'

"**Come and see,** ladies and gentlemen, if you can catch the **Special Fish** and win everything! Come on closer, participate with only_ 500 berrys_!" A man in a blue beanie waved his cane around. Some curious people were shuffling around him and she dug her way through to see what was going on.

There was a pool, filled to mid-calf with water and lots of small, silvery fish.

"In this lot is one golden fish, the Special Fish!" the man told. "If you manage to catch it, you will recieve a prize of 200.000 berrys and this Bag of Mystery Items, some rumoured to be from the Grand Line! Is anyone willing to try?" he held up a small net and a letherbag dubbed as 'Bag of Mystery Items.'

"What's inside the bag?"

The beanie-pal laughed. "Trust me, it's worth it!"

"Heh, no big feat to a fisheman like myself!" an elderly man with a smooth, gray beard handed the fee to the man, who slipped it into a pouch on his hip.

"Here's the net, my friend. Good folks! Let us apploud to this brave soul!" he said with a hint of humour, making the ladies either sigh of giggle. When the clapping died out. The man, standing now in the middle of the pool, was staring at the poor little fishies. He stilled, waited like a statue and striked with a big splosh.

"Hahaa! This is how a true man cathes a fish!" he bellowed and the people clapped again.

"Let's see what do we have here," he took the net and looked into it. "Unfortunately it's not the right one! Well, for another 500 berrys you could try again!"

"Meh, I'm not trying."

"Anyone else? You, pretty young lady?" he was suddenly pointing at Gen. She blinked stupidly before answering: "Sorry, I don't have money..."

"No worries, if you have something else worth it, it could work."

"I don't."

"Let her try, I'll pay." A big, kind-looking (and filthy ritch by the looks of it) took the money out of her purse. Gen blushed in embarassement.

"Ah, please, you do't have to..."

"It's nothing, my dear. I quite enjoy this game, but I'm too old to do it myself. Go on!" she pushed her lightly on the shoulder and pressed the money into the man's hand.

"There you go miss, your net. Ladies and gentlemen, we have here another player, this time pleasing to the eye, too!" the man winked at her. Gloria huffed, but was still secretly liking the compliment.

She rolled her pants up to knee and dipped into the pool with cheering, applause and a cat-call. The pool's bottom was slippery, and all the fishes looked the same. They swam around her legs, every once and awhile brushing against them.

_'There!'_ she saw something glitter, but then it was gone again. There were just too much of them...

...and they were starting to gather around her, much like at the previous island.

"Hohoo! Look at that, the girl's a magnet!"

"Did you walk in fishfood or something?"

"Maybe she's secretly a mermaid? It would explain her beauty!" _'What, did Sanji appear here?'_ she sweatdropped.

"That's so cute!" someone said. She turned to the viewers and rubbed the back of her head.

"Hahah... huh?" amongst the silvery fishies, she finally saw the Special Fish. It really was golden, with pretty green eyes.

"Hi there, my little friend..." she whispered silently.

"This is extraordinary! This beauty here has lured all the fish to her, including the golden one! As you can see, it is there despite the rumours." The people laughed at the joke.  
>Gloria bent down slowly and put her hands in the water near the golden one. Like the others, it swam closer and nipped at her fingertips. She didn't want to take it out of the water, but closed her hands loosly around it.<p>

"There, I got it. Do I really have to take it out?"

"What say you?" the beanie-man asked his audience's opinion.

"There you see, youth and looks attract better than an old coot like you," the lady who had payed her fee said, poking the fisherman. "She caught it, all right!"

"Yeah, she won!" the people had been quiet and holding their breath during her move, but now they were cheering at her again. The man in the beanie smiled and handed her the money and the bag.

"You should give them more water, otherwise they'll suffer and die," she pointed out before walking away, happily humming.

Now that she had more than enough money she went into a café to eat and drink some nice, cold juice. Now she also had time to look into the mysterious bag.

Gen opened the bag and peeked inside. The first thing she noticed was a white silky men's shirt, many sizes too big for her. Then there was some random jewelery, a bottle of parfume, two unused quills and black, fingerless leathergloves. She slipped them on and admired their softness. They were old and worn._ 'Just how I like stuff!'_ she sighed contently.

One of the necklaces caught her eye, firstly because it was different from the others, more fancier ones. It was hanging on a piece of silverchain, a flat seven-cornered piece of metal with tiny engravings in each of them. In the middle was an oval stone, but when she looked closer she saw that it was a lid of a locket. As Gen turned it around in her hands she saw that it was in fact filled with thick, dark blue, almost black liquid and an occasional airbubble that sailed stiffly in it. The back of the locked had an engraving, "I dare you."

"Sweet," she whispered and put it around her neck.

The bag was full of random stuff and excluding the jewelery, the shirt, the quills and the bottle she left the other stuff on top of a trashcan. 'Other's rubbish, another's treasure.'

"And now... it's shoppin' time, baby!"

* * *

><p>Later, when she had a big sac of clothes, ink, paper and a big pouch of chocolate-caramel-strawberries, she came across a familiar face.<p>

"You found yourself some new swords!" she congratulated Zoro and snatched the demonblade from him.

"Oi, who the hell-? Oh. You. That thing's cursed, by the way," he said after he noticed her.

"As if I didn't know that. Hello, mister cursed sword~!" she bowed politely.

"What are you, an idiot?" he took Kitetsu back.

"An idiot with lots of candy. Want one?" she offered, her own mouth full of them.

"I don't like sweets. And where'd you get all the money? I didn't see you ask Nami for it."

She looked at him as if he was the idiot. "That blood-sucking leech of a navigator? Even I'm not that stupid. I won it almost fairly."

"Almost...?"

"At least to the fish."

"What? Wait, nevermind. Hey, were are all the people disappearing?"

"Wanna know?" she smiled with mock innocence.

"Not from you, snowbrain."

"'EY! Oh look, it's the others!" she noticed Nami with her bag of shopping goods, as well as Usopp and Sanji with the elephant tuna.

"...and where is **he**?" Zoro noticed Luffy's absence.

"He said he wanted to see the execution platform..." Nami remembered.

"Isn't it right here?" Usopp looked at Gen, who by now was grinning omniously.

"My bets are that he's in trouble," Zoro groaned, seeing her face.

"Trouble like that?" she pointed at the platform. The others turned to look.

"EHH!"

"Why the hell is he _there_!"

"Why me...?" Nami hung her head and sighed.

Buggy the (_fugly_) clown yelled and egged his men on to start shooting around and rampaging 'flashily'.

"Did Buggy chose to be a clown from all things, or did he take it because of that tomato in the middle of his face? I'll have to ask him sometime!" Gen thought out loud.

"People! It's time for a flashy execution of a scumbag pirate!" he declared. Nami and Usopp ran off with the shoppings to make the ship ready and Zoro and Sanji plowed through Buggy's men to help the missing person of their Monster trio. Everything looked good, so she decided to follow Nami and Usopp.

"We have to hurry, or we'll never be able to get off the island!" Nami said.

"Why so serious?" Gen asked.

"Yeah, we could go help out Luffy. I did beat up a fishman officer!" Usopp sided her.

"_Boo_, Usopp."

"We can't kid around! A humongous storm is coming our way!"

"**_WHAT!_**" Usopp screetched.

"The temprature and the pressure are dropping dramatically..." Nami started, but Gen got badly distracted by something.

"I _LOVE_ Loguetown!" she whooped and zoomed into the shop and scanned through the shelves. Pink, brown, elecrtic blue, green, red, orange, one with a flower- oh, the blue is so cool!

"How much? I'm inna hurry here!" she shoved the object to the clerk.

"That old thing? One thousand."

"Here, thanks, bye!" she tossed the money on the table and ran. "Oh shoot! Now I'm behind and lost!" she stomped in frustration. Then she looked at her new purchase and gave a facesplitting grin.

"I got me a hat~!" she cooed and placed it on her head. "And just in time: it's starting to rain," she ran off where she had previously been running to, assuming that the ship was that way.

The hat was smoky blue, indigo with a tint of dark gray, and it had a cream colored feather on it. It wasn't a plume, just a long feather. The tip of it was light brown. The hat had a big rim and the wind was tugging on it fiercly.

"Doodles, I really am lost... should I just sit down and cry like a five-year-old? Naa, I don't look like one..."

Suddenly someone grabbed her and slung her on their shoulder. She would've screamed, if she hadn't recognized him, but she did yelp.

"What the hell were you doing, standing in the middle of the road like that?" Zoro asked. He was soaked, too...

She grinned lecherously. "Nice shirt, green."

"Shut up or I'll drop you!"

"Look Sanji, I have a hat!" she pressed the hat harder on her head.

"It suits you really goo-oo-_oo_...!" the chef was in danger to turn into jelly for some rea- _'oh, _he_ can see through _my_ shirt,'_ she realized and blushed.

"Zoro, what if I carry Gen-chan?" he suggested.

"Okay."

"DON'T YOU DARE!"

"Okay."

"Dude, try ta make yerrr mind," Luffy said, imitating her misfit accent. Gen gave him a thumbs-up.

"I'm so proud o' ya, Luffy-chan!"

"Thank you, Gen-chan!"

"...now there's two of them..." Zoro muttered in annoyance, but Gloria kept on enjoying her ride.

"I see the marines, boys!" she warned, as she could see behind them from her position.

"Oh my!" Sanji said in delight, as he saw something pleasing to his eye.

"**RORONOA ZORO!**" Gen heard a female voice calling her mount. The pursuing marine soldiers gave a voice to the name: Tashigi.

"Heyy, I can't see!" she whined.

"I never thought that you are Roronoa Zoro! You must be so proud of yourself for tricking me like that! I can't forgive you now!"

"What did you do to her!" Sanji was immediatly siding her.

"Zoro, are you cheating on me?" Gen smacked him lightly in the head.

"The hell, Gen!" he gave the sharkteeth and let go of her before swinging the swords out and engaging in a fight with the girl... engage...

"Zoro and Tashigi, sittin' in a tree,_ K-I-S-S-I-N-G._.." she giggled as she ran.

"You bastard!" Sanji was still caughtin booting Zoro for 'hurting' Tashigi. "You brute, hitting a lady!"

"Drop it, we have to go!" Luffy grabbed the back of his suit. They left them to their own argue... and ran straight to Smoker.

"Where're all these marines comin' from!" Gen groaned.

"You're here, Strawhat Luffy," he started.

"Who're you!"

"Smoker, a captain from the HQ and I won't let you escape!" his hands turned into smoketendrils. Gen ducked out of the way as he wrapped around Luffy. Sanji tried attacking him, but with poor success as he was pushed aside.

"Oi! Mr. Lungcanser! Don't go bullyin' me friends, you bully!" Gen shook her fist at him, and Smoker looked at her. He locked his gaze with her's in a way that told 'you're going to be next', but Luffy butted in. '_Thank you!'_

"Gomu gomu no Pistol! Wha-?" his fist went right through him.

"_You_ are worth 30 million?" Smoker was suddenly behind Luffy, grabbed his head and smashed it into concrete.

Gen didn't stop to see Dragon save his son, but she ran by and glanced at him. _'Cool tattoo... I want one, but not in the face.'_

A strong gust of wind blew people in to a dizzy. Zoro and Sanji used the opportunity, grabbed Luffy and ran for it.

"So this is what Nami-swan was talking about!" Sanji looked around, propably to see if he'd see Tashigi again.

The rest of the way went more smoothly, thanks to Luffy's old man, and they made it to the ship just in time.

"What a huge storm," Usopp commented on the weather when they'd gotten out to the open.

"Even a moment longer and we'd never gotten away," Nami sighed in relief. Then she remembered Gen's little wander-off and hit her.

"Ow!"

"What were you thinking, staying behind like that!"

"I saw a hat," she demonstrated by pointing at it.

Nami sweatdropped. "And I almost got a heartattack for HER?"

"Whoooaaaa!" Luffy cheered, when suddenly a huge wave made the ship tilt dangerously and another sweapt directly on the main deck.

"Hold on, everyone!" Sanji tried yelling over the howling wind. Another one crashed to the side of the Merry, making it lurch sharply. This time Gen's hand on the rail slipped, and the deck disappeared from under her.

"DAMSEL IN DISTRESS!" she screamed and fell to the waves.

Everything moved around her and she didn't even know which way was up anymore. Since Gen had shouted her lungs out, there wasn't much air left.

_'Lame...'_ she thought with a sweatdrop.

"So you fell off the ship," a watery voice, topped with a cold hand on her shoulder, almost made her scream again. "And you've sunk quite the way already. Please don't tell me you forgot about me!"

'_Who would!'_ an angry tickmark formed on her forehead. It was Herka the Weird Seacreature.

_'He-hey! Help me a little here!'_ she gestured around.

"Someone has already come for your aid. See?" Herka pointed at the surface. A small figure - really far away from her, she noted - started diving her way. She turned to look, but the serpent was already gone.

Gen started swimming up to shorten the distance, but little white dots started dancing in her vision. _'Not... good...'_

It was Marimo. He used one arm to grab her around her waist and press her against his chest.

_'Hold it, hold it- argh, I can't-! I need to-!'_

She let the precious air go.

* * *

><p>Gloria: ...<p>

Snoara: You look like you have something to say?

Gloria: *turns to look at Snoara, highly ofended* You **_KILLED_** me!

Snoara: You still have some time before you drown, believe in Mr. Muscles!


	14. Yo mama

Hello. My mom scolded me again... -_-'

Gloria: Oh boo hoo. Now _bring me back to life!_

Snoara: I didn't kill you!

* * *

><p>Zoro saw the big airbubble vapor into the wildly boiling waves above.<p>

_'Come on, you can do it,'_ he told her inside his head.

Gen's hands moved to hang onto him. He had believed that she was already unconsious, so he turned to look down on her. He met two, blue sparkling eyes and a veil of white hair.

"**Hn, this is new**."

His jaw dropped and eyes bugged out.

They broke the surface and he drew the sweet air in his own burning lungs. Gen was hacking and spitting out lots of water. A rope fell down the ship's side.

"Hold tight," he said before looping the rope around himself and grabbing the girl, who in turn hooked her arms around his neck and buring her face into his shoulder. When they were secured, he tugged on the lifeline.

They were back on the deck in no time.

* * *

><p>She was cold and drained, but got on her feet with Nami's help. "You all right?"<p>

"Yeah_ *cough*_ just shaken. And cold and miserable, but I'm good. 'Ey Zoro... thanks," she directed a grateful, small smile his way.

"Well, next time I'm not going to get you, fish," he turned away.

"Man, are you- _Urrgh_!" Usopp was about to ask him something, but the swordsman grabbed his lips comically.

"I'll kill you," he said diabolically to the boy's face.

"SCARY!"

Something was placed around her upper body. It was Sanji, who had been kind to get her a quilt.

"Thanks, Sanji!"

"I am sorry that I couldn't rush to your rescue!" he wailed with animetears. _'Kindness, guilt, all the same reactions from him when it's a human female...'_ she sweatdropped.

"Hey I can see a light!" Luffy noticed.

"A lighthouse?"

"Our guiding light."

"At the end of that light lays the the entrance to Grand Line," Nami told them. "So?"

"Don't you feel anything in the middle of the storm?" Usopp's nose was wiggling in fear.

"Don't worry, if you won't make it, just walk straight at the light!" Gloria nodded sagely.

"DON'T SAY SCARY STUFF LIKE THAT!"

Sanji grabbed a barrel and dragged it at the middle of the deck.

"Shall we begin the entering ceremony?"

_THUNK_

"To find All Blue," he declared.

"To become the King of the Pirates!" Luffy made a face and placed his sandal on top of the barrel, next to Sanji.

"To be the best swordsman."

"To draw the map of the world."

_'Wait, what should I do? I ain't no part of 'em, but I'll feel kinda outsider if I won't do it...'_ Gen thought and fiddled with the pendant.

"To become the brave warrior of the sea!"

_'Hmm... but what _do_ I want from life?'_ she thought then.

"Um, Gen? Earth to Gloria?" Nami called her.

"Huh?"

"What's your dream?" Luffy asked.

"Hhnn..." she placed hesitantly her leg on the barrel. "To..." she took a steadying breath, "To... To make my own life!"

_CRASH._

Various memories played over in a mess in her head and gave strength to her resolve.

_'I'll throw away the life I used to live and start a new one... here.'_

**"TO THE GRAND LINE!"**

When the formalities were over, they quickly resumed back to their normal storm-weather-rutine. Gloria wringed her clothes dry in the bathroom, dried herself up in a towel and put on some new clothes (_a black longsleeved shirt with a V-neck and black pants_). She went to the kitchen with Greg and her schetchbook to finish Luffy, starting to hum softly. Usopp sat opposite of her, making his own masterpiece. Zoro was out, SLEEPING in that damn storm. Sanji was brewing something that smelled delicious in a big pot on the stove. Nami as well as Luffy were both outside, she keeping her eye on the weather (_and Luffy_) and their course. Greg was making some kind of tower out of her pens.

"You're really good, Usopp," she praised him.

"You're not too shabby yourself!" he bounced the compliment back. "And you sure have lots of cool stuff here."

"Mm-m. They're my treasure!"

"Your treasure?" Sanji looked at the table.

"I love drawing and these pens are really important to me. The wooden coloring pens I got from my brother, the mechanicals are from my mom and auntie and the inks were a gift from Chi...selle..." she had started telling and the others were sucking in everything they could from her, but she slowed down at the end and turned inside of her mind, eyes glacing over. There was an awkward silence in the galley, only Sanji's pot bubbling lowly.

"Is Chiselle your friend?" the chef inquired carefully. She seemed to snap out after a while.

"Ah, what did you ask again?"

"Boy, do not ask her if she so doesn't wish," Greg said warningly.

"Nah, it's cool. I have to face it sooner or later anyway," she sighed sadly. "It's not like I'll ever see her again..." her voice started cracking. She rose up and left, leaving all her stuff behind.

On the deck it was still raining, drenching her from head to toe in minutes, but she didn't care.

Why did she always had to cry when thinking Chis? Even if she wasn't deadly sick, how would she get home either? She didn't even know how she got here!

There was a flash of thunder at the distance.

_'Haha, you said it.'_

She saw Zoro leaning against the wall, sleeping soundly..._ 'What the Neatherworld? How can he- oh yeah. He's just Zoro.'_

She was careful when walking up to him - she didn't want to fly over the rail again - and shook his shoulder.

"Zzz-krhm, hu? Wha? Gen? Is it morning?"

"No, you stone. Get inside before you get a pneumonia. I tell ya, it ain't fun," she shook her head as an emphasis. He yawned and pushed himself up, then looked at her.

"Have you been crying?"

"What? No! Don't be silly!" she turned away and rubbed her face.

He sweatdropped, "You so did cry. Care to tell me?"

"Tell you what? I didn't cry!"

"Yeah yeah, now tell me."

"I didn't cry!"

"Who cried?"

"_Luffy!_ No, no one cried!"

"She cried."

"She cried?"

"I DIDN'T CRY!"

_SMACK COMBO x 3_

"WILL YOU STOP THAT! And let's get in, it's pouring out here!" Nami interrupted them by hitting them each. In the galley, Usopp had cleaned the table from their previous activities and placed her pencase and schetchbook on a chair. The navigator walked in and pulled down her hood before slapping the wet map on the table.

"However I look at it, the entrance to Grand Line is a mountain."

"MOUNTAIN!" Usopp parroted.

"Mmhm. The Reverse mountain. At first I thought it would be impossible, but look at this. The guiding light is pointing at a loose mountain on Red Line." They hunched over the map and looked at where Nami was pointing.

"You meant that we'll hit the mountain?"

"Nope, there's a canal, see?"

"A canal?" Usopp said sceptically. "Don't be stupid. Even though there's a canal, how could a ship climb it upstream?"

"That's what the map says."

"That's right! Don't you trust Nami-san?"

"You'd believe if she said you had a monkey hanging from your butt..." Gen mumbled to herself.

"You snatched that thing from Buggy, how do you know it's reliable?"

"Use a ship to cross mountains? Cool! A magic mountain!" Luffy laughed. "Isn't it great, Gen?"

"Mmmhm. And just for you to know, that map is reliable. You didn't know it, but Buggy has been at Grand Line before."

"_He has!_" Luffy's eyes bugged out.

"You seem to know quite much about the past too," Nami frowned.

"Yeah, I'm awesome just like that."

"No you're not. Why can't we go just through south instead of using the entrance?"

"That's a bad idea, Zoro!" Luffy and Gen said in unision, the boy pointing at the first mate.

"That's right! There's a perfect reason for it!" Nami said.

"We're supposed to go to Grand Line by the mountain because it's cool!"

Nami hit him. "That's not it."

"Nami..."

"Look! The storm's gone!" Usopp said, watching out the window.

"Can I panic now?" Gen asked.

"Yeah, it's calmed down."

"Noo, the storm was supposed to carry us to the entrance!"

"So nice weather!"

"What happened? Where'd the storm go?"

"It's the Calm Belt!" Nami's face told dread.

"Nami! Can I now start panicking?" she smiled sweetly at her.

"Yes, yes you can!"

"_AAAAAAAAGHHH!_"

"Hey, why are you screaming like that?" Luffy asked her.

"What's a Calm Belt?"

"Ah! The storm went all the way there. Here it's so nice and calm."

"SHUT UP AND ROW! We have to get back to the storm!"

"_ROOOOWWW!_" Gen was running around with two oars in her grasp. No way in Netherworld was she going to test out their luck.

"But Nami, this is a sailboat, not a rowboat."

"Why do we have to go back to the storm?"

"JUST DO IT! And Gen STOP RUNNING AROUND!"

"It's such a nice weather," Zoro said. "Why back to there?"

"_I'LL TELL YOU_, YOU DUMBASSES! The ship is heading south, just like you suggested!"

"So we're in Grand Line now?"

"IF IT WAS THAT EASY THERE'D BE MORE PEOPLE COMING HERE!" she yelled. "There are two seas surrounding Grand Line, the Calm Belts. There are no wind nor sea currents to ride on, and the place-"

**RUUMMMBBLE**

"AAH! An earthquake!"

No, it wasn't. They were suddenly many meters off the sea surface, balancing on a huge black and white sea king's nose and they had the perfect view to all the other sea kings surrounding them.

"- is the nesting place for the bigger sea kings..." Nami was hugging the mast and crying anime tears. Usopp had fainted, and the big sleepy-looking sea king was looking around stupidly.

Then something really bad came back to Gen's mind.

_'If small fish like to crowd around me, what about the bigger ones?'_

"He-hey, anyone? Tell me, are sea kings related to normal fishies?" she was hugging an oar.

"When the thing dives, you all row like all hell on you," Zoro said, forcing his voice to calm.

"Answer me! It's important!" Gen squeeked.

"I don't know," Sanji said. "Why is it- whah?"

Underneath the sea started moving when numerous small identical sea kings broke the surface and stared up, antcipation in their platesized, moist eyes. They looked a lot like a crossbreed between a crocodile, a mouse and a fish.

"Oh _nooo~_" her voice had climbed up octaves. "It's just like before! I'm a fishmagnet!"

The big monster sneezed and the ship was catapulted into air. The mass of little baby sea kings followed the ship keenly with their eyes.

"AAARGH!"

"Hold on tight!"

"AAA! THE GIANT FROG IS FOLLOWING!"

"I FELL!"

"USOPP!" Luffy's arm stretched and the boy in overalls was slung safely to the ship. The rain started pelting on them and they all layed like dead on the deck.

"Safe, we're back at the storm."

"You see why the meaning of the enterance?" Nami panted.

"Yes," Zoro answered.

Gen had twirls in her eyes. "I hate fishies... big, big fishies..."

"What was with all those small baby sea kings?" Usopp asked.

"I'm a magnet," she whined.

"I got it!" Nami suddenly said. "We have to go up to the mountain."

"Still thinking about that?"

From that on Gloria tuned out and went inside. These little different things in her that she didn't remember ever obtaining were starting to be a hinder. Okay, it was nice to know that she couldn't drown and that somehow she had the superstrength to beat up a fishman, but someone should've told her beforehand! Her hair was suddenly snow white instead of her normal blonde that she loved and her blood turned purple. Now she was attracting fish. What the Netherworld?

_'Herka, that bastard. She **knows** something.'_

"Greg," she grabbed the bunny. "Do you know where _she_ might be at the moment?"

"Oh, Lady H. She's following the ship, but I suggest that you save the chat to a better time, M'La- Gloria-sama."

She squeezed him.

"I mean Gloria-san!" he said with a choke. She dropped him on the table.

"That's more like it. By the way, is Greg shortened from someting?"

He looked at his tiny feet. "...yeah, but I don't like my name."

"Why?"

"It's too snobby."

"What, is it Gregory or something?" she huffed.

"No, I mean yes, but it's... worse. A lot worse."

"Ooo, tell meh!" her eyes turned into sparkles.

"No!"

"Cooome ooon, I'll let you call me -sama?" she tilted her head and wibbled her lower lip.

"N-no!" he was starting to sweat (_do plushies sweat o_O?)_.

"Don't you want to tell me~?" she tried cooing him.

"No-o-oo..." he was braking down like a house of cards. "Well, okay.. It's... sir _*mumblemumble*_"

"'Scuse me? Didn't catch that."

"Sir Elmo-Gregory Vaughan Aecorius the seventh..." his voice went small and embarassed.

"Elmo?" she had to laugh at that.

"Okay, now that you've laughed enough you could go out and see what everyone else is doing," he was annoyed. "And stop laughing so hard! ...M'Lady," he added as an afterthought.

"Hai, hai. Sorry that I laughed, but that's one awesome name. But seriously,_ Elmo?_"

"Gloria-sama!"

She stuck her toung out at him and went out. She closed the door and took a look at the Red Line that rose in front of them.

"Is that Red Line?"

"So much fog, we can't see a thing!"

"Wow..." she could only say. "It's... red."

"Hold the rudder!" Luffy cheered and Sanji and Usopp ran past her. "Leave it to us!"

Zoro had the binoculars, so she snatched them from him.

"Again, wow... The stream is literally going up the mountain!"

"It's the entrance!"

"The ship's getting off route! Turn right! Right!" Luffy yelled.

"To the right! But the rudder won't move!"

"Wait! Don't try turning it-!" Gen tried to warn them, but the poor abused wood broke anyhow. "...doodles."

"THE RUDDER!" their eyes bugged out. "We're going to hit the gate!"

Luffy whisked his hat to Zoro, who caught it onehandedly, and the boy inflated himself into a gum gum balloon between the ship and the gate. The Merry bounced away unharmed, and Luffy stretched his hand to Zoro and flung himself back.

"WE DID IIIIT!" they cheered for not crushing to the gate.

"It's like a big rollercoaster!" Gen laughed. "Luffy! Dance! Dance!" she held her hands out and he grabbed them. They started giggling and jumping in a circle. The ship rushed through the clouds, leaving a fine layer of cold droplets on everything. Here the sun was still shining, projecting the silhouette of the ship on the clouds.

"Yahoo!" the captain whooped.

"And down we goooo!" Gen threw her arms in the air, letting the wind blow all the hair off her face.

"I can see the Grand Line!" Luffy was haning on the figurehead. "The biggest sea in the world, LETS GO, EVERYONE!"

_Booo..._

"Did you just hear something?"

"Oh, something like a cry?" she looked at Zoro who had heard Laboon.

"Doesn't matter! Let's GO!" Luffy was smiling widely.

"Maybe it's just wind."

"Oh Nami, Nami, Nami," Gen shook her head in disappointment. "Can't you tell?"

**BOOO...!**

"Nami-swan! There's a mountain up ahed!" Sanji pointed at something from the sail.

"That's impossible, there's only sea after the canal!"

**BOOO!**

"Eh?"

"IT'S A WHAAAALLEEEE!" they screamed.

_**BOOOOO!**_

"Yes, it's an island whale from the west blue. Isn't he cute~!" Gen cooed. She had never seen a whale in nature, only on tv. Her favourite was the beluga whale, but she also liked the humpback whale.

"CUTE!"

"It's in the way! What should we do, fight it?" Luffy asked.

"ARE YOU NUTS!"

"He's a coconut-"

_"NOT NOW, GLORIA!"_ Zoro shouted.

"How can we fight a giant whale?"

"It's seriously in the way!"

"Wait a minute, where are it's eyes?" Sanji noticed._ 'In it's head?'_ she was cheeky in her own thoughts. No need to annoy them any further. ...aw what the fudge! "In it's head?"

"Haha, really funny," Usopp said flatly.

"It was!"

"Maybe it didn't notice us yet." Nami said.

"There's a crack!" Zoro said, pointing to the left. "We'll be safe if we can steer through it! Someone take the rudder!"

Gloria took the now useless piece of wood from Usopp's limp hand. "I have it, now what I should do with mr. Wise-butt?"

"Oh crap! I'll help!" Zoro zoomed inside with Sanji and the liar.

"Yes! We need more good ideas!" Luffy yelled and went to the cannon deck.

"Luffy, what are you doing?" Nami called from above him.

"The rudder's not working!" Sanji said desperately.

_KA-**BOOM**_

* * *

><p>"What should I do now~?" Gen said, sitting on a rock. The ship had bumped into Laboon all the same, and the figureheadLuffy's special seat was broken. Luffy got mad and hit Laboon's eye that had become visible. The whale noticed them, started wailing with his earsplitting **BO~** and opened his jaws, swallowing the little Going Merry.

Except for Luffy, and Gen, who had been unfortunate enough to be in the flying course of the captain and gotten flung off the ship... again. Luffy had saved them both, and started hitting the whale, demanding to get his precious nakama back. Then he had noticed the trapdoor on the whale's back and gone in before the whale sunk.

Gloria in the other hand had fallen from the boy half way and she started paddling away from the massive mammal. That had been a challenge in itself, after he dived, making whirlpools and giant waves. Then she'd looked for a place to stay and wait for the others.

The rock was small and her feet were slipping from underneath her.

"This is sooooooo booooooooriiiiiinnggg... Oh! I know, HERKA YOU STUPID-!"

"Yes my dear?"

"_Gah!_" she fell off the rock completely. She turned in the water to see the woman... snake... sea serpent... towering over her. She had a tick on her forehead.

"What did you call me again?"

"Erm, no, nothing..." she shrunk back. She grabbed the sittingstone and hung on to it, frowning.

"Ya owe me an explanation, hag."

"Hag..." another tickmark. "I'll let that slide for now only because you're right."

"And we have time."

"And we have time," she echoed her. "Do tell, have you noticed some... weird things about you recently?" she inquired.

"Yup. First of all, _WHY IS MY HAIR WHITE?_"

"That's what's concerning you?" Herka sweatdropped and Gen nodded.

"Hmmm... do you want me to tell you a long and dramatic story and then reveal the big truth, or be blunt and tell the truth without rambling first?"

"Blunt, please."

"Okay. I'm your biological mother."

S I L E N C E .

"Are you shitting me?" she didn't care about her language at the moment.

"No."

They were silent again, as Herka gave her daughter some time to adjust to the information. "So... instead of a supersmurf, I'm a superfish," finally she said slowly. "Still doesn't make sense."

"...you're awfully calm about this."

"Hey, it's the Grand Line. 'Scuse me, I think 'M gonna pass out now..."

"GEN!"

"Haha, jus' jokin'. Um... mom..." they both blushed.

"It doesn't fit."

"No, defenetly. And... wait a minute... in genetics, usually dark colors overpower the lighter ones. Your hair's black, so why _is_ my hair white?" Gen pondered. Inside she was going overdrive and her hands would've been shaking so bad if she didn't have to hold on to the rock. Her lower half had paralyzed completely.

"Hey, even I don't know everything! When you were born I had to send you off to another place, safe from here. Your hair took a more... _normal_ coloring to blend in."

"What did my... father... look like?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't remember. He was a pirate, that much I can recall, but the world is full of pirates. He didn't have white hair, if that's what you meant," Herka said casually.

"A pirate," she said to herself. "I'm a daughter of a pirate."

"Don't get your hopes up, he died little after our night together, so he never even knew he had a girl."

"_Wow_, too much info there," Gen raised her hands and clamped them back on the support as she started sliding down.

"Question number two: what's with the purple blood?"

"You're worried over your colors?" Herka's laugh was like a chime. She nicked the back of her hand on a sharp shard of stone and showed it to the girl.

"Now you see it's red..." the droplet oozed out of the wound on it's own accord and started running down her arm, where it started turning purple, "...aaand now it's purple."

"I KNOW THAT!"

"The reason is the air," Herka washed the blood away and the small wound closed off under her gaze. "When our blood is in direct connection with air, it turnes purple. If you bleed in the water it won't turn color."

"Oh," Gen said stupidly. "What species are you?" she raised an eyebrow as she asked.

The woman hummed and put a finger on her lips. "Not telling~"

"Herka!"

"Njeheh! Oh!" the stone trembled, then again and again.

"Laboon," Gloria said sadly.

"Yeah, it's too sad that he thinks as he thinks," the blackhaired beauty shook her head.

"Why haven't you told him if you know how things are?" Gen asked slightly accusingly.

"Because. I had to learn it early on, that when you know the future to the finest details, you can't go and tell about it to everyone. It starts to change. The future is meant to be unpredictable. I know that you haven't done big things yet, but I warn you; **don't try to change what is going to happen**," Herka told her, her face a serious mask. "And since you have only seen the version told in your world, you can't tell what your changes will do This is reality, not a book."

Gloria thought about it. It was true, and she rather liked the advantage that her knowledge brought her.

"Do you understand, Gloria Erin Kindheart?"

"Yeah... I guess I do."

"Good~!" Herka's mood turned in a matter of seconds. They heard a big splosh as the great island whale rised from the depths. It was finally sedated and it's eye was drooping.

"Ah, I believe I should take my leave. Until next time, sweetie~!"

"Oi!" she reached to the woman but she had already dived and taken her long tail with her. "You still didn't tell me if I really could breathe underwater..." she sulked. She saw the ship come out of the whale and two figures fell off the side.

"And how am I supposed to get there! ...doodles." She left her safe place and swam all the way to the Merry, that had sailed to the shore. Instead of calling for help, she climbed up the ladder herself and walked up to them. It was a miracle that they hadn't noticed her, but since Usopp was there, deliciously back turned to her, she went to him and slid her wet, cold hands on his shoulders.

"Come with me, to the dark side~" she said with an eerie voice.

"HYEEAAAAARGH!" he started foaming.

"Gen!" Luffy jumped up.

"See, I told you. Imps don't drown," Zoro commented, but she could see that he was relieved.

"I'm not an imp, as I found out, but more closer to sea serpents," she explained as Luffy tackled her.

"Graaahyou'restranglingmeeergh!"

In the backgrounds Crocus was asking Nami who she was and recived a short answer: "Gen."

"I thought we lost you," the captain pouted.

"Shitty-rubber, get offa her!" Sanji kicked the boy.

"Please continue as if I didn't interrupt you. Something about Laboon?" she asked after she had gained her dignity.

"...how...?" Crocus waved at the girl when his words failed him.

"Nevermind her," Nami sighed.

"Hmhmhmhmmmm... hmmhmhmmhmmmmm..."

"50 years... that's a long time to believe his friends are still alive," Zoro said.

"Those pirates made the whale wait for them for a really long time," Luffy said thoughtfully. Sanji was sitting on the table and Gen was poking Usopp, who was still passed out on the ground.

"Moron, did you already forget that this is the Grand Line? They said to come back in 2-3 years, but it's already 50. He should know better."

"Hmhmhmmm... nihihihih," Gloria giggled between her humming Bink's sake.

"They're already dead! No matter how long he waits, they won't come back!" Sanji kept on speaking. Usopp had woken up mysteriously by now.

"How can you say something like that? Maybe they'll come back. It's so touching that the whale is still keeping his promise!" he hit the table.

"Hea' hea'!" Gen cheered.

"They've already left Grand Line," Crocus said. "I checked."

"What!" Usopp snarled.

"He was abandoned? If they left, they would've had to go through the Calm Belt!" Nami said.

"Boo, you lot!" Gen pointed her thumb down. "Where's your faith?"

"Correct, so it might be possible that they're all dead already, but even if they were alive they'd never come back to this catastrophic sea."

Gloria got quickly bored of this and went to Laboon. It was staring at her curiously with only one of his eyes.

"Look who's cute?" she cooed. "You are! Yes, you are so CUTE that I could just hug you to death!" she rubbed his rubbery skin. "Don't listen to those meanies, I believe that there's at least one man standing on that ship," she said to the whale. Laboon let out a low sound that she felt more than heard. Then it gained octaves and turned so high that she couldn't hear it anymore.

"I'm sorry, but I don' speak whale."

**BOOO!**

"But ya sound better than before. You know, ya shouldn' block the way like you did, it's not safe."

**BOOohh...**

"We could've crashed inta ya! I know that ya would've not felt a thing, but our ship could've sunk and the crew drown!"

**Bo**ooouu...

"Come on, don't sound so depressed. Yer still the cutest whale in all existance."

_**BO!**_

He chirped happily again.

"And Crocus-san really cares fer ya. You should just leave the bashin' until you've grown bigger than the mountain to try crumble it, ya with me?"

**BooooOOoo~**

"Yeh I luv ya too, ya big silly!"

"YAAHHHH!" and suddenly the stupid little boy was whaleclimbing with their main mast.

"Luffy, NOO! DON'T HURT THE WHALE!"

"GOMU GOMU NOOOOO IKEBANA!"

_**...! BOOOOOHHH!**_

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT MORON DOING!" Zoro, Sanji and Nami screamed at his ungodly stupidity.

"He broke the ship's mast!" Usopp was concerned about the ship. Luffy was flinging on the mast as Laboon shook his head in pain and ended up ramming it to the ground in front of Crocus' lighthouse to dislodge the mast, but it only dug deeper. Gen managed to get out of the way just in time. The whale wailed, then again in anger.

Luffy hit Laboon in the eye, who in turn splatted the boy against the lighthouse. Just as he was about to do it again: "NOW WE'RE EVEN!"

Laboon stopped in confusion.

"I'm good, huh? But we still don't know who would win, so we'll have to fight again some other time. Your friends may already be dead, but I'm not. We'll sail through Grand Line, and then come back to see you again."

Laboon was crying.

"WHAT DO YOU SAY?"

**_BO!_**

Some time and paintcans later there was a huge... thing... on Laboon's snout.

"My soul is dying a miserable death..." Gen cried against Usopp's shoulder.

"I know, Gen, I know."

"Oh, and the invite to the dark side is still open."

"NO THANK YOU!"

"We have cookieees,_ coo~ookiee~ees!_"

"Stop that! Why are you teasing me? Isn't Zoro your bother-toy?" Usopp was trying to push her off when she latched onto his shoulders.

"People tend ta get used ta me due time, so I have to give 'em some space before tha' happens."

"Oohoohoo, about our dear Marimo, would you like to know something interesting?" Usopp made a weird face and rubbed his chin.

"Oh, do tell!"

"It'll pay."

"Gimme a price."

"Stop harrassing me."

"Gotcha!" they shook hands.

"Usopp stop selling out my soul!" Zoro yelled with pointy teeth.

"Oh shush you, Usopp, what was it that you wanted to tell me about **Ma~ri~mo~?**" she stretched the nickname and looked at Zoro.

"Ah, it seems that our **Ma~ri~mo~** has a-"

"WILL YOU TWO STOP IT!" Zoro yelled, glaring at Usopp.

"Now I'm really curious!" Gen smiled unpurely.

"You see-"

"LAALAALAALAALAA!" Zoro yelled, grabbed Usopp and... tossed him off the cliff.

"_HUAAAAAH_!"

"Heeey, what's the big idea?" she placed her hands on her hips, glaring at Zoro, who's face had tinted to red.

"Forget it."

"I won't!"

"Grrrhh."

"Meow."

"OK! This is the sign of our promise!" Luffy's yell cut their rapidly heating conversation. The boy was head to toe in stains, but the really important question was, where'd he get the huge paintbrush?

"I wan't one of those!"

"You can't hit your head anymore and rub the sign off until we're here again."

**Bo.**

"Good!"

"I'm going to plan our route," Nami said smiling feintly, sitting down and spreading out her maps as Sanji got into cooking the tuna. Gen dragged a chair opposite of him and sat on it, watching how Sanji prepared the food. He started showing off for her, making flips and twirls. She cheered and clapped, enjoying it fully and snatching a piece of fried tuna off the pan.

"Hoo, _hothothot!_"

"Ugah! Why can she take food, but I can't!" Luffy's eyes bugged out. "I want too!"

"Hands off, Luffy! She can have because she's Gen-chan," he cooed.

"Why thank you, Sanji-kun~," she cooed back, and he went into noodles. "Gloria-chwaaan is so cute!"

Usopp had gotten back to the dry land and after fuming to Zoro started putting the ship back together. She went to help the boy with the task as Zoro refused to help him.

"Hmm, we'll need a real carpenter before it's too late for her," Gen thought out loud.

"Don't jinx it!" Usopp said hurriedly.

"Blaah to you. Did you know, that in the old days people believed that a woman on board brings bad luck?"

"Really! And we have _two_!"

She grinned devilishly. "But I say that tha's a load o' bull. Sure women can be a bit moody from time ta time, bu' it's no reason fer women to be left outta th' fun 'n' adventure!"

Nami screamed and Laboon dived away from the sudden voice.

"What's wrong?" Luffy asked.

"What happened, Nami-swan? The food's ready if you're hungry!" Sanji came, balancing various plates on his limbs and head. Gloria climbed up from the ship after Usopp, leaving Zoro to sleep.

"The compass, it's just spinning around!"

"'You spin me right 'round, baby right 'round like a record, baby right 'round 'round 'round...'"

Crocus explained the magnetic fields and why the normal compass wouldn't work in the Grand Line, and Gen dragged the chair back to the dinnertable. Luffy started stuffing food, and she didn't want to be left without.

"The trunk is delicious!"

"Really? I'm not going to try that. Too freaky. Ooh, this is heavenly!"

"If you want to travel in the Grand Line, you must have a log pose."

"A log pose? What's that?" Nami asked. It would be bad if the navigator lacks essential knowledge in the middle of the sea. 'Or I could just ask Herka where the heck we are...' she sweatdropped.

"Does it look like this?" Luffy said, and Gloria realized that she'd lost a piece of the conversation.

"Yes."

"And it's pretty. Can I hold it?"

"Sure."

"Without a log pose you'll be lost in the Grand Line and it's very difficult to find any outside of the Line," Crocus ended.

"I got it, but wait a minute... HOW DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT!" Nami hit Luffy so that the food in his mouth flew out.

"Eww, gross!" Gen grimaced.

"Those people dropped it, so I picked it up. Why'd you hit me?"

"Just because." Gen handed her the log pose and Nami started examining it, looking at the needle on a string.

_(More explaining.)_

"'M gonna take a swim bye."

It wasn't that she wanted to skip out all the talking, but somehow his voice was just... _old_. So old she didn't find the will to stay and listen to it more, especially when she already knew all this. Impatient? Naa, yer jus' imaginin' it.

Gloria climbed the ladder down and picked up speed before jumping.

"Cold!" she said when her head popped back up.

"Okay, let's see. I can breathe underwater... I can breathe underwater... but was that real? I didn't just pass out and dream it? I should ask Zoro about it, he was there. What if I just drown myself if I try?" she kicked sluggishly in the water, contemplating on what to do. At the same time two figures - one dribbling hearts - fell from above her, followed by Nami's angry shout: **"GO TAKE A HIKE!"**

* * *

><p><strong>OVER 6,000 WORDS!<strong>

Gloria: You're in the mood!

Snoara: I know! ...but just to tell ya people, my mom might suddenly decide that I can live without a computer, and again it just MIGHT be in the way of updates.

Gloria: ...I'm a daughter of a fish... and thanks for not killing me.


	15. Snow on board!

Here goes another one. Not as long as the previous, but that was an overkill anyway. Damn, it's been boring today, if you don't count that my brother got himself four stitches to the back of his head before I was even awake... Yeah, he's that good.

Gloria: No one's interested in that. Keep on writing, woman *points at the keyboard*

Snoara: *sigh* hai, hai.

* * *

><p><em>'Okay, I'll just.. breathe water. Okay, here goes...'<em> she emptied her lungs and lowered closer to the water she was in. _'Okay, maybe THIS time I can do it, defenetly. I'll just- mmmh... this isn't working well,'_ she sweatdropped. Laboon had come back to see what she was doing, his big eye staring at her.

"I'm sure I can breathe water again! ...I think. Any suggestions?"

**Bo bo booo**

"No? Well, you are a mammal, you breathe air like all the other mammals... you don't happen to see any gills on me?" she raised her hair out of the way so that Laboon could see her neck.

**Booo.**

"Doodles," she sighed and turned to float on her back. Laboon seemed to have an idea, because the next thing she knew the water swallowed her up.

The whale had sunk right next to her and created another whirlpool.

_'You brainless giant-!'_ she ranted as she tried to get back up.

_**Boo~oo -**_

She looked at the big dark blob that was Laboon. It's voice was different in the water, she could distinguish more sounds than she remembered hearing on the land.

_'Does this have something to do with the fact that Herka's my... mother?'_ she thought, as she returned to the sea level. Instead of two people, she saw four climbing up to the bank. _'Vivi and mr. 9.'_

Sanji helped Ms. Wednesday up and left Mr. 9 and Luffy to their own accords. Gen paddled to them and boosted Luffy out of the water. He rolled on the ground with his toung lolling out.

"Thanks."

"No worrie- LABOON YOU GODDAMN-! _Grblgrlbgrlb..!_" the whale's enourmos tale had made a big wave that had wiped over the dry piece of land, taking Luffy, Gen and Mr. 9 with it.

She turned around in the water and saw 9 climb back up, but the rubberboy sunk down like a hammer. She didn't have a choice but to go after him.

_(A brief rescue-mission later)_

"Ehhh... I really thought I'd die... Laboon! What was that for!" Luffy jumped up and scolded the animal.

**_Bo~_**

"I think he's playing with us," Gen sweatdropped at his answer.

"Gen, come on up," Luffy gave his hand to her, who was still in the water.

"No thanks. I want to try and see if I can breathe water."

"Huh? People can do that?" his head tilted in confusion.

"No, but I can. I think. You remember when Zoro saved me?" he nodded "He didn't get to me in time and my lungs got full of water."

"That's so cool!" He smiled, but then frowned. "you could've died." Then his eyes started sparkling. "Can you show me?"

"Hmm, I tried to do it, but I'm just not brave enough."

"Want me to help?"

"How?"

"Well, I could push your head down and not let go even if you asked to?" he scratched his cheek, Gen sweatdropped.

"Please don't."

"Luffy! We're going!" the rest of the motley crew came down with Crocus and the two agents. They were begging to be let on the ship with them.

_'Oh yeah... Ahah, I guess I changed that accidently...'_

"Please, we need to get back to our home town!" Mr. 9 groveled.

"Okay, you can come," Luffy gave his permission over the shoulder.

"You-!" Nami fell. "What were you two doing by the way?"

"Ah, trying to see if Gen can breathe under the water."

"WHAT THE HELL, YOU SHITTY BASTARD?" Sanji bashed his heel into Luffy's skull. "Are you trying to drown her!"

"No, Sanji," she sighed. _'I guess it'll have to wait 'till next time.'_ "Luf, help me up, wouldya?" She offered her hand.

"Sure thing!" He grabbed her hand and started pulling, but then his grip slackened and his knees buckled and he dropped her, falling on his butt too. Nami had to reroute their destination to Whiskey Peak. "I guess that's that," she said finally. "The log is set."

"Are the map and the direction correct?" Crocus asked.

"Yup, straight to Whiskey Peak."

Crocus turned to Luffy, who was sitting on the ground again - Gen still in the water with an amused grin on her face.

"Boy, are you sure you want to choose your path for these people? You can't change it afterwards."

"That's easy: if I don't like the route, I'll just make aother round. Come on, let's try again!" he turned back to Gloria.

"What are you two still doing there? Get here!" Nami frowned.

"Can't! I've been lilling here for so long that my feet are stiff, but it seems that Luffy's inadequate to pull me up!" she laughed, when another try ended up with Luffy sprawled on the rocks.

"Nofaaaaair...! You're doing it on purpose!"

"'M not! Someone, 'elp me?" she made a pick-me-up motion and was saved by Sanji. Usopp teased Luffy once they were back at the ship, and Crocus bid them farewell.

"Bye then, flower-geezer," Luffy waved his hand.

"Thanks for the log pose!"

"All right, all right, get going already."

"SEE YA, WHALE!"

_**BOH!**_

"Bye bye, cutie-pie, WILL MISS YA!"

Laboons last cry echoed from the Red Line's walls as they sailed away, the humongous whale growing tiny in the horizon.

Then Gloria remembered her hat that she'd left to dry back in the bathroom along all her other clothes. There hadn't been much room to spread them, but now that the weather was better she brought them out to dry in the wind. The redfaced navigator had later brought Gen her still soaked bra, telling her to keep them away from the 'public idiocy.'

No, she didn't want to know what happened.

She went back in her room and cleaned it up, since it was starting to resemble the boys' room, excluding the stench and the moldy food. She'd whipped them into doing something to it, but she hadn't seen that day yet. Then she checked the hat that was waiting for her on the doorknob. It wasn't completely dry yet, but it was wareable. Happily humming, she entered the deck.

Her eyebrow twitched.

Everything was covered in snow, and Luffy and Usopp were making snow sculptures.

"My clothes..."

"Don't worry, they'll melt and dry up when it gets warm again," Sanji reassured her before getting a shovel and starting to clean the deck. Zoro? ...yup, still asleep in a steadily increasing pile of snow, which brought her an idea.

"Whatcha plannin'?" Luffy asked, when he saw her calculating expression. He was speaking like Gloria again.

"Hmm, my dear friend... I can't decide..."

"Yeah, you suck at making decicions," he said. Someone had seemingly told him about it. "What are you thinking?"

"Not planning to hex the snow to eat us?" Usopp asked warily. Gen snapped her fingers.

"No, but you just gave me the missing piece of the puzzle, thanks Nose!" she grinned childishly and started piling up more snow around the hybernating swordsman.

Some time later, the boys were done with their masterpieces.

"There! The man who came from the sky, Mr. Snowman!"

"Hahaha, you and your childish snowgames," Usopp chuckled. "Behold! My gratest artwork, 'The Snow Queen'!" he presented proudly. It was all quickly down in ruin as Luffy destroyed her head, and Usopp took revenge on Mr. Snowman. That escalated into a full blown snow-wrestle, and they were dangerously close to her own creation.

"Hey! Watch it, you baboons! Don't come so close!" she protected it. They turned to look: both's eyes bugging out before they started laughing.

"Sanji! Could you shovel some more snow this way?"

"Sure~!"

Gloria had never been good at making things out of snow, but this was something she could be proud of.

First of all, Zoro had suddenly gained a fishtail and a pair of sizeable breasts that were falling and rising with his breathing. The tail, however, was disappearing into a mouth... of a giant, badly misshapen bunny, which had evil, red apple-eyes in it's head, staring down at the sleeping 'mermaid'. There were several smaller ones around the big one, and all had big, pointy teeth.  
>"Behold."<p>

"SO COOL!"

"Hahaha, he's going to be eaten by a monster!" Usopp laughed. Gloria frowned.

"Can't you tell that it's a rab-"

"_AAAAAAAAH!_"

"That was Nami."

"Turn the ship around! _Now_!" the stressed navigator bursted screaming through the galley door.

"Around? Why?"

"Did you forget something?"

"No! The ship turned 180 when I wasn't looking! I just looked away for two seconds!" she shouted and kicked the two towaways out to help. Gen was waving her hand and jumping up and down like a first-grader.

"I knew! I knew!"

"_THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO EARLIER!_ Turn to the left! Usopp, second sail! Sanji, take the rudder!"

"Ay!"

"What a bossy..." Mr. 9 muttered.

"Yes, my darling~!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Wha- wait! What do I do?" Gen felt useless.

"Wake Zoro!"

"Wait, the wind changed again!" Usopp noticed.

"EH!"

"Ahh, the spring breeze," Ms. Wednesday and Mr. 9 leaned into the wind.

Gen was her people-eating bunnies die. "My bunnies! Anyway, ZORO WAKE UP OR I'LL DO SOMETHING_ QUESTIONABLE_ TO YOUR _BELONGINGS_!"

"_WHAT?_" someone screamed, not at her try to wake up the log but at something she'd missed.

"Zoro get UP it's an emergency!" It was Usopp's turn to kick him while he slept. How didn't he jostle at that? ...maybe a trip to the sea?

"Oo a dolphin! Let's go see it closer."

"SHUT UP LUFFY!"

"The sea's roughing up!"

"I see an iceburg at 10 o'clock!"

"Fog in the front!"

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS RETARDED SEA!"

The iceburg scraped the ship and water broke in. She kicked Zoro one last time and rushed down with Usopp to patch the leaks. The wind started tossing the Merry ruthlessly, and Sanji made quick snack to keep people energized. The sails started ripping and the mast groaned in the strain. The hull was leaking more.

Then just as suddenly as the snow had started falling, the sun came up and they fell on the deck, panting and relieved that it was over.

"_Krooh-_ mn, mnnn!" Zoro stirred. "Ahh, what a nice nap. Huh? Hey, I know it's a nice weather, but it's not an excuse for being lazy. I hope we're not lost.

_**'YOU-!'**_ she could read the thought from the others' faces. She was close to Zoro, and she grabbed his ankle.

"You... will pay dearly... _uhhhg._.." her grip slipped and her hand fell down lifelessly.

"What are you doing here?" he then saw the agents, just as drained as they were.

"TRY TO NOTICE THESE THINGS!" Mr. 9 fumed.

"We're taking them home," Luffy said from the railing above Zoro's head. How was he still up and bouncy!

"Why? Any reason?"

"No, not really." he kneeled before their guests. "Hmm... now that I think of it, this rings bells. What were your names again?"

"Mr Nine." "Ms. Wednesday," the two answered, sweating profously.

"**Zoooroooh..**. 'Mma dig up yer liv'r 'n' use it as a _bait_ ta lure somthn'_ fugly_ 'n' then I'll make a swing outta yer guts, lettin' the fugly thing _swin'_ onit..." she muttered darkly, adding more and more gorey details to it. Usopp was starting to inch away from her.

Nami hit Zoro in the middle of the interrogation.

"**You were sleeping soundly while we've been through hell**," she had demonic shadows on her.

"Whaat?" he looked at her, as _if_ he could challenge an angry Nami.

"Yeah, ya_ filthbag_."

Nami hit him a few more times.

"Everyone! You can't trust anything at here, this place is too random!"

"Like Gen?" Luffy was pointing at the girl, who was sluggishly crawling at Ms. Wednesday.

"Yes, just as random as she is.. So! Know this, my navigation techniques are useless here!" she declared. A heavy aura decended on the deck.

"Can we survive?" Usopp sweatdropped.

"We already did! Look at there!" Nami was smiling in victory.

"An island!"

"We completed our first journey."

The mist revealed huge cacti mountains (_that she knew were really just numerous graves... well that's a happy thought..._). The agents fled and they approached the island. "Weird people..."

"I'd say 'suspicious'."

"There's a river up ahed where we can drop anchor," Nami whispered, because the air was heavy and silent, much like in a library with a naggy librarian.

"What do you think, Usopp? Monsters, zombies or cannibals?" Gloria asked casually, half smiling to herself.

"Wha-ha-_haaat_?" he squeeked and started shaking, hiding behind Zoro.

"I'd go for monsters," Sanji pondered with a grin. Luffy laughed and got hit by Nami.

"Wha-what do we do if there are?"

"Run away," Luffy answered.

"Hold on now, you guys do know that we'll have to be here for some time," Nami reminded them. Luffy was hanging on the figurehead.

"Why?"

"The island's magnetic field must be saved on the log pose, otherwise we can't continue. Depending on the island it could take some hours, or days..."

"Or months, or years..." Gen continued the list. _'Like in Little Garden.'_

"So that means, that even if there were monsters, we'll still have to stay on the island, maybe for a long period of time?"

"Yup!"

"Gloria, do you want to tell them how this works or will I?" Nami glared at her.

"Can I?"

"Can you?" Usopp asked her. She looked at them and gave a lopsided grin.

"I know lotta things, bu' I ain't got a permission ta talk!"

"Yeah, 'cos I told her not ta!"

"Luffy, you are _not_ starting that," Zoro poked his captain in annoyance.

"That's not- nnyeah, let's say that it's for you," she grinned even wider. "And ya said it a bit wrong; you say 'her' as a ''er' and if 'to' is the last word of the sentence you keep it as it is."

"There's rules for that?" Nami sweatdropped.

"No, but if it makes your ears bleed you know you're doin' it wrong."

"But we are going to the island, are we?" Luffy asked.

"Happy are the simple ones..." Nami sweatdropped. Gen giggled noiselessly.

"Whatever, he's right. There's no place to worry," Zoro gave his support.

"I'll protect my Nami-swan and my Gen-chwaan! I'll let nothing harm them while we're exploring this island!" Sanji promised. Gloria's insides shifted uncomfortably, when she remembered that the Baroque works were going to throw a big party as their trap to all the passing pirates. Her smile faltered, and she stepped back with her hands held up.

She absolutely _hated_ big parties were someone cries about their ex-boy/girlfriends, someone pukes and one starts to crave strawberries with ketchup. "No. Not a chance."

"What? Suddenly you don't want to go there?" Luffy looked betrayed. Usopp looked like his faith for her had come back.

"It's a miracle! The very first SANE idea I've ever seen you have!"

"Why wouldn't you want to- wait, is something bad going to happen?" Nami looked suspicious. One should be, when the fortuneteller is hestitant.

"No, it's just... I don't want to come. I'll wait on the ship and keep Greg company."

"Gloria..."

"Um, is it just me or did you hear that too?" Sanji interrupted them.

"Pirates!"

"Welcome to Whiskey Peak!"

"Welcome to the Grand Line!"

"I'm outta here," Gen bristled and retreated under the deck, getting a look from Zoro.

* * *

><p>She had been talking with Elmo-Gregory (<em>*snicker*<em>) about different kinds of islands. She started on a new picture, sang now that she had the whole ship to herself and missed her mp3.

"I MIIIIISSSSSSSSSS MY MP-THREEEEEEEE!" she moaned.

"Gloria-sama, you know that this place has no electricity."

"So? I left it loading before I left home! ...and now I'm in the Merry, docked in front of the Whiskey Peak, and no mp3!."

She had a boring evening and when she started feeling hungry she sneaked into the kitchen, where she found a snack left by the everthoughtful Sanji. There was also a short notice from Zoro, written in surprisingly good handwriting and signed, to start makin reps with the handweights. A smile tugged her lips, when she took the note and put it in her pocket. She had once become acquainted to grafology through her grandmother, and how cool would it be to try and refine Zoro's personality through his autograph and one sentence on a paper?

'Now I'm having another fan-fit,' she giggled breathlessly. Then she froze, the smile faltering to neutral, before one, even more crazed one replaced it.

"OMG OMG_ OMG I HAVE ZORO'S **AUTOGRAPH!**_" she jumped up and down.

"M'Lady? Are you sure you're okay? No need to find a doctor or something?"

"I'mperfectlyfine!" she said into a one high pitched squeel and soon falling into a dreamy coma. She snapped out of it when she heard a clatter come outside the galley. Something had hit the door, and when she looked from the winodw she saw Herka hanging on the wrong side of the railing, her upper body propped on her elbows and the rest standing from the water like a scaly pillar.

"Hey Herka! ...mom! Or something..."

"You don't need to call me that, it's weird. You look overly happy, or were you trying to call baby dolphins?" she greeted her with a small smile. Gen got embarassed.

"Sorry, I just- nevermind."

"You can tell me!"

"M'Lady, she received a handwritten note from the first mate and went a little crazy," Greg explained, having followed his master.

"Oooh, is my little girl in love?" she looked like she'd heard the juiciest gossip in the neighbourhood.

"No! It's just that, that, _kyaaaaa~!_" she squeeled some more.

"I wish you didn't scream like that, now someone's going to check this place."

"Uagh!" she realized, that someone was coming their way, propably seen them already.

"What an earth am I supposed to do now!" she whisper-yelled, looking at Herka, who by now was gone.

"That evil little-!"

"Hurry, Gen-sama!" Greg gestured. "We'll have to come up with a plan!"

"Ok. Okay! Tussle my hair to be like whenever I wake up!"

"Like after a hurricane? Ah, my bad, Lady-sama, I'll get to it!"

While Greg was mussing up her hair, she was pulling her clothes as much as she could and rub her eyes to look tired.

Just in time. Greg 'died' on her shoulder where she picked the plush toy discreetly and turned to greet the Baroque works with a big, confused and innocent smile: "Mornin', where'd all th' people go?"

"Ah, I'm sorry to disturb yourkhm- maa maa maa, young lady!" _'Yayy, it's Igaram! ...eew it's Igaram!'_ she thought. She was happy that it wasn't some random pawn. Pawns were perverts.

"Would you like to acompany your friends at the party? They are having fun, and you could have some breakfast."

"I don' kno'... Who're you again?" she was pulling the 'good little girl' -act and looking at him paranoidly.

"Oh, sorry to be rude, I'mrkhm... maa maa maa, Igaram, the mayor of this city!"

"Ah. 'M Gen. 'Ey, how bigizz th' party?" she furrowed her eyebrows and tried to look younger than she was. Ha, no big feat, mentally she was still somewhere around 13.

"It's huge! All the villagers are there!" he was trying to make it look grand and alluring.

"Hmm... I don' really fancy parties... Bu' food sounds good. A'right, I'll come, bu' ya have ta keep me away from all the racket, 'kay? I can trust ya, right?"

_'Hook, float and sinker, baby.'_

* * *

><p>He hadn't lowered his guard at any point since coming to the island, and he'd honestly thought that there was something that Gen was afraid of, but it all clicked when the celebration was whipped up. Luffy did wonder aloud why wouldn't she come with them, so he had to tell him that she hated parties. The captain was in denial and had tried earlier to drag her in since she 'missed the previous party', but he insisted that no. Then had been the rest of the idiots to be silenced, and Sanji had boasted that he had left her some 'hand-made, love-soaked treats to fill her cute little tummy.'<p>

Eeeergh, the guy was just too much sometimes, but then again he was an intelligent and cunning little son of a bitch. He sure was enjoying himself in all those girls' lapses, but why was it that some of them had either pointy or shooting kinds of objects hidden around their persona?

A really good thing Gen didn't come.

While drinking his brains out, he was thinking about the girl, either by coming up with more foul names for her or just how she sometimes sweeped her soft, white tresses to her ear but never behind it, or how-

_'Oh freaking _no_!'_

* * *

><p>Tadaa~ There's lovesparks in the air... wonder when they'll ignite the whole place?<p>

Gloria: A- wha- uh- hey- whah? *blushes*

Snoara: *pokes Gloria* ...I think I broke her... And heyy! Look who's here, it's sir Elmo-Gregory somethingsomething the seventh!

Gregory: M'LADY! Grrrh, I am going to hurt that man if he makes even ONE wrong move at my Lady-sama!


	16. Don't worry, be happy

I _REFUSE_ to call it a writers block. It's not, it's just minor problems on how to continue my story and a big LAZYNESS to get a grip.

Gloria: It's a writer's block.

Snoara: **IT IS NOT!**

Gloria: Or is it called 'Wow fever'?

Snoara: ...

Gloria: She finally got her account back and has been playing that instead of writing the story *accusing glare*

Snoara: ...hm? You say something?

**WHACK**

* * *

><p>She was escorted to the bar, where all the loud noise was pouring out. She hesitated when she was five steps from the porch that led to the bar as a part of the act and fully from her heart.<p>

"Uhm, 'M no' so sure 'bout this, Igaram-san... wha' if I jus' sat out 'ere and ya brought me th' food instead? I 'ave the sligh'est problem with big groups..." she whispered the last part, latching onto Igaram's beefy hand and looking pleadingly at him. _'Please, pleasepleaseplease I don' wanna!_'

He looked at her with some emotion playing in his eyes. What did he see in her, she pondered silently.

"Miss Gen, are you really a pirate?"

"I don' kno'. Depen's, wha'zza 'pirate' to ya?" her accent was going worse and worse. Igaram looked at the horizon and sighed. Then he smiled at her, but she saw it was a fake.

"Pirates are brave men, who sail the seas to look for lost treasures and places to discover!"

"Hmmm... If tha's the definiton, then... I guess. Bu' I never joined these guys, they jus' kinda picked me up from th' sea an' ever since taken care o' me," she talked truthfully and smiled warmly. "They're like a precious fam'ly ta me nowdays. I kno' 'M no' good in a fight 'n' I always have ta be saved, bu' they're always there fer me."

"Hm. I'll seekrhm- maa maa maa, what I can do, but it's turning a bit cold out here," he said, glancing at the bar.

_'I got through his barrier? I got through his barrier! Awesome!'_

"Hmm, I think I could come with ya now. No' so scared an'more."

She really was feeling better. Even when Igaram escorted her in, she swooped the room with her eyes, seeing her friends doing what they did best: party hard. She sat to a more or less silent corner and someone handed her a plate before Luffy ate everything. None of the strawhats had noticed her precence and she was thankful of it.

To her, it felt like she'd been behind a window, watching how all the others had fun. She felt tranquil and at ease, watching over her little pirates.  
>The people started passing out or scamper off, and she felt tired as well. 'Okay, maybe I'll just... close my eyes and then beat up the first thing tha' I see in th' mornin'...' she decided and leaned back in the comfy armchair that somehow had wandered under her butt. Her eyes were slipping shut, but a little voice inside her head was desperately screaming her to<em>keep her eyes open!<em>

Gen snapped wide awake, resisting her tired limbs and ripping herself from the land of sleep, realizing that she along the pirates were the only people still knocked out in the dim room. Sanji, alone on the couch, Usopp, sprawled on the floor and mumbling something unintelligent. She could also see Luffy's big, rubbery tummy falling and rising in rhythm with his breathing, but both Nami and Zoro were gone. She didn't hear any noise from outside, but steps from the door, approaching the room cautiously. She layed down, calmed her breath and closed her eyes, waiting anxiously for whoever it was to just go away.

He did, yelling on the way that 'One was missing!'

_'Zoro,'_ she cackled and got back up. There was no reason to stay down and sleep anymore, when she wasn't feeling like it. She started humming a lullaby, zoning out and letting the thoughts come and go randomly. All war broke outside by gunshots and swordclashing.

_'He's just too cool,'_ she snickered and looked at the other occupants fondly. _'They're all cool. I wouldn't mind being with you all... hurry up, Luffy! The riddle isn't that hard!'_  
>The noise paused and started at a different point. She was itching to go out and see Zoro in action, but knew that if she did she'd just be in the way.<p>

"Naa, he won't mind if I take a little peek," she said to herself and got up, sneaking to the front door. She pushed gently on the doorknob and cracked it open so she could see what the situation was.

_'Oh man, now I'll never get out of here!'_ she sulked. The Baroque works agents were standing there, including Igaram, Ms. Monday, 9 and Vivi.

"Where'd that swordsman disappear? Is he really thinking about taking us all out?" Igaram said annoyedly and tad bit coldly.

"It' surprising though that he knows about Baroque works."

More gunshots came from their right, and all the people turned to look that way.

"Catch him and bring me his head!" they ran after him, except for the agents.

_'I wanna watch! I wanna watch! Hmm... to be stupid or not to be, oh such a dilemma. Haha, I'm the walnut.'_ She walked out and stretched her arms like she'd just woken up.

"Huaa, what a nice nap~! Oh, hello Igaram-san! What is all this ruckus?"

They all froze stiff, the others looking at '8' as to what to do.

_'Interesting, they don't look so ready to kill a girl. That or they're just surpirised to see me awake.'_

"Hm? Oh lookitthat! If it isn't Marimo-chan. Wow, that's so cool..." she breathed, as he climbed nimbly up the ladder and tipped it down, taking people with it. He jumped after it, kicking more altitude from the ladder and sailing to the next roof with a fanfare of gunshots.

She sighed admiringly.

"Isn't he just too cool- no, EPIC when he's having fun with people's lives? Oh dear no I'm sounding like Sanji-!" she realized to her horror. "Noo! Go away, Sanji-germs!" she rubbed her arms and head. Someone grabbed her. _'...doodles.'_

"Girl, please go back inside. It's not safe here," Igaram said with strain. Mr. 9 and Vivi were left standing beside her. The numbers started arguing about her and questioning their priorities, but she wasn't listening, because she saw how Zoro cut a hole to the roof and the men fell down it.

"Oh no, it's Monday!" she gasped between giggles and hid her face to her palms, not wanting to see her hitting him. She didn't, he managed to duck, but then she hit him in the face with a knucklebrass. She could hear the sickening sound, and her stomach felt cold. Gen dared not to look, until she heard the yells declairing her defeat.

"Whohoo! Go Zoro!" She cheered. Igaram looked royally pissed and she saw the best to hightail before he noticed her again.

"Shall we continue, Baroque works? Fighting isn't playing," Zoro licked a trail of blood that ran down from the cut in his forehead. Gloria was deep in a fit of giggling and grinning like a brainless idiot that she forgot to breath.

"Marines! They must've mixed up the information!" Igaram growled.

"Ah! Then this man is actually the captain?" Mr. Nine said. "He could be worth 30 million!"

"The truth has been revealed! No wonder it was so weird," Ms. Wednesday/Vivi said. Gen had forgotten to run away when they had been occupied, and Igaram grabbed her arm again.

"Boss told us to take care of this place, but we got bested by a single man! This is going to be a problem to our resposibility."

"Erm, I don't want to be whiny or anything but I'M STILL HERE," Gen slapped Mr. Curls to gain his attention. He looked a little confused first, but then a cold smile played on his face.

"But look, now we have one of your friends, swordsman!"

"What! GLORIA! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!" Zoro's eyes bugged out.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU NOTICE ME BEFORE!"

"I had better things to think about!"

"And ya still have!" she yelled, before yanking herself free from him and running away, grabbing Ms. Wednesday's hand with her.

"Hey!" she yelped, but Gen didn't stop before they were a good ways away. She pulled them behind a corner, looking at the direction they came from.

"Good, we're good," and sat down. Ms. Wednesday jumped back, seemingly ready to fight or something.

"What are you playing, girl?" Vivi asked. "Don't you know that I'm your enemy?"

Gen looked at her flatly.

"No, not really. Sit down and don't make so much noise. Here we should be more safer than out there."

Wednesday looked at her for a long time before sitting down cautiously._ 'And why did I do this again? Oh yeah, cos I'm stupid.'_

"Who are you?" the agent asked.

"I'm Gen. Nice to meet you properly," she held out her hand and the other took it slowly and squeezing it before letting go. She scooped next to Gen and hugged her knees. They fell in silence, and Gloria had time to look at the sky.

_BOOM_

The girls stiffened and Vivi was going to jump up, but Gen held her down, whispering: "Don't make a sound! You don't want to worry Igaram, do you?"

Again, she settled down and looked at her slowly, asking who she was.

"I'm Kindheart Erin Gloria, a long term guest on a pirate ship and stuff. I know who you are, no need to fret. The bad guys are after you, and now we're sitting here quiet like mice and wait until it's safe to come out. Ya wit' me?"

She blinked, her mouth opening and closing.

"Yeah, just take your time. At least yer quiet now," she whispered.

They were silent, and then she heard footsteps.

"Are you sure she went this way, Ms. Valentine?" a bored, deep voice asked. There was a giggle and an answer: "I'm sure!"

Vivi and Gen both tensed and looked at each other. Gen scuffled closer to her and asked as quietly as possible: "Where's your duck?"

"I don't know." The princess seemed to be over the fact that she knew so much. She gestured to get up and creep away near the building.

"Caroo!" she rushed to the big, yellow bird and hugged it.

"Quaa."

"Shh, we have to find Zoro before those guys-"

"_Found you~!_" a light, girly voice sung from behind them.

"Mr. 5! Ms. Valentine!" Vivi gasped.

"I take you know why we're here?" Mr. 5 asked and... sticked a finger up his nose.

"You, mr, have no manners whatsoever."

Mr. 5 hmhed and flicked his gold at them.

"Oh shi-!"

_BOOM_

They'd had enough time to hit the floor, but instead Vivi hung to Caroo, wanting to shield him herself. That's why it was left for Gen to shield Vivi. All three fell to the ground by the shockwave and Gen was starting to think that this wasn't worth it. Vivi's blue hairclasp broke and fell, letting her hair spill everywhere.

"There has been a leak in information about our boss... you wouldn't know anything, Nefertari Vivi?" Mr. 5 was lazily walking up to them.

"Not on my watch, jerk," Gen got up and taking a sturdier position between Vivi and the Baroque works. _'Oh doo, what now?'_

"You are just wasting your time," 5 said.

"You an' the buzzard look to be still intact, so you make a run for it," she said and ushered Vivi on Caroo's saddle.

"What? Wait! What about you?"

"Eh, I'll manage. 'M just that awesome," she shot her an encouraging grin and gave a hard slap on Caroo's behind, who saluted and ran off. Then she turned to see Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine.

"It's good to see that even one of you had the brain to stay still and die."

"Ms. Monday!" Vivi hadn't gotten far when the big, bulky woman set her free hand on Gen's shoulder and pushed her gently aside.

"You go with her, there's a ship waiting for you both. I'll handle him."

"But-!"

"No buts! Move it, broiler!" she ran at the halted bird, hopped on it's back behind Vivi and slapped it again, getting a disapproving quack from it. "Oh boo hoo."

"Thank you!" Vivi cried out, as she drove the bird back to running.

"You're welcome, my friend!" they heard, and then there was a huge explosion.

"Ms. Monday!" Vivi called her name as she fell.

"You can't escape from me. Booger bullet!" he flicked his booger at them, but a sword happened on it's way and it split into two, blowing harmlessly on their both sides.

"Zoro!" she cheered.

"Mr. Bushido!"

"Doodles, the road is blocked," she looked at their front. Vivi turned Caroo around.

"Eeeew, I just cut a booger!" Zoro whined. Vivi's eyes hardened.

"Damn it! At the time like this!" she started spinning her... sharp thing on a string at Zoro's back, but Gen yanked Caroo's reins sharply, making the duck stop.

"No worries, Viv-chan! That over there is a special breed of a marimo, under process, but I guarantee he won't harm us..." he gave a glare at her "...meaning he won't hurt you. Possibly just me."

"Is that true?" aww, she was starting to look like Vivi the Tearful and Caring! She had to hug her.

"Yeah, I came to rescue you."

"So you're the one attacking our men. Why are you protecting the princess?" Mr. 5 asked.

"I've got my reasons..."

"Like a debt so high he can't reach the top?" Gen snickered.

"Why you little..."

"Nevermind, an enemy is an enemy and I have no empathy for them."

"Hihihah! Correct! This bump in the road must be crushed to the ground by my power!" Ms. Valentine removed her ball-like hat. She was a peppy blond with big earrings and lipgloss. She was really pretty too, but she had a bad attitude problem called 'Baroque works'.

An angry shout rang through the ally.

**"ZZZOOOOOOROOOOOOOHHH!"**

"Aw fudge," Gen muttered. There was no way to talk him out of this.

"Oh, Luffy. No need to help, I got this handeled."

"Vivi, let's switch!" she hugged around her and gained the wheel- err, the reins to herself.

"I am disappointed in you, Zoro! How could you! I'll KICK YOUR ASS FOR THIS!"

"WHAT!" Zoro looked godsmacken. "What hell are you talking about!"

"Shut up! You ungreatful bastard, you deserve a beating!" Luffy kept on raging. Gen pulled on the reins and directed it to the swollen rubberboy.

"Luffy! Please help us! These meanies wanted to kill me!" she said, trying to look distressed and teary. "And... and they hurt my feelings!"

"Uaaaaaaarh! ZORO! These nice people welcomed us and gave us food and drinks, but you cut down every single one of them!"

"What was your plan?" Vivi asked her.

"Well... not exactly that..." Gloria sweatdropped. Zoro made a face when he realized that that really was what he'd done, even when it was for a good cause.

"He's slow," Vivi commented.

"He's the swordsman's companion. Such an annoyance..."

"Hihihah! Let's take care of them, like always," Ms. Valentine said, twirling her umbrella in her hands.

"Listen to me Luffy, They're all-"

"I WON'T BUY YOUR EXCUSES!" he charged at his first mate, destroying the solid rock just next to Zoro's head. He looked at Luffy with bugged eyes.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME!"

"Yup. Die!"

"WHAH-!" he had to jump again, as Luffy's leg was coming his way.

"I bet for Nami."

"Huh? Who's Nami?"

"You idiot! Stop and LISTEN TO ME!" Zoro tried to reason, but Luffy just kept on blasting the grounds. Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine were planning on to wipe out Vivi, who was starting to panic.

"Shh, calm down and believe in peace."

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!" she screamed. "We're goners!" Gen laid her hand on Vivi's and looked her in the eyes, giving her a calm smile.

"But... but... Okay."

"That's enough!" Zoro kicked Luffy like a big football, hitting the bad guys in the process. He had a tickmark on his forehead. "You stupid pinhead!"

"See, Vivs? Don't worry. Be happy~," she sang.

There was an explosion at the building where Luffy and the Baroque works agents were. Ms. Valentine flew out, telling about her devil's fruit powers, but no one was really listening. Luffy came out of the rubble.

"The workaout did good, I'm back to prime."

"Mr. 5! An officer agent beat...!"

"Could you please not yell in me ear?"

"Oh, sorry..."

The things went on just like in the series and she was getting... bored. She was finally snapped out of her mind, when Caroo shuffled from leg to leg and Vivi turned the buzzard around.

"Wake up, Gloria! We have to escape. Can we go through here?"

"Huh? Where...? Oh yeah, I guess I spaced out..."

"AAAARGH!" Vivi screamed in surprise when Luffy charged from the left and Zoro from right. Caroo dodged and Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine tried to interviene with the two's showdown, only getting a cold "SHUT UP!" making the two cringe and shiver. A full angry glare from one of them was enough to make a man piss his pants, what about the both of them giving the eye?

"That's so awesome. Don't you think? They're _so_ awesome when they do that!" she sighed, leaning on Vivi's shoulder as the duo made themselves clear to the Baroque works' agents, that they didn't appreciate their input.

"You think that?" her answer was stiff, expression a lot like Mr. 5's and Ms. Valentine's. "It's crazy... how people like that could've been outside the Grand Line..."

"Shall we finish this?" Zoro glared at Luffy.

"Hell yeah."

They were going to clash again, but then Nami had had enough of them and their fighting.

"CUT IT OUT!"

"That's Nami," Gen pointed at the navigator, but Vivi was just staring.

"What the heck are you two doing? At least the girl's okay," she looked at their direction before picking up Luffy and Zoro from their collars. "You imbecils almost cost me a billion! Do you understand!"

"_*cough*_ moneyfiend _*cough*_" Gloria slid down from the duck's back.

"What... are you talking about? Why are you helping me?" Vivi asked.

"Oh, right! We need to talk. What about if we made a deal?" Nami smiled her business-smile, the boys in her clutches starting to fight again.

"A deal?"

"STOP IT ALREADY!"

Vivi sweatdropped. They explained to Luffy what was going on and Gloria settled against the barrel that Luffy had taken a seat on. Her head was starting to ache and she closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. The princess and the leech were talking about the deal.

"Nha ha ha hah! You should've said so erlier!" Luffy laughed the fight off. "I thought you were taking them down because they didn't have your favourite foods!"

"DON'T PULL ME TO YOUR LEVEL!"

"Hahah, well, can't help it!" he kept on grinning. Oh the simple minds. However, that didn't help her headache. She directed her best puppy eyes to Luffy. "Gen wants a hug."

"Then Gen gets a hug!" he got off the barrel and scooted to her, putting his arms around her. She in turn leaned in and hugged him back, putting her head on his shoulder.

"Better?" he smiled to her. He smelt like food and grog. She nodded. Luffy moved his head to look at something and giggled.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Vivi said. "Although I am thankful of your help."

"Why? You're a princess. It's just one billion..." Nami's voice grew tiny.

"Do you know Alabasta?"

"Never heard of."

"Nah-ah."

"I know! It's a big sandbox with a rebellion."

"Sadly, that's it in a nutshell. It used to be a peaceful and respected nation, one of the most civilized in the Grand Line. In the last 2-3 years there has been rebellions, and the country is on the verge of chaos."

"The Baroque works."

"Exactly. They're the ones stirring up the trouble, so I asked Igaram-"

"The guy with the curly hair?"

"-for information and blend in the Baroque works. That way I believed to be able to dig out who the boss was."

"Pretty hard working princess," Zoro commented.

Luffy's hand was petting her hair in a slow motion, making her relaxed and drowsy.

"Luff... stoppit, 'M gonna fall asleep," she whined, slapping his hand away lazily. "Ya have ta wakemee..."

"But wasn't Baroque works building an utopia? ...Oh. Oh!"

"Yes. At least the boss _says_ that he's making an ideal country. In truth, he's planning on taking over Alabasta! If he's not revealed soon, the company will succeed."

"'Nighty-night Gen, my little white thing, sleep comes to her, and her saneless brain-'"

"Luffy where are you ripping those lyrics from?"

"I'm just altering something that Makino sang to me when I was little."

"Oh... cool. But it ain't workin' on me."

"Damn. Hey, who's the boss, Vivi?" Luffy was still hugging Gloria, who was now trying to wriggle away like a cat from a kid, wide awake.

"No! You can't ask that from me, I'd endanger all of you!" Vivi said hurriedly.

"Heheh, you're right, a guy like that is really bad news!" Nami agreed.

"True! So awesome that you guys are, you wouldn't be able to beat one of the great war lords, to beat- _mmh! mmph!_" Nami had been wise and clamped her hand on Vivi's mouth before she slipped up. _'Wait, that didn't happen in the series! She's supposed to say it!'_

"You have any idea what you were going to-"

"It's sir Crocodile."

There was a moment of frozenness.

_"Gloriaaaa!"_

"Good going, snowflake."

There was a cough somewhere above them, and when they turned to look... the unluckys. The otter and the vulture looked at them and then at each other before flying off. Nami started roughing up Vivi, demanding on who those animals were, but then she remembered Gen and started trashing her.

**"YOU IDIOT! STOP TELLING EVERYTHING YOU KNOW! WE COULD'VE GOTTEN AWAY BUT NOW YOU-! **_YOU-!_" Nami started crying. "A shichibukai right when we get to the Grand Line! Life's not fair to mee-hee-hee!"

"We're lucky, I never thought that we'd meet one of them this early," Zoro lookedway too happy about it. He also flashed an unreadable smile at her. Luffy was excited too.

"I wonder what he's like?"

"SHUT UP!" Nami yelled. She started walking away. "It was nice to know you."

"Hey, where're you going?" Luffy asked.

"He doesn't know my face yet, so I'm getting as far away from you as I can!"

_Scratch... scratch, scratch... scratchscratchscrath..._

_Flip._

The otter showed them four pages of pictures, one from each of them. There was also a big read exclamation mark on her picture, for some odd reason.

"Hey, you're good," Nami commented and applauded.

"Why the red mark though?" she asked. The otter gestured something, pointing at her and then at his head, swirling his finger in a circle, before flying off with Ms. Friday.

Gen whistled. "He knows his stuff!"

* * *

><p>Nami was sulking in the corner, Vivi trying to lift her mood with a promise of money. Luffy was grinning widely, telling how everything was turning out exciting. Zoro high fived her, but she would've preferred some pranking and shouting.<p>

"We're officially on Baroque works' shitlist," green grinned. Igaram came - dressed as Vivi - and carrying four dummies with him.

"Don't workrhm... maa maa, don't worry! I have a plan!"

"And it requiers cross dressing?" she sweatdropped.

"Igaram, what is that costume?" Vivi asked.

"Hahaha! You look ridiculous!"

"Idiots... all just a bunch of idiots!" Nami was still sulking.

"Listen carefully. The Baroque works' network react fast, especially when you beat up the high agents. A word of warning: as a man of the government, he's not on the wanted list, but he used to have a bounty of 80 millions! Oh, and about taking the princess..." Igaram spoke.

"Huh?" Luffy was clueless.

"Wants that we take Vivi home," Zoro said. He was starting to get pissed off: Gen was hanging on his leg, cheek pressed against his knee since she was sitting on his foot.

"Aa, okay."

"FOUR TIMES HIGHER THAN ARLONG'S!"

"Your highness, give me the eternal pose of Alabasta," Igaram said to Vivi.

_("Let go of me."_

_"Naw.")_

"What's that?" Nami was snapped out of her gloom as Igaram explained the device.

"From now on, I'll pose as you, princess. I'll go to Alabasta with these dolls, and while the enemy is fixed on me, you'll sail to Alabasta."

_("Snowbrain, let go. I mean it!" Zoro shook his leg._

_"Nah-ah. Ya had fun without me, now I won't let go before somethin' interestin' happens ta you again.")_

"...and we will meet back at there," Igaram said. "Take care of the princess for me."

_'He leaves in a bad Vivi-cross-coss, talks, goes off with the boat and BOOM, next time we see in Alabasta... in theory,'_ she thought. She could've told them, save the girl from more pain. On the other hand, Herka spoke the words of wisdom. No probing the story!

"There he goes. Funny guy to the end."

"Yeah."

"WE'LL SEEEE YAAAAA!"

**BOOM**

The sea was flooded with fire and the dark night was lightened by it. They all had unbelieving faces, Vivi was just staring, anger on her's. Gen let go of Zoro and stood up, turning her back at the blinding heat.

"It can't be! Already!" Nami gasped.

They just stood there and stared, until Luffy yelled: "That was a man's job!"

That made them move.

"Is the log set?"

"Yes!"

"Grab her and go!"

As Nami consoled Vivi, Luffy rushed in the house and grabbed Sanji and Usopp. Zoro with little help from Gloria got the ship ready to go, but she couldn't help but glance from time to time at the railing in front of the galley. Greg was hanging on her shoulder as she secured some ropes, and they heard splashing. She ducked behind a rail.

"Yoohooo, here they are!" Luffy arrived, dragging the two lost party animals behind him.

"On board! The ship's ready," Zoro said.

"We have no time to look for him!" Nami argued. Gen heard some more sloshing and just sat still. Greg was brave enough to peep over, and he tapped her shoulder.

"It's Lady Herka!"

"What? Herka?" she got up and came face to face with a wet woman.

"_Aaargh_!"

"Shh! Seas you're noisy! I wanted to just check that youre alright," she whispered.

"'M okay. Wait, why are you asking?" she cocked an eyebrow.

"Well... I had this vision..."

"A_ vision_?" she asked blankly. She looked back, Caroo had been 'found' and now they were ready to leave.

"Yes, a vision. Now, I believe you were leaving. Ah, and whatever you do, don't show yourself today to Ms. All Sunday. Too-la-doo!" and Herka left.

"Is it just me or are her visits always so random?"

"I do not know, Gloria-sama."

"Come on, if she sais 'don't be seen', then lets not be seen," she said and sneaked away. It was difficult since all were on the main deck by now, and Caroo saw her. She pressed her finger on her lips and entered the storage room. She sat against it, listening in what was happening outside.

Sanji and Usopp woke up and started shouting, Nami explained the situation to them rather violently (she was laughing silently her butt off).

"It's morning," Zoro sighed.

"Yeah, the mist is already coming."

"Be careful not to hit the rocks. Lovely that I happened to find you~," a totally new voice said.

_'ROOOBIIIIIN-CHAAAAAANNN~!'_ she squeeled in her head. Even when she was now cold and heartless, she was still awesome.

Gen heard their surprised voices and All Sunday complimented the ship.

"Hmm, and I happened to see Mr. 8 just a while ago, Ms. Wednesday."

"You... killed Igaram!" Vivi's shocked voice asked.

"Hey, what are you doing on our ship!"

"How are you here, Ms. All Sunday!"

"Who'se pair is she?" -Nami.

"The boss'! Only she was to know his identity, but spying on her we found out the secret too!" -Vivi.

Robin could be heard chuckling. "To be precise, I let you spy on me."

"So she's a good guy." "WE KNEW THAT! And you were the one who told him about us too, right!" Vivi yelled.

"Ah, a bad guy!" Luffy was hard to hear, for he was more like mumbling.

"What are you aiming for!" Vivi sounded angry. Fudge, she'd be too if she'd gotten tricked and someone flaunted it in front of her face. _'Plaah, my leg is starting to go numb... leave already! I need my daily dose of annoyed Marimo!'_ she growled in her head.

"Well... you were so serious about it so happened to help out... A princess, who went against the Baroque works in order to restore peace for her nation. That in all it's foolishness was a really sweet thing."

"DON'T THINK SO HIGHLY OF YOURSELF!" Vivi snapped. Gen heard series of clanks and clicks and she guessed that they had drawn wepons on her. _'What idiots...'_

She heard Usopp and Sanji talk about something above her, but they were talking too quietly for her to catch it.

"Those things are dangerous. Don't point them around," Robin aka Ms. All Sunday said. The boys yelped in surprise. A clatter, a thud and some more surprised voices.

"What the-!"

"A devil's-!"

"Eh!"

And another clatter, as Ms. All Sunday disarmed Zoro and Nami. Gloria shifted, now her right leg was tingly. 'My leg! Come on, what's taking you so long?'

"Wow! Now that I look, she's gorgeous too!" Sanji, the loverboy. So cute. 'I'mma kick 'im where th' sun ain't shinin'!'

"Heheh... don't be all so tense. For the moment I don't have orders," Robin laughed. "So you're the captain? Monkey D. Luffy..."

"HEY! WANT TO GET YOUR ASS KICKED! DON'T TOUCH MY HAT! My gut says that you're an enemy. GET LOST!" Luffy yelled.

"Such a pity... both to you who are protecting an enemy of the company, and to you princess, who got such a meek little bodyguard of a crew."

_'Sis, the bad-guy rant so does not suit you.'_

Ms. All Sunday kept on talking about the Little Garden and offered an eternal pose... _'I think my leg just died.'_ ...and Luffy smartly refused it.

"OUR ROUTE IS NOT YOURS TO DECIDE!"

"I see. Pity..."

"YOU MORON!" Nami fumed at him.

"I hate her! She killed the curly-guy!"

"I like brave people. See you, that is if you survive."

"Let's not see," Luffy answered immediately. The moment he shouted "A turtle! And a big one, too," Gen pushed the door open and collapsed on the deck. Usopp jumped, assuming a new attack, and glared at her for scaring him. Vivi fell on her knees.

"What's moving inside of her head...!"

"A lot," Gen answered, even when the question was rhethorical.

"It's not worth worrying over it," Nami smiled encouragingly.

"We have people like that on board already," Zoro commented.

"Who're ya talkin' 'bout?"

"Not you, that's for sure."

"Meanie. You don't know what I'm thinking right now!"

He looked at her, "There's nothing there TO move around."

"Oi!"

"Will someone PLEASE tell me what's going on here!" Usopp was starting to lose his cool. Then he noticed Caroo. "Ah! There's an ostrich on the ship!"

"Is Ms. Wednesday traveling with us now!"

_KICK_

"Oww! I don't know what I did, but I definitely deserved that," Sanji groaned.

"You don't ogle at the enemy!" she placed her hands on her hips. _'What an idiot!_' Sanji groveled in front of the girls, apologizing for ignoring them. Then he started talking about jealousy and mellorines.

"...I don't think I can stay with you... I'll just bring harm..." Vivi started her angst.

"What is that nonsense?" Nami asked, and poked the princess in the forehead. "That's coming way too late! Because of you we're now on the company's hitlist!"

"I-I'm sorry!"

"Right, Luffy?"

"IT'S MORNING! SANJI, FOOD!"

"Does he even care?" Vivi sweatdropped. Gan placed her hand on her shoulder and smiled freely.

"I've been saying that about m'self for a long time before you, he's immune to that speech. B'sides, we all like a lil' excitement in our lives."

"Really? You think so?"

"No, I KNOW so, and I'M the troublebringer on this boat."

"And a general pain in the-**_ AARGH_**! LET GO!"

Gen had decided that it was a high time to tease the swordsman.

* * *

><p>I am going to take a few days brake from writing and so the updating will fall back too.<p>

Herka: Until next time, seeties!

Gloria: ...Snor, please lock the door next time. These people are intruding my space.

Snoara: It's not your space.


	17. Blueberries? Not?

Rejoice! I'm writing like there's no tomorrow~ (I'm out of game time T-T) and I'm on a dogsitting gig for my dad. The dog's smaller than my cat and I think he's a little lonely now that my dad and his fiancé are gone to a concert. And I'm happy! I have the whole house to myself!

Gloria: If she starts being_ weird,_ know that she stayed awake last night to somewhere around 4:30... so **warning** is due: This chapter may contain utter randomness, idiocy or other the like.

Snoara: *stares into an empty glass* where'd all my soda go?

* * *

><p>They'd finally explained things to Usopp and Sanji. The latter seemed all cool about it, although maybe a little dissapointed for not being there for the girls, and Usopp was just glad that he'd been sleeping through it all. During this, Gen had gone down to get her hat. She'd let Zoro go - for now.<p>

"Are you jealous, Nami-swan?" Sanji was still asking.

"Not really."

"Leave the protecting to me!" Usopp boasted, holding up Luffy's poster for Vivi to see. "They talk that maybe the bounty had been given to the back of my head after all!"

Gen saw it nesesseary to hit the famous back of a head.

"I wonder if it would snow again," Luffy pondered.

"Snow? No way," was Zoro's answer, since the boy seemed tto be talking to him.

"Yes way. You wouldn't know, you were asleep. Hey! Wouldn't it be awesome if it snowed again?" Luffy smiled hopefully at the rest of them.

Gen nodded, the end of her hat's feather bobbing up and down by the movement.

"I could make my marimomaids eating monsterbunnies again."

"Excuse me _what_ eating bunnies?" Zoro asked, his eyebrows knitted together. She gave a lopsided grin.

"You wouldn't know, you were asleep."

Zoro grumbled something under she didn't quite catch, but it made Luffy laugh.

"It is possible that tere'd be more snow, but the area around the Reverse mountain has 7 magnetic fields messing up the climate, so there everything could be possible," Vivi told them. "Still, you shouldn't let your guards down. Grand Line is dangerous even if it's not going to be just like_ that_ from now on."

No one was really listening, and they all were sitting on the aft deck as Sanji served drinks. Gen accepted hers which had a small light blue and white paper umbrella. Nami and Vivi had ones too.

"Hey, how come I didn't get one? I am the captain!" Luffy asked when he spotted her twirling it in her hands. She gave it to him.

"Here, you can have it."

"Thanks! Hey Gen, guess what else I'd like to have?" he grinned.

"Food?" She asked flatly.

"Well, yeah, but that wasn't in my mind now."

"Then what?"

"_YOU!_" he pointed at her to further emphasis it. Usopp spluttered, trying not to drown into his drink. Sanji was roaring something unintelligent.

"Boo-hoo-hoo, I'm a hedgehog and I cry, but why, oh why?"

Luffy let out a frustrated whine. He sounded much like a little child, denied of something fun._ 'He's so cute...!'_ she awwwed in her mind.

"Is that appropriate?" Vivi asked Nami, pointing at them, as they'd noticed how Caroo was chugging down his drink and egging him on.

"Why not? They know what to do if a storm comes. Here, take a drink," she handed one to the princess who sighed and pulled some free hair behind her ear.

"I guess... somehow, all the anxiety just... disappears."

"On a ship like this you can't worry too much!" Nami smiled with a straw in the side of her mouth.

"AAH! Now I have Zoro-germs in my drink!" Gen screamed. The swordsman had sneaked a sip from the side of her glass.

"YOU ASSHOLE! DON'T TOUCH GEN-CHWAN'S DRINK!"

"It was only fair... No, fair would be if I tossed it overboard," he deadpanned.

"HOW COME!" Sanji kept defending her.

"Aaa, you're talking about _that_ time... no, wait, you were being a retard and that's why I spilled your beer! And it tasted awful!" she said in an accusing tone and shaking her fist.

"I didn't do anything!"

"You were asking me questions when my throat hurted and then you laughed at my misfortune," she crossed her arms.

"How can she still remember that?" he asked from no one in particular.

"Zoro, that wasn't nice! Apologize," Luffy commanded.

"Fine," he growled, laying down on his back and closing his eyes.

"See, he apologizes and admits his undying love for you!" Luffy said, grinning and jerking up from the floor.

"_I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT!_"

They laughed merrily and settled to watch the glimmering blue sea.

"Hey look, a dolphin!" Sanji noticed, sitting on the rail.

"Oh, how cute..." Nami commented. It really was, spraying sparkling water in the air and-

"**IT'S GODDAMN HUGE!**"

-it was coming right at them. In mere seconds they were up and moving before they could get crushed.

"Run away!"

"Aye aye, captain!"

* * *

><p>She had asked Nami how long would it take to reach Little Garden and gotten surprised that it was going to be two days from the Cacti island. The show hadn't shown anything from that time, maybe nothing interesting happened?<p>

"Hmm, the weather's fair, no giant dolphins and one bored Gloria- wait, that's not good," Nami was viewing the main deck from the mikan grove. Indeed, she was bored. Today was one of those days there was nothing to draw and she didn't feel like playing with Luffy. Zoro was training, so he was a no-go and Usopp was doing something... thingy... yes. A_ thingy._ That's what it shall be called!

That inspired her to turn her focus to the newest travellers: Vivi and Caroo. The princess had a faraway look on her face that ratted out her heavy thoughts and Caroo was grooming his feathers. The woman was as tall as Nami, which meant that Gen was shorter than she was by a head. She was starting to see why Chis compalined about being short. For a moment, the depression clouded her mind, but she quickly pushed it back. Vivi was startled when she was suddenly poked to the side.

"Argh! Gen-san! Please don't do that again!" she was holding her hand on her chest as to prevent her heart from running off.

"Haa, sorry 'bout that. Didn't meant to scare you. Hey, what were you thinking with such a murky expression?" she sat down on the rail, tilting her hat to block out the sunshine.

"I can't help but to worry for my country. I have seen the power in your fellow crewmen, but..."

"You're worried for them."

"Yes," she admitted and sighed, taking a place from next to the white-haired girl. Gen looked at the jolly roger that fluttered at the top of the main mast.

"Stop the brooding! You really can't do anything when you're two islands from your home and moping doesn't help you any," she said and felt a little stab. That had been exactly what she'd been doing for the two first days on the Merry.

"...you're right. I try not to waste your kind words," Vivi gave a small smile.

"And to correct you, I'm not part of the crew."

"You're not?" Vivi looked surprised. "Then why are you here?"

"Luffy won't let me go," she answered casually. "So I'm little like a hostage in that way."

"_A hostage?_"

"A willing one, but don' go tellin' it to 'im, ya hear?"

They were silent for a moment, before the princess said slowly and rather carefully, "I heard from Nami and the guys that you were, excuse me, a little lost in the head."

"A little lost?" she laughed, "girl, I'm _waay_ beyond that!"

"I would've never guessed, you are pretty intelligent by what I've been listening to you," Vivi looked at her. Gloria's eyes gleamed for a moment and she smirked mysteriously.

"'M just that awesome. Say, do you like word games?"

Around noon of their third day, the green island came to view.

* * *

><p>"Looks wild," Sanji commented. "The jungle is pushing over everywhere."<p>

"So this is Little Garden!" Luffy exclaimed. Gloria was watching with interest in to the tight knitted foliage and up to the green canopy.

"It's not green, its **GREEEE~N!***" she sang in a deep, opera-like voice and laughed.

"Name is more cuter than the looks," Nami muttered.

"What here is 'Little'?" Usopp was shaking, propably thinking of every possible way to die in here.

"Us," she patted him on the head.

"I've never seen plants like that, not even in books!" Nami said. A beastly screetch made her cover and 'eek!'. "What was that!" she asked frantically.

"Nami-swan is so cute!" Sanji smiled. "Don't worry, it's just a regular bird and that over there is just a regular jungle. There's nothing to fear!"

"Except for the dinosaurs."

"DINOSAURS!" Nami screamed.

"Is that a lizard?" Luffy asked, as he looked at the pre-historic bird-lizard. She had seen speculated pictures of these things, but it was awesome to see it alive. She was lost at it's beauty - and she found herself from gaping at the retreating figure in awe.

"I want one of those..."

These was a huge crash in the forest that made Nami and Usopp cringe again.

"Are those regular, everyday sound of a normal jungle!"

"THAT SOUNDED LIKE A VOLCANO!" Usopp was panicy. They saw a tiger stagger from the bushes and fall down, already dead.

"THAT'S DEFINETLY NOT NORMAL! Why is the king of the jungle in that condition?"

"Because it's not the king of this jungle," Gen said, still dishing out her knowledge.

"WHY ARE YOU SO CALM ABOUT THIS? That's it! We'll stay on the ship and wait until the log is set and get ot of here the second we can, we are in a hurry after all," Nami was making a plan. Luffy on the other hand...

"Sanji! A lunchbox!"

"A lunchbox?"

"Yes! A pirate's lunchbox! I can smell adventure!" He was shaking from a completely different reason.

"He-hey wait a minute! What are you-?" Nami was trying to say, but he didn't listen to her. Sanji went to make the lunchboxe.

Gloria put her leg on the rail and pointed at the jungle. "I, Kindheart E. Gloria, aka Gen, shall search this jungle and return with a pet!"

"YOU'RE NOT BRINGING ANYTHING ON THIS SHIP!" Nami hit her.

"Oww... you're mean."

"Good."

"...I'm still taking a pet."

"Luffy, could I come too?" Vivi asked, making Nami cry out anime tears.

"You too, Vivi!" Nami cried.

"Yeah, you can come!" Luffy was bouncing excitedly.

"If I just sit around, I start thinking and get depressed. I'd rather do something else!"

"Go Vivi!" Gen cheered.

"And I'm taking Caroo with me."

"So happy he's speechless..." Nami sweatdropped, looking at the shocked duck. Sanji promised to make a box for Vivi too, and a drink for Caroo.

"I wanna one too!" Gen waved her hand in the air.

"I will, Vivi-chwan, Gen-chwan! My angel Nami-swan, how about you?"

"I'M NOT GOING!"

When they were ready, Vivi climbed on Caroo's back and Luffy left running. Gen pushed her hat better on her head, slung the shoulderbag on it's place and propped up her catching net.

"We'll be back!"

"LET'S GO!"

"WHOHOO!"

* * *

><p>She had strayed from Luffy and Vivi in five minutes, because she'd seen something shiny. Now the pretty shiny thing was gone and she was staring at a big and really surprised dinosaur in the eye. It was smaller than she'd thought, (<em>only<em>) the size of a big horse. It was longer than a horse though, with the long neck and tail. She knew that much about dinosaurs that it must've been a vegetarian, since it hadn't tried to bite her head off yet, and it had a beak. Not really effective tool to behead people or rip open someone's throat.

The dinosaur snorted and walked straight at her. She had no other option but to step aside and let it pass. _'Hmm...'_

She ditched the net.

"Hey dino, gimme a lift willya?" she climbed on a rock and stepped on the creatue when it walked by it. She sat down and admired for a moment how it's muscles moved under the leathery skin, and then focused to the direction it was going into. The dinosaur was navigating expertly through the vegetation, but she had to push and dodge several branches and big leaves so she wouldn't get sweeped down from her ride. She spat and spluttered the last leaves and planty stuff out of her mouth, slapping her arms. She could've SWORE that something was crawling on her...

They were suddenly at an opening in the middle of the forest.

"Oh my... you're underage," she gasped, as she found out that the thing was just going to it's family. They were at least thrice the size of Bob the Dino (_she named it_) and some of them had small flying lizards circling them like flies or sitting on the dinosaurs.

Gen grinned. It was time to test out her climbing skills.

The easiest place to start would've been the tail, if it wasn't in constant movement. She made a compromise and used Bob as leverage to reach higher to the desired target, grabbing on to the dino's uneven skin and pulling herself up. Her feet left Bob's back, and for a moment she was hanging several feet from the ground on a moving animal... her stomach made an uncomfortable flip. Bravely climbing up, only once looking down, she was finally at the base of the enourmos tail and sighed in relief. She was straddling the back and sliding herself forwards to the middle of it and finally relaxing.

This animal was moving on a bigger scale than Bob, who by now had disappeared to the herd. She pressed her hand on her hat and swaying along the animal's movements like she was riding a horse. The other hand that wasn't on her head was flat against the dino's spine, preventing her from toppling over.

"I'll name you Misty," she patted the dinosaur. If she remembered correctly from the documentaries, these were some kinds of sauropods... that were starting to run away._ 'Why are the dinos running away?'_

**RRRRRRRUMMMBLLEEEEE**

"The volcano!" she said out loud. To her horror, she was starting to slide off of Misty's back. If she did, she'd get stepped on. She started struggling, her hands desperately trying to find a hold from Misty's skin to stop her fall. It was futile, and she screamed, but a lovely, lovely tree stopped her early demise. She hung to the palm's trunk with all her life, until the dinosaurs were all gone. Now she could also see the two giants, battling in the distance. She stopped and took a double take.

"Woah... they're big...!"

Gen started going down and once back on the sturdy ground, picked up her fallen hat and started looking at her surroundings.

...green stuff left.

...green things right.

None of those green things were Marimo, so she ended up to the third option: she was lost. _'Oh yaaay, last time it was in Loguetown... and I remember that happening after something fun too.'_ She started walking after shrugging dirt from her bag. The bag had only two pokets, both on the inside, and the other had a proper zipper as the other was just too lousy to use. In the poket with the zipper slept Greg, blissfully unaware to the fact that he was in the middle of a jungle full of wildlife.

During her walk, she admired all kinds of things she saw and she just HAD to sit down when she came across a beautiful scenery. Feasting upon her pirate lunchbox, she was actually jealous of all the shades of green in the single bush of giantic ferns and the beautiful, gentle stream cascading over and around the stones. Gen dipped her hand in it, feeling the chilly water and smiling radiantly, even when she wasn't aware of it. She whipped out her sketchbook and started capturing the moment.

Something was tapping her shoulder, but she chose to ignore it. that someone tapped again, and she made a shoo-gesture to it without looking. She was just about to perfect the colors...

Then Gen remembered again where she was and jumped away, turning to look whoever it was to disturb her. It was Zoro, standing still and silent.

A little _too_ silent.

"Not working, wax-dude," she said. Gen started picking up her belongings, never letting the statue out of her eyes. If anyone heard her, they didn't respond. She kept on backing away, but then her back hit a tree. _'Fuuuuudge.'_

'Zoro' liquefied into white mass and lurged at her. She rolled away from it's way, sprung on her feet and fled. That was a very stupid thing to do, since she bumped into something big and mean.

Some more running. And the wax was still after her!

"Eeeew so creepy!" she panted. The big, mean dinosaur didn't look like a T-Rex, it had a slimmer snout and some kind of horns on it's head. That way, it almost looked like-

"HYEAAAAAA! A DRAGON!" she screamed, when the big thing scorched a patch of the undergrowth with what looked like acid. Okay, the thing was a mile from a dragon, but who cares when it's trying to eat you?

She jumped over a log, the 'dragon' melting it. The acid made plants catch fire quite nicely, and the stubborn wave of wax grew smaller when it passed the fire, extinguishing it too.

"Too easy," she grinned.

Then the wax decided that the dino was a lot more interesting than she was, formed a spike and killed it. The acid spilled from it's mouth, igniting a bush... and a tree stump... and the dry leaves...

_Oopsie..._

"Okay I think it's best to go now!" she sprinted away from the extending forest fire.

Then the volcano erupted, making everything tremble again. She looked around, saw a tree with twisted branches and climbed it up to see where the giants were.

_'The second duel! Yosh, if I go their way, I'll come across them in no time. ...I hope I can help them, even a little...'_

She looked behind her, seeing the forest flaming. She was a little concerned for the ship, as the wind was taking the fire away from her._ 'I hope that won't make too much damage... but at least I got away from the wax! ...eeeew...'_

Gen looked back at the giants, slid down and started jogging at the battlefield.

* * *

><p>"Loo~ lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo loo- <em>LOO<em> loost~ **WHERE ARE EVERYONE!**" she was yelling in frustration, because she had lost her directions. Now she was bored, sticky and tired and the bloodsucking _bugs_ were going to be the death of her in a long run. Her miserable state was now the reason why her brain was going downhill, making her giggle to nothing from time to time, singing randomly and talking to herself.

"Oo, blueberries! Me loves blueberries!" she cheered, when she saw a bunch of pale blue berries hanging from a tree. If she'd been on her right mind, she would've eyed them suspiciously and known that** 1)** there were never any blooming plants in the prehistoric time which means that it was impossible there to BE any fruit or berries at all,** 2)** blueberries do NOT grow in TREES and **3)** these blueberries didn't taste like blueberries. More like cherries. And they were sickly yellow from the inside.

"_Omnomnom_... huh? Did I just now hear voices ov'r there?" she slurred and giggled, before tripping on a root and falling on her face...

...in front of Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine.

There was a moment of silence, as they all looked at each other. Caroo was there too, but he looked to be in a rather bad shape.

"Well well, what do we have here? One of those annoying pirates," Mr. 5 smirked.

"Ahahaha! She's the one Mr. 13 warned us about!" Ms. Valentine laughed.

"'IT'S THAT OOOOOOOLD DEvil moon, that you **STOOOOLE** FROM the sky,** IT'S THAT OOOOLD** DEVil moon, in your _ee-e-eyeee-eees..._'" she sang and broke into giggles. "Yer hat looks like a ball. Balls are funny. Hehe, I said 'balls'!"

"..."

"Come on, lets just go. This duck wasn't any use to us and I doubt that she's comprehensive enough for a sane conversation," Mr. 5 said before grabbing her from the collar of her vest and Caroo from his beak. Gen was dragged along, still really out of it: "'A, B, C, D, L, S, D, gummybears are chasin' me...' Hey I saw som'thn' cool ov'r there, lets go see it!" she was struggling in his grasp weakly. The agents didn't bother to even glance her direction. They tumbled through the bushes, argued about their location and Ms. Valentine laughed when a bigger dinosaur killed a small one. Then she killed the big one and Gen laughed. Finally they made it to the big skull of a sea king. Luffy was trapped tight underneath it and Vivi's eyes widened at the sight of them.

"IT'S YOU!" Luffy said, angry as hell. Gen tried to turn around to see him but failed. Mr. 5 tossed the duck in front of them.

"I want to return this useless bird..." he yanked her to her feet and shoved on top of Caroo "...as well as this nuicanse."

"_...GLOOOOOORIOUS PANTIEEES!_" the girl giggled.

"CAROO! How could you...! He has nothing to do with this!" the princess was in seconds by her loyal friend. Gen raised her head and looked at Vivi.

"You have a neck. Why do you have a neck, when I don't? Do I have a neck?" she felt her hand above her left shoulder in search of her lost neck.

"What did you do to her!" Vivi screamed "Hihihah! We didn't!" Ms. Valentine laughed. "The jungle must've driven her crazy!"

"True, the bird's just a bystander. The 'strawhat' over there isn't, and you seem to be always near him. So, to get you away from him, we tried making the bird call for it's master-"

"I SHALL RULE THE WORLD! And nominate my hat as the vice president!" Gen cackled madly.

"-but he didn't. I punished him for that." Ignorance be blessed.

"Yer an asssshole, did'ya 'now? Mister fuckin' five ASSSS!"

The agents revealed their participation in the giants' duel, angering both Usopp and Vivi to attack them. They didn't have luck; Mr. 5 exploded on him and Ms. Valentine stomped him in the ground. Vivi tried to defend him, but Mr. 5 just grabbed the poor girl. Even though Gen was pretty out of it, somewhere deep inside the still concious part of her was bristling in anger. 'Poor Luffy, he has to just watch how his friends get beaten up. Come on, Gen, gather yourself!'

"I want pie. That way I could jump over the cactus!"

_'No! Not that!'_

"Copper likes ferrets."

_'NOO! No ferrets!'_ she gritted her teeth. What was _wrong _with these blueberries?

"I hope I'm not dead."

_'Better. Still not sane enough, but it's an improvement.'_

"Don't worry, I wont kill you yet. We only came to fetch you, by orders from Mr. 3," Mr. 5 told them. Vivi looked panicky.

"The doru doru no mi user, on this island!"

"Indeed he is."

Gen sat staring with glaced eyes and smiling at nothing. "Three made a tree BURN! an' killed a dragon, bu' he di'n't catch MEEEEH!"

_'Finally, some more sanity fer me!'_

Mr. 5 sneered and gave Luffy an exploding kick. They didn't possibly see Gloria as much of a threat, but her constant annoying _noise_ she started making was irritating him enough to slap her. Fortunately he didn't blow up on her. Ms. Valentine took Vivi, her hands trapped behind her back, and laughed.

"Hihihah! You really thought you could escape us? Fool!"

Gen was now struggling to stay awake and keep her head clear.

"LUFFY! Usopp, Caroo, Gen..." Vivi bit back a sob, as the Baroque works agents dragged her away.

Gen was counting the blades of grass in front of her eyes, and she was _so sleepy_. Her breath was now coming in short gasps and she felt like her lungs were full of something that she couldn't breathe through.

"Gloria, Usopp, are you two all right?" Luffy asked. There was no childlike playfulness in his tone. "Usopp?"

"Yeah..." he finally said.

"Those... were not... blueberries... _*cough*_ I feel li... like I... could _*cough, wheeze*_ die..." her voice was but a soft whisper.

"Well I'm not letting you die. Say, can we let them get away with this?" Luffy directed the question to Usopp.

"No! No we can't!"

Caroo, who resembled an overgrown dead pidgeon, stood up and shook his feathers back to order, before walking to the rubberboy and starting to loosen the dirt around him.

"You're pissed off too?"

"QUAA!"

The little pirate captain grinned.

"Yeah, we four are going to kick their asses!"

She whimpered. She was cold, but when she placed her hand on her forehead, it was burning. She had to close her eyes.

"Gen?" Luffy sounded concerned. "You're really pale. Hey, can you hear me?"

"Yeah," she said silently. "I'm... not dyin'... quickly... enough, please... someone... kill _*cough*_ me!"

"What did they do to you?"

"No...! I ate... these blueber- blueberries, but I... think they were *cough* poisonous!" she felt nauseous.

"_WHAT?_" both Usopp and Luffy's eyes bugged out.

Gen got quickly on her all fours and threw up. It was mostly the lunch that Sanji'd made, she could also identify the yellow mush of those 'berries'. She heaved again, but this time there wasn't much to come up.

"Nasty," Usopp grimaced. She spat the taste out of her mouth and backed away from the pile before collapsing again. She clutched her chest.

"Gen? Gen!"

"Alive..." she assured him. "Hurts... everywhere... and I'm cold... _*cough*_ bu' 'M... 'live..."

"Hey! Duck! Dig faster! She's going to die!" Luffy squirmed. The thing quacked and sped up.

Her eyes closed up on their own and she floated back and forth on the edge of sleep. Her breathing was moving easier and the pain subsiding slowly, but her head was aching. She didn't know how long she had been like that, but she was temporarily woken rudely by a sharp slap in the face.

"Oi! You can't fall asleep!" Usopp's face was suddenly in her's. Gen crossed her eyes to see the tip of his nose and regretted it instantly as her head gave a painful throb.

"Try to hold on! If those berries were poisonous, the giants must have some kind of antidope for them!"

"This is really bad!" Luffy said, pacing with his other hand on his head. He stopped and turned to them, snapping his fingers. "We'll do this: we three go save everyone else, you stay here and awake! When we're ready, we'll come and get you. Then we'll think of something."

"Luffy that's... actually a good plan," Usopp blinked in surprise.

"Yeah, he's that awesome," she grinned.

"Hey look, she's all right!" Luffy gave a grin as wide as Gen's as he hugged her with one arm.

"Dizzy..." she moaned and went limp.

"Oh no! She died again!"

"I'm sorry, I was wrong," Usopp sweatdropped. "There was no way that he'd be that smart."

* * *

><p><strong>*<strong>This was from one of Niko Kivelä's shows. He's an _AWESOME_ finnish stand up comedian!

This chapter was extremely hard to write, one for the lack of energy to do so. I had to rewrite it a couple of times before I was satisfied with it, but it's still far from perfect in my standards. I also finally realized that this place is 'cleaning up' my text on it's own accord, like if there should be two ! marks in a row, it takes away the latter. Same with ! and ? combination... -_-'

Gloria: ...those were **_not_** blueberries.

Snoara: I think it was kinda obvious.

Gloria: WHY WOULD I EAT SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

Snoara: :D (in lack of other words) See ya~!


	18. August

Gloria: Here ye go, 'nother chaptr. I believe I can fly~!

Nami: ... *carries Gen off*

Snoara: ...she's screwed. My brother is pestering me all the time to be let to play WoW because HE has game time...** it's intruding into my writing time!** *sulk*

* * *

><p><em>'There's NO FREAKIN' WAY they'll leave ME behind like that!'<em> she fumed. She had tried to stay awake and failed miserabely right after the boys (_and the duck_) had left with 'manly cries of manliness' and a major pissed-offness. Then she'd woken up, all alone... and realized what had happened.

"Greg! Why didn't you wake me up!"

"I was in the pocket, M'La- Gloria-sama! How would I be able to do anything from the inside?"

"Chew a hole? You're a rabbit, right?"

"I'm not a rabbit! I'm a-" and he cut himself abruptly.

"Too late~," she smiled like a cat. "Oh Gregory~"

"NOOO!** Emergency situation #4: sudden death**. Glahhh..."

"Oh no you wont!" she grabbed the lifeless plush toy from the middle and shook it. "Haa, whatever. You remember what way they went?"

"Hmmh... not exactly sure- oh wait! This way!" he pointed.

"How come you're suddenly so sure?"

"I have sharp ears, Gloria-sama," he winked (_how do plush toys- ah what the Netherworld..._).

"Let's go!"

"Ah, but Gloria-sama, shouldn't you lay down? You're not well-"

"Shush now. There's no way that I can be of big help, but fudge if that stops me," she stuck her toung out. Greg looked at her for a long time, before sighing in defeat and smiling slightly. "Let's get goin' to candle-party!"

* * *

><p><em>(unknown amount of time later...)<em>  
>"My vision is blurry. My stomach's aching."<p>

The black and white bunny listened to her whining with admirable patience: "You have said so."

"And I'm hungry."

"You mentioned that too."

"My head-"

"Aches, I know! Ah, sorry Gloria-sama, keep on ranting."

"I'm sorry..." Her stomach rumbled loudly.

"AAGH! IT'S EATING ITSELF~!"

Greg didn't see it wort answering, and resumed back to keeping his eye on the surroundings. He didn't want anything to creep up on them.

Gen was getting sick of the GREE~N! that was everywhere; in her face, in her hair, in her lacy underwear... not that her underwear was lacy.

She stopped to take off her shoes, spat some bark out of her mouth and continued to walk. The ground was warm, slightly moist and soft under her feet if you didn't mind the sticks fallen from the lush trees or the random, razor sharp volcanic rocks...

Gen put her shoes back on.

"Are we there yet?" she asked.

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No," he could see where this was going.

"Are we there yet?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"No."

She was silent for a minute.

"How about now?"

"NO! Wait, actually yes."

They had come to the edge of the forest (_Usopp ran past them behind her back_) to the scene where Luffy was hitting the red mark on the ground.

"WHERE ARE YOU AIMING AT!" the three people stuck in the wax yelled. Zoro was holding his sword up in a pose.

"That's lame, Marimo!" she called him out and laughed against a tree.

"It's not lame!" he yelled back. "Wait! Usopp said that you were-"

"I was what?" she looked annoyed.

"...nothing."

"Mr. 3 would get angry if you destroyed his artwork," Ms. Golden Week said. "Like a bull to a red cloth, you will want to charge at the mark on the ground.

"Mrraaah! I've had enough! Fly to the ends of the world! Gomu gomu noooo... bazooka!"

BLAM

To the red mark.

"Are you having fun?"

"HUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

"DON'T LAUGH SO HARD! GO HELP HIM, YOU TAPIR-BRAIN!" Nami yelled with white eyes and a shark-like row of pointy teeth.

"Here, the finishing touch. Laughter's yellow, mixed with sadness' blue, makes a calming green."

The next instant, Luffy was sitting on the quilt with Ms. Creep, commenting on the tea.

_'Wait a flippin' minute, am I not big enough of a threat?'_ she fumed in her head and started walking at them, already forming a plan. She promptly sat beside them and took a cracker from the plate.

"Ms. Golden Creep, how come you think this green is 'calming'?"

The girl looked at her passively, munching on her own rice cracker.

"To me, it's more like a nice leaf-green, full of young energy and the spirit of spring. Nowhere near calming!" she sipped her tea.

"Hmm... every artist has a different angle on things. That green to you may seem like ergizing and young, but to me it is calming. It's why a painting made by me is always different than a painting made by you, even if the color would be the same."

_("WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Vivi yelled._

_"I swear I'm going to-" Zoro muttered._)

"So... if you painted something on me, like 'loving pink' and I'd see it as 'annoying pink', the way I see it would be the correct one?"

"No, if you made the color, it'd be 'annoying pink', but when I make it, it's 'loving pink'," Ms. Golden Week corrected.

"I know, but what if I see _your_ pink as _my_ pink, wouldn't it change it entirely? The beauty is, after all, in the eye of the beholder."

"...true."

"So, Luffy, what would you say this color on your vest is?"

"Oh, I can't see it, so I can't really tell."

"Ms. Golden Week, will you demonstrate?"

The girl swirled the colors on her palet and showed it to the boy.

"Hmmh... I don't really know... it's just green."

"Then, it's just green," she looked him intensely in the eye. "You understand?"

"Uhh... not rea-"

"_It is just green paint on you_, if you say so."

"Hmh? Aaah, just green paint- Ha!" he seemed to understand something. She gave a subtle smirk, as he got up and threw the tea cup away. "It's just green!"

At the same time, Usopp popped out of the forest, riding on top of Caroo.

"What's happening here-?"

"Breeze bullet!"

BOOM

Usopp exploded randomly. Or maybe not so randomly, as Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine appeared to the opening.

"I forgot to tell... even my breath can explode."

"Uuuhgghh..." he and Caroo were laying on the ground. "Shit! A breath as ammunition! Caroo, you ok?"

"Quaa..."

"Luffy... you good now?" the liar asked, while getting up.

"Yup! I'm not going to fall for it anymore!"

"Luffy, wait. Just to be safe," she grabbed his vest and smeared the green mark. He thanked her silently with a short nod, before turning back to the enemy.

"Hell no am I going to let you lay your hands on my nakama! It's payback time!"

Mr. 5 laughed and gestured at Zoro, Nami and Vivi, who by now had turned into wax dolls. "It's no use getting angry anymore, look at your friends!"

"**SO WHAT? **They're still alive!"

"Hah!" Mr. 3 let out a sardonic laugh. "Ms. Golden Week'll color them and my dolls will be ready!"

"You are late, strawhat Luffy!" Mr. 5 said.

"Indeed!" Mr. 3 laughed again.

"All talk and evil laughing... really, villains are always soooo lame," Gen sighed and shook her head in pity, grinning mischiviously. "Wadda ya say, Luffs? Kick these untalented jerks' tails!"

There was a shocked inhale that sounded like 'Ghaa!'

"UNTALENTED!" it was Mr. 3. "Watch what you let out of that filthy mouth of yours!" he showed himself, and he had this really ridiculous armor on him. He was pointing at her with his boxing glove.

"...so unoriginal..."

If everything, an immature artist _hated_ criticism. She did see herself as an artist - everyone was in their own way - and she too had once been like that. She remember beating up someone for calling her 'unoriginal'.

...she'd do it anytime.

"YOU-!" he growled and raised his fists. "DIE BY THE CANDLE KING!"

"That's even lamer!" she facepalmed.

"What is that?" Luffy asked.

"He caught a pirate with a bounty of 45 millions with that armor...!"

"The greatest masterpiece of Mr. 3!"

Mr. 3 told Ms. Golden Creep to paint the armor, which Luffy was shamelessly admiring. Usopp (_and Caroo_) reminded him of their situation, and Luffy pulled his fist back to deliever the fight's first punch.

"Haa~ what should I do now?" she placed her hands behind her head and turned to look at the candle plateau. She couldn't help the spike of worry, as she gazed at the still figures. Her fingers started fiddling nervously in her hair.

"Hmm... hmm... hmh... hmmmh!" she shifted her weight from foot to foot. Meanwhile Usopp had figured out to melt the wax, and shared it with Luffy.

"Fools! Your have already lost!" Mr. 3 hmph-ed. "At best, they have about thirty minutes before they suffocate! Right now, they are experiencing the despair of dying!"

_'Right now... I'm so happy that I'm not there..._' Gen thought.

"Not needed! I'll release them right now!" Usopp aimed his slingshot at the captives. Mr. 5 shot Usopp with a breeze bullet, interrupting him.

_'Aaaaargh! What am I going to do! How should I help 'em? I can't stand this uselessness...'_

Usopp slipped the oilrope to Caroo, and Ms. Valentine, who had been witnessing it, sat on the boy.

"Now I wonder, how many kilos can you take~?" she giggled evilly. "10 kilos... 100 kilos...! 200 kilos...!"

"Hnn..._ nnngreaaaah!_"

"Usopp!" she ran at them and crashed into the girl with all she had. Gloria really didn't believe that it would do anything... but... it did. The woman fell off of Usopp, who took advantage of it and crawled away.

"Whoooah! You're a monster!" his eyes bugged out.

"AM NOT!"

"Hihihah! Interesting! That kinda tickled!" Ms. Valentine brushed off her skirt.

Caroo was running around with the rope, and the place started to look like a messy spider's net. Somewhere along the road Luffy had grabbed Mr. 3's now flaming hair and pulled him along him, out of Usopp's suggestion, to the candle.

"That's too small! Luffy, ignite Caroo's rope!"

"The rope? Got that! Everyone, wait just a little longer...!"

Then suddenly the place was on fire. She was sitting on the ground, yelling 'Go, Luffy!' and throwing her fists in the air with a wide, relieved grin. The fire melted down Mr. 3's armor.

"What a fire! Are they going to all right?" Luffy wondered out loud.

"Luffy! Mr. 3's runnin'! Sic 'im!" Gen pointed at the retreating agent.

"Oi! Come back here!" he noticed and went after him. She yelped, when a hot blob of semi-melted wax splashed down next to her. She got sprays on her bare skin that burned mercilessly before cooling down. Caroo was dodging the same fate by going with Luffy.

"That brat!" Mr. 5 grit his teeth. Ms. Valentine looked pissed.

"YOU LITTLE BASTARDS!" she yelled, before kicking Gen. She didn't expect it, so she was sent spinning away, and the agent jumped. "I WILL CRUSH YOU!"

"USOPP!" Gen yelled, when her head clear enough from the trip.

"Ten thousands guillotine! Huh? Gyaaaaah!"

"Nami! Vivi! Yayy, you're o- urgl!" her stomach was suddenly upset about something. '_Doodles!_'

"It's so hot in here! You didn't come up with anything else?" Nami and Vivi made a pose. Ms. Valentine was unconcious. Gen wished she was too, as her stomach cramped painfully and she balled up on her side facing away from the bile.

"Yeah... thanks," Nami said.

"Unbelievable, we're all still alive."

_("Kill me...!")_

"Hmh! The wax melted! Annoying... I can't fail anymore!" Mr. 5 cocked his gun and prepared to shoot, but Usopp was faster.

"Hissatsu kayako boshi!"

"Idiot! Did you already forgot that gunpowder doesn't work on me?" he swallowed the shot.

Usopp grinned: "Did you eat it? Hah, sorry, but I'm a big liar just like that. It wasn't gunpowder, but a_tabasco shooting star!_"

Mr.5 jumped around with his mouth flaming. Usopp laughed, but the man had gotten enough of this foolishness and jumped on the boy, intending to blow him up.

"Flaming... oni... GIRI!" Zoro appeared from the fire like a demon, cutting down the bombman and sheathing his swords. Gen had a fanfit in her mind and would've squealed if not for the pain.

"A fiery katana... not bad."

_'Not bad? That was AAAAAWESOOOOME~! Urgh...'_

The ground shook, when a huge, bleeding palm was placed on the ground and sat up.

"You're alive. Great thing."

"Ho ho hoh... yeah..."

He looked then to his fellow giant friend, who layed on the ground on his front in a pool of blood. Then he turned his gaze to where Luffy and Caroo had went.

"Now there's only two of them left..."

"...ro..."

"Hmmm?"

* * *

><p>Later, when they had gone back to one of the giants' place and gotten Dorry, who surprisingly was still alive, patched up, they had also asked about the blue fruit that Gen had went and eaten. The girl was laying on an animal skin, shivering and sweating in her sleep. Broggy had had a vial of old antidote that was left by the people who had brought the laooma-fruit on the island in the first place. It was unsure, but their only chance.<p>

"She ate something completely random?" Nami was listening in disbelief. "Didn't anyone ever tell her not to eat it if she didn't know what it was!"

"She thought they were blueberries," Luffy remembered.

"Seriously, she's such an idiot! Somebody tell me how is she still alive at that age?"

"She's only seventeen," Luffy tilted his head, arms crossed.

"NOT THE POINT!"

"We want to repay you for saving our lives," Broggy said.

"You already helped us by possibly saving her life," Usopp reminded them.

"I had that thing laying around just for nothing, so it really wasn't anything. I must say though, that was really unwise thing to eat fruit you don't know. Don't get your hopes up, it might not work, or it could make it worse."

"NOW YOU TELL ME THAT!"

"So it's gamble..."

"Hahahaha! We already forgot that we had bounties on our heads!" Dorry laughed.

Vivi blamed herself for the incident and Nami pinched her cheek for being an idiot. Luffy, Caroo and Usopp were having a rice cracker party until Nami hit Usopp for asking her to take off more clothes. They also disgussed about the log pose, that would take a year to set.

"NAMI-SWAAN! VIVI-CHWAAN! GEN-CHWAAN! And those unimportant people. I'M SO HAPPY THAT YOU'RE SAFE~!"

"Hey Sanji!" Luffy greeted. Gen's face scrunted and she turned her back to him in her sleep. Zoro, who **had not just been looking at her sleeping face** (_'Whoa, even her eyelsashes are white!'_) grinned to that.

Sanji ogled at Nami before giving up his coat for her and told them how he'd talked with Crocodile and attained the eternal pose. Then the chef noticed Gen and started fuzzing over her. Zoro and Sanji started talking about their hunting competition, giving the giants a jolt in the memory.

"Then, I guess we'll be leaving! I wish you both luck!" Luffy said.

"Oh yeah, you must be in a hurry."

"Too bad, but we can't stop you. I wish all the luck on your side."

"Thank you," Vivi said to the giants. Sanji layed Gen on Caroo's saddle.

"Don't die~!"

"I'll go see Elbaf one day!" Usopp said full of confidence.

* * *

><p>"Okay... who burnt the forest?"<p>

They had arrived at the ship to see the jungle scortched all around them. Sanji and Zoro were arguing about their competition that was solved by Nami and some persuasive words to get moving before someone got seriously hurt. They took all the best parts out of the two dinosaurs and set sail.

Gen was asleep in her room, so she missed the departure with the giants. Greg had been sitting in her room the whole time. He had done a quick scan on her and come to a result that the antidote was out of old age faded and neutralized, so it really didn't do a jack. He was worried.

"Uaaah, M'Lady-sama... you need a doctor, soon, too."

"Ghhhmmm... Hmmmhh..."

"M'Lady? Are you awake?"

"Mm-hm. Ne, Greg- ah, nothing after all..." she pulled the covers off and sat up, holding her head and combing through the white mess, blinking tiredly.

"Lag... lag... lag... oww my head..."

"Glor-Gloria-sama! Please don't strain yourself, the poisoning-!"

She looked at him blankly.

"What poisoning?"

Greg fell comically.

She pushed herself up to her feet and started shakily walking to the door, taking the covers with her.

"The POISONING from the BERRIES you ate!"

She stopped to the door with her hand on the handle, looking at it. Then she turned to look at him: "Oh yeah."

"Gloria-sama, while I was in the bag, I noticed... these," the toy trudged to the bag and disappeareed inside of it, only to come back to view with a small, brown spotted egg and several of those blasted 'blueberries' in his short arms. The egg wasn't much bigger than the berries, that were approximately the size of a grape. She stared at them and plucked one of the berries from the pile.

"Omnomnomnom..."

"AAAAAAAH! SPIT IT OUT! _SPIT IT OOOUT!_"

"Yeeekh, I don't like the taste of this... *_p-tui_*. What's with the egg?"

"I don't know. I was hoping that you could tell," he sighed in relief when she gave up on the berry (_that was now just a sticky pile on the floor... how lovely_). He hid them away from her sight and gave the egg to her.

"Cute! I'll call you August," she said and slipped the egg in her... bra.

Greg sweatdropped. Then he seemed to blush as he asked bashfully "Are you sure that it'll be safe there? Wouldn't it crack?"

"No worries! I have always stuff in there. See, August in the right, a necklace in the left," she patted her chest and left the room.

Gen went to the deck and walked straight to the main mast, leaning onto it - carefully, for the sake of August - and pressing her cheek against it.

"GEN! You're alive~!"

"Oi oi, don't greet her like that, Luffy!"

"GEN-CHWAAAN! YOU'RE ALIVE~!"

"YOU TOO, SANJI!"

"What the hell is she doing?" Nami asked. She hadn't collapsed yet. "She should go back to bed!"

Gen rounded the mast and then walked up the stairs to the back of the ship, before leaning over the rail and throwing up. Then she trekked the ship to it's front past the people on the deck and hugged the figurehead - carefully. She hummed contently and walked back to the main deck, then up to the mikan trees and to Zoro who was lifting his weights there. He stopped when he noticed her standing right next to him.

"Oh, it's you. Good that the antidote worked, but I need to... and you... are staring at me."

She had a tranquil expression, not a smile, not a frown, that could've melted iron with the intensity. Her eyes were eerily void of life and he felt like they were piercing through his soul itself in an unnerving way.

Then she walked away.

_'Damn she's scary...'_

"Ookay," Nami put her hands on her shoulders and steered zombie-Gen gently towards the door. The girl stopped, stood there until Nami gave a slight shove to move on, and turned around to face her. Nami felt the chills run up her spine.

"Wha-what is it?"

"You should go to bed."

"Why?"

"Because I don't have enough energy to lift you up if you fall down now."

"Hmmh.. You're right, I do feel a little tired," Nami pressed her hand on her forehead. Her face had begun to tint red and beads of sweat roll down her skin. Gen took Nami's hand and lead her to her room. They passed by Vivi, who raised an eyebrow, and Gen asked her to get the rest of them to Nami's room.

Not a second too early, Nami felt like overcooked spaghetti once she reached her bed. Gen helped her in and sat on one of the barstools.

"They're here, well except for Zoro-san. He's keeping eye on the course."

"Mmmh." _'Oh so sleepy... Wait, Zoro as a navigator?'_

"Gen-chan, what was it that- AAA! NAMI-SWAAAN! What is wrong with her?"

"She has a really high fever!" Vivi noticed. Sanji found his handkerchief and started biting it anxiously.

"Is Nami-swan going to die? Vivi-chan?"

The girl frowned and thought for a reason as to why the navigator was sick. She put a cold rag on the girl's forehead.

"It might be the weather. The constant change of it is the toughest obstacle in Grand Line. No matter how strong the pirates are, there are many that die because of the sicknesses that the changes cause. Even though it's just a cold, you might die if you're not careful. Don't you have anyone on this ship who would have medical knowledge?"

Usopp and Luffy pointed silently at Nami, Sanji kept sobbing.

"Or she ate one of the blueberries," Gen said absently. What she said drew their attention to her. Her upper body was laying on the bar and her other leg entangled in the stool's legs. She was also craddling an egg in her palms, staring at it. Then she raised the egg for them to see. "This is August. August, say hello to them."

She was silent, as if giving it time to answer.

"August is an egg."

"We can see that," Usopp sweatdropped.

"Hmmh... there was something I was about to tell you... ah well, then it can't be that important..."

"Food! If you're sick, you should eat lots of meat! Right, Sanji?"

"I'm going to make her some healthy food, but we have to treat her. Eating meat won't cure fevers." Then Sanji looked up from Nami to Usopp and Luffy. "On board, I always take extra care when I make food for the girls. Their food must be nutritious. I gave all the food that was about to go bad to you."

"OI!"

"Hahaha! It's still good!" Luffy laughed.

Gen wasn't listening, or actually, she couldn't focus on the individual words that they were saying. She knew that it was now Sanji speaking, but his words were warped. The others talked too, someone yelled something about monsters... Ah, it's Vivi... why are everyone screaming now?

"NAMI IS GOING TO DIE?"

"NAMI-SWAN! PLEASE DON'T DIE!"

"AAAAAAAAH!"

"QUAAAA!"

"CALM DOWN AND SHUT UP!"

"We have to hurry and find a doctor!" Luffy yelled.

"I know! But stop yelling, it won't be good for Nami."

"We can't wait any longer," Nami said softly.

"Nami-san?"

"Yay! She's cured!" Luffy whooped.

"NO SHE'S NOT!"

"The newspaper is in my desk's drawer. I think you should read it," the girl got up to sit.

Gloria got up and slothed out of the room. Zoro was sitting on the rail in front of the galley, a big weight in his hand. She passed him without a word and went to the side of the ship, throwing up over it and sliding down on the deck, whimpering. She was shivering again, her head buzzed.

"You need a doctor," he stated.

"So does Nami. She's got a fever. Vivi thinks it's because of the weather, but..."

"But...?"

"I know better."

"You do? Can't you treat her?"

"No. I only know what caused it, not how to cure it. I'm not a raindeer."

"You mean doctor?" he continued his one hand reps.

She smiled weakly. "Synonyms."

Zoro blinked and asked uncertainly. "Our future doctor is a raindeer?"

"Yup. But shhh, it's a secret."

Nami came out and walked to the deck. She looked even more sick than Gen, and the white haired girl knew that time was running out for both of them. She didn't know how long would the poison take until it killed her - she saw herself lucky she hadn't already - and Nami had four to five days until she'd be goner. "We are so screwed..."

"Is the ship following the compass?"

"That's not necesseary. I can tell by that cloud over there!"

"CLOUDS MOVE AND CHANGE!" She sighed. "I can't believe this."

"I told you, just leave it to me."

"I came here because I know you'd get us lost in no time."

"Yeah... if we followed 'im, we'd end up to South Blue or something."

Nami looked at the sky, shading her eyes."... The weather is changing again."

"Changing? But the sky is so clear."

"Just call them here."

Zoro inhaled and yelled: "GET YOUR ASSES OUT HERE! We're changing the route to the south!"

Gen would've loved to say something, but that moment she was starting to fade again. August in her bra, she stumbled in the galley. She was dead hungry, so she opened the fridge and marvelled at the fine order and tidyness in it. Lots of meat and veggies and berries..._ 'No more berries!'_ ...and to her delight, a bottle of bourbon. It was a big bottle, so she was contemplating on if she should open it or not, but her miserable feeling was enough to justify her to pour a generous glass. She also picked up a forgotten sandwich, lonely on a plate. The plate she put in the sink.

Now ready, she headed to her room.

* * *

><p>The next update might be in due two, maybe three days.<p>

Gloria: Are you getting something out of my misery? 'Cos I ain't seein' it!

Snoara: No, not really, but it's fun to make you seem weak when in reality- mmph! *gets silenced by the spoilerguardian-goon*


	19. Cuteness overload

Another. I'm going to a concert tomorrow and this chapter ended up having really many pagebrakers TT-TT

Gloria: And this sucks.

Snoara: How come?

Gloria: HELLO! I'm being TORTURED here! And it sucks on general level too.

Snoara: Oi, now...

* * *

><p>Luffy was worried for his nakama. He had never been sick, but he'd had a minor poisoning when he was younger. Nevertheless, neither of those options sounded good. He hoped they'd find a doctor soon, and then he could ask the doctor to join them! Yosh, no more poisonings or sicknesses in his ship!<p>

They had all taken blankets and gone to Nami's room to keep her company, but they'd left Gen to her own room. He had noticed that she wasn't fully comfortable in a crowded space and preferred her privacy. He did go see her, just in case, and sighed. She had a fever too, not just as high as Nami's, and she had a bucket next to her bed. It had been used and he could see blood in the vomit, both purple and red.

* * *

><p>The next day rose clear and chilly. They were awake and alert for any potential islands, Sanji up in the crow's nest and Usopp with Caroo's help was patching up what damage Wapol made on their ship. Vivi was on the deck too, and she explained them how the islands had different climates were based on seasons. That gave the weather 16 different types.<p>

Zoro and Luffy were with Nami in her room, no one had seen Gen the whole morning. Last when Luffy had checked, she was sleeping. The captain had also taken the bucket and instead of settling to just wash it he had dumped the whole stinking thing over board. He'd gotten yelled/beaten up by Sanji for that.

"HEEEY, I SEE AN ISLAND!"

"We're lucky, Nami! Sanji saw an island! You'll be better real soon!" he was fidgeting on the chair like a little kid. After a while Zoro told him it was okay to go look.  
>It was a snowisland, and Luffy knew that Gen would be happy to see it too. He quickly made a visit in her room to wake her up and tell her the good news, but couldn't shake her awake. She just grunted and swatted him away.<p>

"Hmh, okay then, grumpy-pants!" He zoomed to the deck.

"WHOAAA! AND ISLAND! And it's so white! It's a snow island!"

"Hey Luffy, remember that we have two patients on the ship, we don't have time to fool around. Then we have to head off to Alabasta."

"So prettyy~!"

"He didn't listen to me at all..."

* * *

><p>Zoro looked solemnly at Nami. As the first mate, he was concerned for her, but he had no doubt that she'd be in any grave danger. Gloria had said so, but the fact that she hadn't said anything about herself getting better was more worrying. Whatever, they would find a doctor.<p>

He sighed and left the room, stopping behind Gen's door. It was cold on the whole ship, but it was warmer indoors. Zoro opened the door and peeked inside. She looked to be asleep, so he walked silently like a ghost to her side and looked around the room.

It was his first time being here. The infirmary hadn't been used as such since they didn't have anyone to use it, and so the imp had made her nest in it. There were two pictures on the wall, several shirts on the floor and lots of clutter on the tables. _'And she preached me of cleaning our room? Che...'_

"Hey, you still alive?" he nudged her. She didn't react to it, so he did it again.

"Stop _poking_ her!" A bunny whisper-yelled at him. What was it's name again?

"She doesn't look good."

"Neither would you if you were in that condition!" there was a tickmark on his ear.

"Gloria, wake up, hey!"

"Uaaah! What do you think you're doing!"

"...she's not waking up. Shit!"

* * *

><p>Some idiot shot a warning in Sanji's feet, making the already on edge chef glare at the shooter. Vivi made it her responsibility to stop Sanji from hurting anyone, but got shot herself.<p>

"HOW DARE YOU...!" it was Luffy's turn to be angry.

"Get ready!" the vilagers cocked their guns.

"Wait! Don't, Luffy-san! The bullet only graced!" Vivi interrupted him.

"We have two deathly sick people on the ship! We only want their best!" Vivi bowed to the ground.

"Vivi?"

"You're not acting like a captain should right now, Luffy. You can't always fix things with fists! If you get provoked right now, what would happen to Nami and Gen?"

Luffy watched at the droplets of blood that oozed through her jacket and decided.

"...yeah. I'm sorry, it was my fault." He bowed his head to the deck. "We won't come ashore if you don't want us to, but please! Please help our frineds, they're deathly sick."

There was a pregnant silence, until a man in a big green jacket coughed and spoke. "Very well then. I'll lead you to our village. Just follow us."

They rolled up Nami and got Gen out of her room, carrying both of them to Dolton's house through the winter wonderland, Nami on Sanji's back and Gen carried by Dolton himself. Usopp and Luffy were admiring everything around them, soaking in the snow-covered scene. The movement and the sounds combined with the sudden coldness made Gen open blarily her other eye to see what was going on and whinced, as the world was way too bright and white to look at. She tried to roll over to empty her stomach for the second time this morning, but something wasn't right.

"Ah, you are awake. I'm Dolton."

"I have to throw up," she said hoarsely and he kneeled to reposition her. Once she was done Dolton just asked someone to get rid of it. He also thanked the men and assigned the guards to duty, letting others free for now.

"...so it wasn't an army."

"No, only villagers. Come, my house is this way."

"Luffy! A hiking bear!" Usopp whisper yelled to Luffy.

"Again...!"

The two bowed to a big woman who could've been mistaken for a bear in a blizzard. Gen smiled a little.

"Good day Dolton. I heard about the pirates, is everything okay now?"

"Yes, no need to worry."

Then they all were startled by a cackle, and they all turned to look at Gloria. Her hands were up in the air, trying to catch... whatever it was she was seeing.

"Come ta me, ya lil' green things! Ahahaha! With you, I will marry August as my apple, and then they lived 'appily ev'r after!"

"..."

"Hahahaha! Gen's back to normal!"

BONK

"SHE'S NOT!" Vivi hit him, since Nami was otherwise occupied.

An elderly man waved when he passed them. "Oh! Dolton, it's going to be interesting vote this year. Everyone says they'll vote you."

"N-no, I'm not worthy. I'm just a sinner."

They reached his house and the girls were put in bed. It was wide enough for the both of them, leaving Gen on the edge so she wouldn't make a mess if she threw up again. Introductions were made, the cot was warmed up and Dolton checked their conditions.

"42 degrees?"

"Three days and it's still not lowering."

"If it rises any more, she'll die," Dolton muttered.

"Yes, and we don't know what is it's cause," Vivi looked at him.

"What about her?" Dolton looked at Gen.

"She ate fruit, thinking they were blueberries, and got a poisoning," the princess said. "The residents on the island had an old antidote, but I don't think it worked at all."

"Any help could do right now, even from a 'witch'. Where does she live?" Sanji was anxious.

"Did you see those mountains from the window?" Dolton asked. As they turned to look, all they did see was a monstrous face of a snowman, built next to a dinosaur, also made from snow. They high fived each other.

"I'MMA KICK YOUR ASSES!" Sanji yelled.

"Those mountains are called Drum Rockies," Dolton started his explaining a while later after the chef was done pummeling down the snow sculptures and the artists had come inside for some hot cocoa. "There's a castle on the very highest peak that you can see all the way from here. That's a castle without a king."

"A castle?"

"Ahh, warms up good~" Luffy sighed.

"Yeah I see it. What about it?"

"Our only doctor on the whole island, doc. Kureha, lives there. They say she's a witch."

"What! Why is it so far away?" Sanji grit his teeth. "We have to call her here quickly!"

"I'd like to, but it's impossible."

"What? What kind of Doctor is she?"

He told them about her, her age and the fact that she liked pickled plums. He also told them how she'd just come and go, taking whatever she wanted for payment when she took care of the sick. "One rumour says that she rides a sleigh down on thin air from the mountain, and that she moves around with a weird creature. That's why they say she's a witch.

"GYAAAAH! I KNEW IT! A MONSTER! AND A WITCH!" Usopp wailed. "LET'S NOT MEET THEM!"

"Even when she's the only doctor around, we avoid her until it's absolutely must to meet her... and then we'll just have to wait for her to come here."

"No way..." Vivi whispered.

"Ridiculous, just one doctor on whole island!" Sanji growled.

"Hey! Nami, hey! You hear me?" Luffy was slapping her face to wake her.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

"...nh..." she opened her eyes. Her hair was sticking to her damp skin.

"I'll take you to the doctor, okay? But we'll have to climb on a mountain."

This made an uproar from the others, saying it's impossible for him to climb it and possibly lethal too, especially for Nami, who still gave her approval to the plan. She trusted Luffy, how stupid he may had been. What kind of crew didn't follow it's captain?

"...by the way... you're one patient short," Dolton pointed out the fact that Nami was now laying alone on the bed.

* * *

><p>Zoro looked around the ship, satisfied that everything was in order. A little cold, maybe, but that was nothing to him. He went to the galley to get a bottle of sake, and on the way saw a blue hat on the table. He recognized it as Gloria's and looked at it thoughtfully while drinking straight from the bottle. He sat to the table and reached out to pick it up and look closer. Zoro turned it around in his hands, inspecting every part of it and stroking the rim, the feather, the inside of it...<p>

Then he dropped it unceremoniously back to where he took it from and left the galley with a big, shamed blush.

**FLASHBACK**

"...Zoro..." he heard Gen's little voice. He had many times heard it mocking, angry, bored, happy and one rare case he'd even found sadness. The change was shocking.

"Hmmm?"

She waited until he was closer to hear her.

"Kill me."

"What?"

"Kill me, it hurts! It shouldn't be too hard to end me?"

He stared at Gen, looking for the usual joker in her, but only met seriousness.

"No way, you'll get better."

"What... if I don't want to get better?" Zoro had to strain his hearing to catch the last part.

"...that bad?"

"There's a friend of mine... somewhere... who has a sickness so bad she cannot be saved. I'd want to see her off... but I can't... because I'm stuck here."

There was nothing he could say to this, so he changed the subject. "Stop being like that and get some rest. We'll be leaving soon."

**EN D. FLASHBACK**

* * *

><p>"Cold... cold... cold... where the netherworld am I...?" Gloria shivered. She had a thick, gray coat on and she'd left to find a bathroom and gotten lost on her way back (which had nothing to do with the fact that she saw something absolutely cute and unresistable on the way and she just had to try and catch it). Now she was walking across a woodless plain of snow, short on breath for wading through it, and exhausted.<p>

"How the sheet did I get here? *_ha-CHOO!_* Someo~ne, please get me from here~! What's my distress call? Oh, SAAANJIIIII! I'M COLD! COULD YOU WARM ME UP~?"

_UP...! up...! up..._

"...doodles...Well, pawin' on..."

Two minutes later she couldn't get her legs moving anymore and she had to throw up. Gen was sobbing and spitting blood.

"I want to go home," she whimpered and layed on her back in the cold snow, watching blarely as the cold, colorless sky covered everything like a harsh blanket.

"...'Limitless, boundless, our sea-cradle is... to race and play, to rock and sway, in our mother's hem...'" she started singing the lullaby she'd learnt from Chiselle's cousin.

_'Haha... ha... I've learnt a lot from them... the folks...'_ she referred to the people she had left in the 'real world'.

The merciless fact was that this felt really real.

"I promise..." Gen vowed to the empty field "that if I... if I survive through this poo... I'll join, officially... and..." she grinned madly and said before losing the world "...an' I kiss m'self a marimo...!"

* * *

><p>She didn't know how long she was unconsious, but the déjà vu was strong.<p>

Waking up in a strange place without knowledge of how gotten there. _Check_.

The room had a high window with the curtains wide open. They wouldn't had worked anyway, they were too etheral to block sunlight anyway. It burned her eyes, but she kept them forcibly open to roam over the tabels and especially the things that were on them. Books, old candles and their dusty holders, some glassbottles filled with colorful liquids that glimmered in the sun's rays, more books, a forgotten coffeecup and a big smooth rock._ 'No, wait, that's a skull... a human skull! I want one!_' Many objects she couldn't either identify or her brain simply didn't want to imagine what they were for and some more skulls. There was also a cooker on the table with a small pot on it above a low flame.

Gen noticed the things about herself: someone had placed a brown pouch on her forehead that smelled lightly of something sweet and summer-y... on a winter island? and proceeded to freak out when she saw the catheter in her right arm. She had never liked things that either sucked or injected anything from/in her bloodstream.

There was also an improvement, as her killer headache had dulled and she was don't-want-to-get-out-of-the-bed warm. All the same, she pushed the pouch away and sat up, glaring at the white square that kept the needle in it's place. It wasn't that she was scared of them, but she just... disliked needles.

Her eyes were drawn to the big oaken door as it was opened and she came face to face for the first time with doctor Kureha, the witch. She was **old** and _wrinkly_ - at least in the face. She was freakin' _tall_ and she must've been hot stuff in her youth. She also had a 'I own this place and you along with it' aura.

"Ahh, our little snowy guest. Care to tell me why you had an egg in your underwear?"

"...an egg?" she looked confused for a moment before details started to ooze through the haze from the past three days. "Ahh... THAT egg. Where is it?"

"Over there," Kureha nodded towards the cooker.

"You... YOU!" she just screamed and pointed in turns to the pot and the witch. "YOU KILLED AUGUST!"

"Stop shouting, the thing's been deep frozen and propably dead for a while. I didn't find any life in it, so now I'm doing the second best option: boiling it. Hungry?" she walked to the cooker as Gen digested the information in shock.

"It was... my fault, then?"

"Pretty much, you were the one who hiked around half naked."

"I wasn't half naked!" she crossed her hands, seemingly offended. "I was sick and stuff was kinda vague out there but I'm most certain that I wasn't running around in nothing."

"I didn't say that. Here, the egg is ready," she took the egg from the pot with her bare hands and dried it briefly into the white tablecloth. Gen took it, staring at it forlornly.

"My baby..."

"A poisoning," Kureha started with a lecturing tone. "Damage in several muscles, lungs, stomach and kidneys, but you have a surprisingly strong liver to try and filter through laooma poison. Dehydration, lack of iron and, to top it all off, you should weight a little more."

"Mmm..." she looked out of the window to avoid her gaze. "That.. was kinda... my own fault..."

"It's a miracle that you were able to stay alive this long. Normally a person dies within six hours if untreated. Why on earth did you even eat them?"

"I thought they were blueberries! ...that grows in trees, but let's not dwell on that. I got antidote, but my friend said it was old."

"That too. Old medicines are usually more lethal than helping. You, girl, are stupidity incarnate," she sat down and took a gulp from her bottle. _('And damn lucky if you ask me...')_

"Ha, I now someone even more stupid than me!" she stuck her toung out. "And you'll meet him soon."

"Hnhnhn, I doubt it."

"Ya'll see~!" she winked at her and earned a rised eyebrow. Then she looked at August again.

"Eat up, you need it."

"But... it's August..."

"It's a boiled egg, don't try to argue with me. You lose."

"I know that," she sighed and broke the shell on the side of the bed.

"..."

"..."

"Greee."

"You said it was dead!"

"I know what I said."

"Is that... what the netherworld is that? And I was going to eat it!"

"Hmm," the witch rose from the chair and crossed the distance in two long steps. She readjusted her sunglasses and stared at the little newborn creature on the blanket.  
>It was a lizard. It was also tiny, and so <em>cute<em> that she could've just died there and then. It opened it's two bulging eyes to reveal them orange, and it licked it's dark snout. The nostrlis quivered, taking in air and scents for the first time in it's life.

Gen and August looked at each other.

"So... so... small... it could sit on my fingertip!" she breathed in awe. "...I'm a mother!"

"Looks like a tropical animal. Chopper! Get me some vegetables and raw meat!" she ordered over her shoulder and took a book from the table. In a moment, the cute little reindeer brought the food. Gen looked intensly at the new person. This made August look too, but the head was too heavy to the neck so it was leaning it's shin on the blanket. Chopper looked nervous and glanced at her from time to time suspiciously.

"H-here, doctorine."

"Let's see then," the witch picked up a piece of the egg shell and started flipping the pages with experience. Gen waved bits of food in front of August's nose and it was much more interested in the meat than the lettuce. She gave it to him... her...?

"A girl or a boy?" she muttered.

"Can I?" Chopper asked and by her nod he lifted the lizard carefully in his hooves, smiling gently at it. _'Kyaaaa! Cuteness overload!'_

"Hahaha! It's a boy!" he declared. It seemed as he'd forgotten his shyness, as there was a little lizard baby, nibbling on his first meal.

"He's so cuuuute," she could only smile.

"No use!" Kureha said and blammed the book shut. "Girl, you get some more sleep now, Chopper can take care of this thing."

"But-!"

"Shut up! You almost died, now stay still and be a good girl."

"...the last time someone said that to me I almost got killed by an overgrown goldfish on legs."

Doctor Kureha glared at her, making her flinch and crawl back underneath the blankets. The witch nodded in satisfaction and left, leaving her alone with the reindeer. Chopper wrapped up August and promised to take care of him for her.

"Thank you, Chopper. You're so kind," she smiled, as he moved the pouch back on her forehead. He reacted only how Chopper would react, wiggling and spouting insults.

"But, go to sleep now, before doctorine comes back. She can be really scary sometimes."

"Yeah, I know. Hm, I'm Kindheart Gloria."

"A-and I'm Tony Tony Chopper," he said shyly. Gen smiled, then turned to worried.

"Chopper, did a boy with a strawhat come here yet?"

"No, haven't seen. Why would someone come here?"

"Then, could you please go and meet them at the cliff? Otherwise they'll fall..." she looked at August and smiled again. "...I don't want them to fall..."

"Ah, uhm... I... okay. I promise. Sleep tight, Gloria."

* * *

><p><em>*Hurried footsteps*<em>

_BLAM_

"...aaaaAAAAAaaaaa...!"

_BLAM_

"...mmmEEEEAAAAtttt...!"

"...comEBACkhere...!"

"SHUT UP YE SHEETHEADS AND LET ME FUDGIN' SLEEP!" she yelled at the trio who blasted through her room. In truth she had been laying awake on the bed for some time now, following the snowflakes falling behind the window and listening the rampaging within the castle. She had been silently missing August and thinking about going to see Nami wherever she was. She had no desire to meet the doctorine again, though.

"...aaaaAAAAaaaa...!" the reindeer galloped past again with her friends hot on his tail.

"Choppie! Wait! Where's-? Nevermind..."

Gen got up and after being sure that there were no needles attached to her anymore walked to the door where they had first come through and then disappeared in hopes on finding Nami's room. The three bypassed her again, this time with the witch after them. 'I'm going to the right diretcion, at least.'

"Hi Nami. Hi Chopper."

"HYEEEEEE!" the furry cutey screamed, when the door was opened. "Hoh, huh, I really thought for a moment that it was them again...!"

"Gloria?" Nami was dumbfounded.

"Thanks, Choppie. Where's August?"

"Hahaha, Gloria! I've been carrying him with me all this time," the raindeer lifted his hat and revealed a small lizard hanging on a bone. "He's grown really really fast, don't you think?"

"Wow! He's still small, but bigger than last time I saw it. Can I have 'im?"

"Sure."

When she'd gotten her hands on August again, she sat down on a chair and stared at the lizard fondly. In the back, Chopper was asking things about them from Nami, poking her at the same time.

"...so you're pirates?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Really."

"And you have a jolly roger?"

"Back at the ship. Hey, are you interested in pirates? Since you're asking like that..."

"NOT AT ALL! ARE YOU AN IDIOT? IDIOT!" Chopper jerked back into a bookshelf.

"Yes yes, that was exactly it. Hey, why don't you come with us?" Nami gave her most innocent and dazzling smile she could give.

"HUH?"

"To the sea! You're a doctor, you would be a really big help!"

"Yeah, Choppie. You'd never know, I might do something irresponsible again!"

In this part Nami glared at her. '_**THIS WILL BE DISCUSSED LATER.**_'

"Do-DON'T TALK NONSENSE! I'm a reindeer! I can't live with humans!" he yelled. Then he fell silent before asking quietly, curiosity and reservedness in his voice: "Why aren't you afraid of me? I do walk on two feet and talk..."

"Oh? Do you want to be scary?"

"...blue nose and everything..."

"You're a reindeer, half my size and so awfully cute that if someone thought otherwise they'd be automatically sentenced to the Netherworld."

"BASTARD! I'm not cute at all~!" his yelling broke into a dance.

_'Definetly cute.'_

"REINDEER! THERE YOU ARE!" Luffy and Sanji appeared from the hall, both having knives buried in their skulls.

Nami and Gen both sweatdropped. How were they still even alive? Either it's anime or stupidity that gives them immortality on occasions. A knife thucked into the door right next to Luffy's ear, Chopper screamed and ran away. Kureha came back, sat heavily on the chair next to Gen and sighed. "Damn slippery brats... Not very cute, girls. The second I turn my back you try to seduce my reindeer to join you."

"What? Do I need to ask for a permission before flirting with someone?"

"HAHAHAHA! No need! Take him if you want to."

"I WANT TO! Choppie's so cute and hurt inside... it's like when you see a hurt bird and you have this irresistable need to take 'em home and take care of them..." Gen was stroking August's shoulderblades with one finger. It had really grown, now it was three times the size it was when it hatched, and instead of pink it was now ruby red in color. It was also purring, which sounded like rubbing two rusty nails together.

"Impressive," Kureha raised her eyebrows. "That is true. There's a wound in his heart that even a doctor can't heal. You see, when he was born..." she started the story. Gen had never truly listened when people told them stories on their journey, but she wanted to listen to this. She liked animals, and Chopper was cute. She had also sometimes out of boredom compared her own life to his: they were both left by their true parents, both had had problems in finding people to trust (_and Chopper to find people at all_), but she could never reach the same level as him. He was a total outcast, he was feared. Hated, even.

"He didn't know what was wrong nor did he know to whom to be bitter. All he wanted was some company and he got treated like a monster. He wasn't anymore a reindeer, and he wasn't quite a human... that's why he had to live alone." she held a pause. "Do you believe you can heal a wound like that?"

Nami looked at her hands, thinking about it. Then she looked at Gen and smirked. "Do we?"

"Absoluetly," she returned the grin.

"There was one person, who he accepted."

"Doctor Hiruluk."

"His name was-" she looked at her slowly. "...doctor Hiruluk."

"Say, am I good enough to go out and play a little? The snow is calling me and it's been time since I last got to play in it," she looked pleadingly at the witch. The OLD witch, not the young.

"HELL NO YOU ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" Nami glared daggers at her. "Do I have to count all the times when you went wandering and either came back in bruises or had to get saved? At Konomi, the fishman (_"So that's the island's name?"_), at Loguetown, the hat! Then you got seperated from us at the twin capes. At Little Garden you were stupid enough to eat things you_ did not know _and_ now_ you just left wandering WITH A POISONING!" she was counting them up with her fingers and at the end se was pointing at wide-eyed Gen.

"The fishman wasn't my fault!"

"Kjahaha! Sounds like you're a real troublemaker!" Kureha laughed. "And no, you can't go out."

"Pooey," she sulked and puffed her cheeks. They heard clopping sound, and Chopper in his more reindeer-y form bursted in, shouting that Wapol was back.

"'Ey! Close the door, you're letting cold in," Gen said, covering August who let out a noise of uncomfort.

"Really now?" Kureha looked annoyed to the news. She got up briskly and left, Chopper in tow, leaving the two girls alone.

"..."

"..."

"...I'm glad that you're alive, Gen."

"...me too."

"What? You didn't have any compassion for me?"

"Eeh, I knew you'd live. Of course I'm happy that you're okay now," Gen sat next to Nami and hugged her. The navigator returned it.

"What the hell is that?" she asked her, pointing at the fingersized lizard. Now that she looked she saw that he had two black spots above it's eyes that looked like weird eyebrows.

"He's August. He's my baby."

"I told you you coldn't take pets!"

"You heartless being! He's not a mere pet, he's my_ baby_! Yes, who's my little one? Who's so cute I could gobble them up?" she cooed. August made a cute little _'are you serious?'_ -face.

"Isn't he wonderful? Like a big, living jewel."

"Well... I can't say no to that..." Nami inspected the lizard with crossed feelings.

The door opened and Luffy came in, shivering and rubbing his bare arms that had gotten goose pimples. "Jacket, jacket, jacket..." he chanted.

"Luffy!" Glosia greeted him cheerily.

"What's going on outside?" Nami asked.

"It's just cold. I need a jacket."

"Not that. What's happening outside?"

"Oh, just a little fight, don't worry."

"Ahh... okay. You guys can handle it?"

"Yup. You just take a rest," Luffy was rummaging through some random stuff.

"You can take mine," Nami offered.

"Huh? But it's ugly."

"Yours is uglier."

"Really?"

Luffy took her jacket and rushed out again and Nami layed down with a content smile on her face. Gen petted her hair and hummed whatever came to mind, irritated that Luffy had left the door open... again.

"You're not planning on slipping away, are you?" Nami asked calmly.

***BULL'S EYE***

"I knew it."

"I want to go!" Gen whined. "I've been missing on these things and I want to go see! It's much more cooler to see it happen in real life, not just some... vision," she said and added slyly "Besides... aren't you going to look for treasure, too?"

"Ahahahaa..." Nami laughed nervously. "That's different! I'm not going to look for troubles!"

"Hey! I don't do that either!" Gen crossed her arms.

"Then what do you call your misadventures?" the navigator rised her eyebrow.

"Accidents."

"Something like that would be expected," Nami muttered to herself with a tickmark on her head.

"Well, I'm going!" she rushed out the door to the hallway and to the frosted main hall, only to realize how cold it was and go back to the room she had been to retrieve the jacket. August she secured inside her breast poket. When she passed by the room where Nami had been, she found it empty.

"It's just you an' me, Agg."

* * *

><p>Hope ye liked it. This arc has more romance than in the previous chapters~ But I think now the summary is a bit false, it seems that Zoro is the one falling... Next chapter will be posted either on monday or tuesday.<p> 


	20. I want to, but I don't want to

**IT'S 20th CHAPTER!**

Had a great time, got a pretty red corset _(almost chocked on my womanly assets, had a minor asthma attack in the stairs and got verbally violated by some slimebags in the train)_ AND A HAT! I'm so happy~! Though in the beginning after we got through the ticket gate I noticed that I forgot my earplugs and when mom helped me to look for them she said that I may have to leave my umbrella behind (_or the security wouldn't let me pass_). Mom then sighed and told her friend who was with us that "Goddammit, look what she brought with her!". Then my dear brother - I don't know what he was looking for - said "Hey guess what _I _have with me?" and pulled out a big, fat Thunder rocket... Where the hell'd he even get it?

Gloria: Less talking, more writing.

Snoara: You're just peeved 'cos now I have a hat.

Gloria: What does that have to do with anything?

Snoara: I don't know. Bro also bought Assassin's creed and I've been hooked into that. And I got more game time~

Gloria: *glare* WRITE, WOMAN, **WRITE!**

* * *

><p>"HEY! FATASS!" Luffy yelled from high up the tower where Hiruluk's sakura flag was now held up by Nami's jacket's sleeve. "You frauds, who only pretend to be pirates, WOULD NEVER UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF A FLAG!"<p>

_'E-P-I-C~ definetly, to that kind of guy...'_

"Say whaaaaat?" Wapol stared at him.

"He..." Chopper muttered. He had gotten blasted away by Wapol the Fatbutt. It was Choppie's fault, anyway.

Gloria was sitting next to Kureha and Sanji. Doctorine had warned her that if she moved an inch from where she was she'd do something very un-nice and antidoctorish. Gen was also eating cookies that August had sniffed out with his accurate sense of smell. The cookie he munched looked huge compared to the lizard.

"And that's why you're so crappy!" Luffy was holding on to the flag's pole. "This flag is not something that the likes of you can fly just for fun."

"You fool! Why would I, the king of this kingdom, have to play with that stupid flag anyway? I'm the king here, and I do whatever the heck I want! I'll burn down your stupid flag over and over again!" he fired at Luffy and the flag with one of the cannons that were growing out of him... _'That is so screwed up.'_

"Grrh, again with the cannon...!" Sanji grit his teeth.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Chopper shouted.

"You can't burn nor cut it. This pirate flag is a symbol of faith!"

_BOOM_

The others were agitated when they waited for the smoke to dissolve in the wind.

"A direct hit," Kureha commented.

"LUFFY!" Sanji called out.

"Yo, chill out, will ye? Something pathetic like that can't bring him down in a million years," Gen waved her hand nochalantly and picked another cookie. "Isn't that right, Agg?"

"Greeeh!" his breath came in a white puff.

"DIE, YOU IDIOT!" Wapol laughed. Ewww, that guy's so... yeekh!

Luffy came in view. The jacket was blackened, his face hidden in shadow... the flag right where it supposed to be. "See?" he was calm. "It won't fall."

"GO, LUFFY!" Gen just had to cheer. She was giggling now in a fanfit and grinning like a maniac. "Kyaaaa~! He's so cool!"

"Impossible! He's crazy!"

"I have no idea who'se flag this is, but you trust your life upon it! It's not a toy! SOMEONE LIKE YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DESTROY IT AND BRAG ABOUT IT!"

'_Damn... Luffy really is a pirate,_' somehow she just got enlightened to the fact. She could _feel_ his superiority. Seemingly so did the enemy, as they had this slightly panicky reactions to it. Chopper had gotten back to his feet and looked up to Luffy with awe.

"Hey reindeer! I'm going to beat them up right now, how about it?"

"Me?"

_'Hey, I'd react like that too!' *munch munch munch*_

"You idiots! You can die with your stupid flag!" Wapol cocked his gun... cannon... again at the boy. Sanji made a sprint to stop him, but his back made a nasty sound that didn't sound good at ALL, doctorine stopping him short and putting her leg on his back to prevent him from moving any more. Gloria doubted that he'd be able to.

"Sanji-kun, let them play."

"Yes, Gen-chwaan~!"

"Hahaha! You idiots! Just watch, I'll make you all pay!" Wapol laughed his big evil villain laugh. Chopper snapped and launched at him, but the weird afro-clown managed to block it.

"That's the spirit, reindeer!" Luffy cheered from the tower and stabbed the flag on it's rightful place.

"Finally, you're showing what you got," Kureha drank her booze.

"Oh my, I think Sanji-kun has lost his consciousness," Gen said casually. "GO, CHOPPIE! You too Agg, cheer fer 'im!"

"Greeee!"

"Hahaha, sorry, but I won't let you lay a finger on lord Wapol!" the afro-clown said. Chopper shrank to his regular form.

"He's so uncool," Gen commented on Chessmarimo. "I like my marimos green and epic."

"But you are a strange creature. You must be the snow monster that the villagers talked about. No one in this kingdom is like you, what a pathetic little loser you are. You have no single friend! Why do you throw your life away for defending this place?"

This made a little something swift painfully inside her.

"SHUT UP! I'll fight alone if I must as long as doctor's flag flies high!"

"Hey! You're not alone!" Luffy's reply echoed from the cold castle walls as he grabbed the flag and slung himself down. "Here's a nakama for you!"

"UAAAGH!"

Luffy hit the snow, making it cloud up the battleground from their vision. She couldn't see much through it.

"I wonder if the strawhat's okay," Kureha said half in her own thoughts.

"He is," Gen said.

"This happens on regular basis?"

"Yup. And as you see, he's still very much alive. Trust in him, dr. Kureha. He can make miracles happen," she smiled enigmatically at her.

"...how'd you know about doctor Hiruluk?"

She smile grew into smirk. "I know lots o' things."

"I'll battle Fatass," they heard Luffy pick his opponent.

"Annoying strawcap, bouncing around foolishly!" Wapol growled.

"No hesitation," Chopper faced Chessmarimo.

"Get me down with ease? _Hah_! You freak!"

Sanji was awake and struggling weakly under Kureha's boot. "Damn you, hag! Me too...!"

"No. You lay there quietly, otherwise you'll never walk again. The reindeer can take care of himself."

"But-!"

"Sanji-kun, if you can't walk, how will you protect Nami-san, or me?" Gen lifted his chin up so he could see her. 'I love goatees~'

"Yes, Gen-chwan~!" his eye turned into a heart.

"So stay here and be... near... _me~_!" she winked.

"YES GEN-CHWAAAN~!"

"What a tool..." Kureha sweatdropped.

Meanwhile Chopper had started his fight with Chessmarimo. They had a short dialogue before he took out the rumble ball and the abomination found two bows with flamin' arrows. When they didn't work, he whipped out big wooden maces. Choppie was wiping the floor with the guy with all the seven forms! Luffy got distracted and just stared at the reindeer, eyes sparkling like a crate full of glitter... yes, that bad. Gen could've used a whole afternoon telling how much he sparkled including lousy excuses of vampires and Barbie Fairys.

"What's his problem?"

"He must've sprained his brain out of excitement..." Sanji said blankly.

"WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING!" Wapol tried to say, but guess what? Luffy wasn't listening. Chopper had gone into his brawn mode and literally chopped the mace into chips. _Then_ Chessmarimo brought out _axes_. The reindeer only got a scratch, as the rest of the attack hit the castle's wall, leaving two big holes into it. Chopper ended the fight with his Scope, giving a hefty hit in the chin of the lower face.

"You did it, reindeer!" Luffy cheered.

"Oi, you dummy. You let that fatty run away," Gen told them.

"Ran away?"

"Looks like it. He used the hippo to get up here, so he has to be still around," Kureha said.

"Logical, if he didn't turn suicidal suddenly," Gen crossed her arms.

"When? How come I didn't notice?"

"YOU WERE TOO BUSY WATCHING THE REINDEER FIGHT!" Sanji yelled.

"That bastard! I'll find him and kick his ass!" Luffy growled.

"He went into the castle, if someone is interested..." Gen offered her knowledge.

"THE CASTLE?" Sanji screetched. "NAMI-SWAN IS SLEEPING THERE! If that bastard dares to even LOOK at her funnily, I'll gut him like a fish!" He used his hands to crawl away _('He's fast...')_. Kureha sighed and said something about rash punks as Luffy brushed off after him.

"Ahh, nothing beats to be young," Gen chuckled. "Ah! The cookies! Agg, you didn't eat them all, did you?"

"Doctorine..." Chopper was deep in thought. "He called me... his nakama..."

Kureha smiled and looked up to the castle where they all had disappeared.

"'Ey, Choppie," Gen called him.

"Y-yes?"

"He doesn't care what you are. To him, you are 'nakama', and that's enough reason for him to drag you away," she grinned at the reindeer. "Just look at me: he saw me, he saved me, and now I'm stuck with them!"

Kureha's eyes turned to her, amused and surprised. "You're not with them out of free will?"

"Ahaha, yeah, I'm a hostage! I gave him a riddle to solve and said that if he manages it, I'll think about joining the crew... but he's really thick," she sighed. _'But I really don't have any other place to go...'_

"I'd imagine."

There was a random blast in one of the castle's towers and a cloud of smoke came out of it. Then, the top of the said tower came off and Wapol popped out, the jolly roger fluttering and taunting right in front of him. He was followed by Luffy who was climbing up the side of the tower. He stood in front of him and cracked his knuckles.

"A guy who doesn't want to risk their own life doesn't have the right to touch other's pirate flag!** GOMU GOMU NOOO...!**"

"EAH! No, don't! I'll give you a position! And a medal!" Wapol tried to the last.

"GO! GO, LUFFY!"

"The kingdom of Drum..."

"I know, Chopper. It lost to the skull and crossbones," Kureha smiled her wrinkly, slightly evil smile, her round sunglasses on her eyes.

**"BAZOOKA!"**

"NOOOOooooo...!" Wapol was sent flying. Gloria stood up and August hid in the poket when she started whooping and dancing. Luffy's yell drew her attention back, and she noticed that the rest of the motley crew had managed to climb up to the mountain as well. Usopp was hanging on Zoro's leg for his dear life. In the middle of the flight the captain recognized his first mate and the sniper and slammed into them harmlessly...

"HEYAAAAARGH!" Usopp screamed like a girl.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Zoro gave the sharkteeth.

"Ehehe! The jacket looked familiar, so I thought you were the enemy! So, you climbed up too? Didn't you say that you couldn't do it, Usopp?" Luffy's words sent the liar into his own stories.

"_MAAARIIIMOOOO~!_" Gen squeeled and tackled the swordsman. "I was so lonely," she pouted, "and doctorine is a mean old witch."

"Damn, you're alive and annoying as usual," he pushed her off of him as the girl started blabbering everything that happened to her.

"We used a lift to get here. Are Nami and Sanji ok?" Vivi came to them, worried.

"Yep, they're fine!" Luffy grinned.

"I'm glad!" Vivi sighed in relief. Gen could see that there was still something bothering the princess' mind. "Um... Luffy... I'm afraid that we couldn't find Gloria..." she continued to say sadly.

_'...I wonder if I can walk through walls, since I'm invisible...'_

Usopp was still going on an on about the 'dangerous adventure' they had to endure as they 'climbed' the mountain.

"What are you talking about? She's right over there!" Luffy pointed at her.

"What? How is this...? How can you see me?" she mocked surprise. "No mortals should see those who have passed!"

"YOU DIED?" Usopp and Luffy's eyes bugged out.

"Yes! Indeed I did! And now I will haunt you for the rest of your miserable lives~!" she made a ghostly voice making Usopp cling to Luffy.

"Cut that out," Zoro poked her in the side, making her jerk away with a squeeck. "Luffy, what were you doing on the roof?"

"Oh, I sent the king flying."

"So I did see right!" Dolton said. He'd gotten up the stairs from the lift. 'Aww, now I didn't have the chance to ride it!' "It WAS Wapol I saw in the horizon. What about his underlings?"

"The reindeer took care of them. Hey everyone! We have a new member in our crew!"

"Whut?"

"A reindeer?" Dolton asked, and noticed the little figure hiding (and failing in it) behind a tree. "A... blue nose...?"

Gen could see how realization dawned on him, and he bowed down on the snow, thanking him from the bottom of his big heart. The other villagers didn't take it as well as him, and went into slight panic seeing him. Dolton tried to stop them, but then Usopp did it...

**"MONSTEEEEEEERR!"**

"You idiot! He's the new member I was talking about!" Luffy hit Usopp in the head. "Now you scared him away!"

"What? Him?"

Luffy ran after the cuteness.

"AAAAAH!"

"Wait! Come on, stop, monster!"

"Hey now..." the rest of them sweatdropped.

Gloria's hackles rose just in time when Kureha came out and told them to bring the injured inside. Then she proceeded to scare the bejeesus out of Sanji and Nami, kicking a hole to the wall they were hiding behind. "AND IT INCLUDES YOU TWO AS WELL!" Gen liked her life and let herself to be dragged inside.

* * *

><p>Dr. Kureha had taken Sanji to her evil lair- I mean, the operation room, and the chef had been screaming non stop since she begun. The people in the room looked pale and horrified, whispering something and making this weird symbol she could've swore was some kind of 'evil begone' thing. Dolton was laying on a bed that was dragged in the room and she had conquered a big, comfy armchair. She was also cakcling madly, saying that her plans were going accordingly and petting August that was now doubled in size.<p>

"You're really growing fast, aren't you?"

"Greeee."

"I didn't know that there were lizards in winter islands," Vivi said. Zoro, Usopp and Luffy were still outside, pursuing the poor little reindeer.

"August was an egg the first time I saw it, and he was really tiny when he hatched! Such cuteness should be illegal! He came from the last island along with some more laooma-fruit." Then Gen remembered something from the word 'cuteness' and frowned, looking at the villagers. "You lot! What the netherworld were you thinking, when you chased Choppie away? He's way too cute to be shot! You heartless beasts..." she kept on chewing them out and some of the men even tried to apologise.

The howling stopped behind the closed door and the doctor came out, drinking out of her bottle and laughing omniously. The others froze on the spot.

"Kjahaha, I knew he'd make it worse by frolicking around! By the way, Dolton, where's the key to the armory?"

"Why? What do you need that for?"

"To open a door, duh!" Gen piped up.

"Wapol had it. It must've flewn away with him..."

"Really? That's too bad."

Nami knew a deal when she saw one. "Doctorine, could you overlook our crew's payment and let us go a little early?"

"Are you kidding me? I'll take all your treasure and your cargo as payment, and you missy, will have to rest for two more days!"

"What about me?"

"Three days for you."

"OI!"

"She's right, Nami. You should stay until you're completely cured," Vivi argued.

"I'm all right now! I'm not going to die."

"That's not a sturdy reason!"

"Nami, bail us out! I don't want to stay with this harpy anymore!" Gen cried, earning a painful heel in the thigh. August didn't like that one bit and started hissing at her.

_BRZHOOOOOH_

A tiny flame came out of his mouth.

"..."

"So, how much do you want this armory key?" Nami smiled cunningly.

"What the-? How did you...?" Dolton sputtered.

"Is that the real key? Why do YOU have it?"

"Snitched it."

Kureha grit her teeth and pushed close to Nami's face, a bead of sweat trickling down her forehead. She'd already lost this one. "Oh? Making demands to me? Cocky bastard."

"Neehee~"

"Okay, I'll take this for the medical expenses, but as a doctor I can't bend to your second request," the woman put on her black songsleeved leatherjacket and took the key.

"Then I won't give the key! Give it back!"

"Listen, brat. I have some business to do downstairs. My jacket is in the closet. No one's going to stand here and guard you, and the boy who broke his spine is done. The one with the kickass poisoning will need to take some medicines in the next three days, the bottle is there on the table. So, don't even think about escaping!" she pointed at Nami.

"The rest of you, come with me. I need your help."

"O-of course!"

Before though she left she shot her eyes over her shoulder at Gloria. She looked like she wanted to say something, standing there mouth opening a little, but then she seemed to decide against it and walk away. _'Okay...? Little weird but... she is who she is.'_

"...put on the jacket, take Sanji and the medicine and go, reportedly."

"That's how it looks to me too," Vivi looked surprised.

"Let's not wait for the spring to come, let's get the netherworld away from here!" Gloria jumped up and took her jacket, put August in her poket (the breastpoket had become too small for him, but he still fit in the normal ones) and left the room. She ran giggling through the hallway, not waiting for the others and running through the front door of the castle. She saw Chopper standing in her way, and snatched him up onehandedly when she passed him, jogging to a stop.

"So, what were ya peopl talkin' 'bout 'ere?" Gen ignored Chopper's flailing under her arm.

"He joined our crew!" Luffy cheered. "We're going to party tonight!"

"Whooppie doo!" Gloria smiled and set the little guy back on his feet. He informed them happily that he'd go and tell doctorine that he'd be going out to the sea. Her smile though wasn't completely genuine, as her mind had already drifted to another matter. Somehow kissing Zoro sounded so much easier than to hint that ironbar-for-brains Luffy about her willingness to... to... join the pirates officially. Vivi and Nami (_who was dragging Sanji after her_) finally caught up with them.

"Ne, Gen, what about you?" Luffy looked at her. 'Now just show that great big captain in you!'

"Hnnn, you have the answer?"

His face fell.

"Come on! It's really easy!" she growled in frustration.

"Wait, so you actually _want_ to join?" Luffy pointed at her triumphantly. _'And **that's** what you get easily?_' she wanted to hit her face in a brickwall. Or, better yet, _hi_s face! His annoying face that was lit up in some kind of victory as he danced around.

"Now I have, um," he calculated quickly with his fingers "six nakama!"

"I DIDN'T SAY I'D JOIN!"

"Shishishi! But you want to!" he grinned mischiviously as Gen started to turn flashing red. Sanji looked overly happy and started talking about angels.

Gloria turned her back to them, crossed her arms and walked a few steps away from them. Her brow was knitted as she looked far to the dark night with unseeing eyes. _'It'd be selfish if I asked... but he wants me to join. Curse this stubborn spirit! Only if someone could ask the right way, fudge some stupid riddle. This time, though, I'm not that helpless. Maybe..._' her face was hot, and the falling snowflakes melted in contact. August moved in her poket and as she turned to look at it, she saw his two beautiful orange eyes peek to her.

"Are you cold?" she asked softly. "Well, you shouldn't be. Heh, didn't know you were a dragon."

"Greee."

"Exactly, even if I don't really know what you said."

"_**GET TO THE SLEIGH!**_" Chopper's voice rang out, jolting her out of her trancelike state.

...a knife dug in the snow right next to her feet...

"AYE SIR!" she yelled and grabbed the sleigh, swinging her feet in with ease when it rode past her. She was now sitting against Nami's back and in front of Zoro, right at the front. Luffy was holding onto Usopp, not even properly on the sleigh.

That didn't bother her in any way, as she marvelled the feeling of flying, trying the best to ignore the fact that they were god knows how many meters up the ground where a falling would not be stopped by snow. Nonetheless, she raised her hands up like in a rollercoaster, letting the air whip back her hair and breathe in the cold air. She was sleepy and content that they were finally going to continue their journey.

A hand tugged her to sit back and she looked back to see who it was that dared to ruin her perfect moment and slightly froze at seeing Zoro suddenly really, REALLY close to her.

"Stop fooling around, or you'll join your kin, snowbrain."

"Want to repeat that? I'll send you to the next week!"

"Oooh, I'm so scared, the little blonde girl is going to- OW you _bitch!_ You bit me!"

"Hahaha! You propably were poisonous, but what the heck! Now when there's Choppie, I can eat whatever the Netherworld I want to!"

"STOP TALKING ABOUT THAT SO CASUALLY!" Nami yelled. Luffy laughed loudly.

They reached the ground and Chopper pulled the sleigh until he slowed down to a light jog. Luffy was able to get in when they stopped completely to hear a loud cannon go off.

"What's happening?" Usopp asked, looking around.

Then... the sky was lit and they all gasped in awe. Chopper looked at it, shrunk down to his regular form and stared some more.

_'Now that's a goodbye,'_ she thought bitterly. She felt a hand on her upper back that made a soothing circle and right before she had time to take a look who it was the hand was removed. Gen was met by Zoro's dark and unreadable eyes, but the way they looked at her made her blush and look away quickly. _'What the Netherworld...?'_

"Incredible!"

"So beautiful..."

Choppie started bawling.

When they had stared long enough and waited Chopper to stop crying, he'd went back into the harness and pulled them all the way to the place their ship was docked. Gloria, tired from all this adventuring, went straight to her room and barely remembered to let August out of her poket before falling on her bed. Sleep didn't come and she listened to the noises of the others as they walked around, got the ship moving and put up a party as Gen had feared they would. Footsteps alarmed her that someone was coming her way and, without knocking, Luffy opened the door and peeked inside.

"What if I'd been changing clothes?" she glared at him.

"I would've said sorry and close the door and wait until you were ready. Ne, come on up to the deck with the rest of us."

"Do I have to?" the question was tad bit whiny.

"As your captain, I order you to come!" he pointed at her, other hand on his hip and a serious expression... well, at least as serious as he can muster outside a fight.

They were staring at each other, silently battling and waiting the other to crack.

It was Luffy, and his childlike lack of patience made him quickly twitchy.

"I sware if you're going to throw a tantrum..." she growled in warning. Luffy looked down at his feet and let his hand fall, before he walked up to her and tipped his hat from his face.

"Gloria, I know you don't much appreciate parties but don't be a poop! You're always somewhere away and alone, getting lost or in trouble... so come on, let's be a full crew," he said in low tone and offered his hand. Gen just stared at him and swallowed. She could feel it, his gaze on her like hundreds of prickling needles.

"...okay..."

His face cracked into the normal smile as she took his hand and he helped her up, dragging her in dazed state all the way to the aft deck. As she sat down and got her hands on a keg of grog that she looked long before giving it a shy sip. The second Luffy let go of her hand though the boy blended to the party. In the light of the paperlanterns she saw from her place how they all, including the seemingly always grumpy Marimo, were smiling widely, drinking, eating...

A smile crept on her face.

"I don't think I mind after all," she whispered. Luffy laughed and bounced around with chopsticks up his nostrils, still in Nami's ruined jacket.

"What a night! A full moon, and a sakura!" Usopp laughed with watery eyes at Luffy's antics. Chopper was sitting on the rail, looking at the sea behind them even when they couldn't see the island anymore.

"Chopper! Chopper, you little jerk, how long are you going to just keep staring?" Usopp asked. "Get down here and take a drink!"

"Nami, look! Yosaku taught me this!" Luffy showed his 'talent' to his navigator.

"Such a beautiful night. Who would've guessed that there could be a sakura in the middle of the winter?" Sanji commented in his normal, calm demeanor. Zoro poured the chef some more sake and laughed. It was quite the sight, actually, to see them interact without hostilaty. _'Well... they ARE nakama afterall.'_

"True! On a pretty night like this it'd be a sin not to drink!"

"Then call me sinful. I absolutely hate this stuff!" Gen grimaced at the grog and offered it to Marimo.

"Let's switch then. I've got sake."

"What? That's pretty much even worse."

"Take or leave," he shrugged.

"I can bring out the whiskey," Sanji offered.

Usopp raised a bottle and swung it to gain her attention."No need, I've got it right here."

"Whoo! Let's drink the ship dry!"

"LISTEN TO ME, PEOPLE!" Nami yelled over the cacophony and pointed at the shivering mess that was Caroo and Vivi who was trying to warm him up. "Have a little sympathy for him!"

"He is alive, isn't he?" Luffy asked.

"Caroo! What were you doing in the river?" Vivi hugged him, getting a series of quacks for an answer.

"Hahaha, he propably slipped and fell, stupid animal!"

"He says that someone named Zoro disappeared into the river and he went to look for him - but he froze," Chopper translated.

"So it was YOUR fault!" Nami hit him in the head.

"Boo, Marimo!"

"You can understand what Caroo says?" Vivi asked.

"Well, I was an animal first," he fiddled with the rim of his hat and looked down in his feet.

"Wow! Besides doctor, you can communicate with animals!" Nami praised him.

"I-Idiot! Do you think something like that would make me happy?" he danced.

"You sure look happy," Luffy and Usopp sweatdropped.

Gen couldn't help it anymore, she pounced on him and nuzzled her face into his back.

"HYEEEE!"

"By the way, what did you mean by doctor?" Sanji asked.

"Choppie here will kiss your boo-boo if you get hurt," Gen said. Poor reindeer looked like a cat in a little kid's clutches.

"Translates as 'Chopper is a doctor,'" Nami sighed. "Wait a minute, why'd_ you_ think he joined us?"

"Super-reindeer with seven different forms."

"Emergency stock."

He tried to struggle away even more, but then he stilled when he remembered that he forgot all his equipment. Gen let go of him and went to hunt for something to eat.

"What about this? It was in the sleigh," Nami held him a blue bag with a white little x in it.

"My bag! How...?"

"What do you mean how? Didn't you by yourself prepare for the journey?"

From his face they could see that he hadn't done it.

"Ah, so it must've been doctorine. She saw through you all the time," Nami said. Chopper was staring at the bag and thinking something, when Usopp and Luffy started again with their performance... with the fudging chopsticks!

"SHUT UP, BASTARDS!" Nami yelled to the boys, as Luffy told Chopper to try it too. "DON'T!" Nami shouted at him too.

priiiiiii~

"Okay! Attention, ya'all!" Usopp had blown into a whistle. _"To celebrate our new nakama-"_

"That's enough, Caroo!"

"Quaa!"

"More food, shitty-cook."

"What? Did you just say that? You've got guts, but no brain!"

_"For our doctor Tony Tony Chopper I'd like to-"_

"Is there any more of that dinosaur meat?"

"Hey! Who drank all the whis- hic! -key?"

"You know..." Chopper said to Nami.

_"Krhm! I'd like to propose a toast!"_

By now Sanji and Zoro were on a full brawl in the middle of the food and plates. Gloria was drunk, and she was shouting cheers to both the boys and to a guy named Fred, throwing suggestions about taking their shirts off and adding some nice veggie oil into it. Vivi was trying to stop Caroo from drinking until his liver said POP.

"I've never had so much fun before!" Chopper yelled.

"To our new nakama! KAMPAI!"

"KAMPAAAI!"

(_"Gloria _stop drinking already!"

_"But I don' wanna!"_

_"Give that here!"_

_"Go awayy! Namiii, Nami's bein' a jeeeerk!"_

_"..."_

_"Gen! You try this too! Here, chopsticks!"_

_"Whoo!"_

_"Oh hell _no_ you won't!"_)

* * *

><p>It's a chapter, a little on the short side but who cares? *<em>doges a rotten tomato*<em> There's one spot where I was thinking about Bleach and particulary the start of it. I'm not marking it but leaving it to you people to find.

Gloria: You're lazy.

Snoara: I know.


	21. Lady of the Ocean

The chapter is over 6,000 words again. I had a good drive! :D ...but now I don't have anything in stock...  
>It's thundering, I hear rumbling and I saw lightning, too! I hope it rains.<p>

***THERE WAS A STAR **somewhere in the text but I lost it! T-T Someone nice please tell me where it is and I can tell what I ment with it! *cries*

* * *

><p>"Kill m~ee~ee..."<p>

"You shouldn't have drank the whole bottle," Vivi could only say the next morning when they'd all gathered around the table for breakfast. Caroo and Usopp were both in the same condition as she was and Chopper was already doing his first job on the ship.

"Don't worry, this won't take much longer."

Luffy and Nami had both been in the galley earlier but gone outside. Zoro hadn't been seen since yesterday night. Greg and August were sitting on the table, the latter poking Usopp's head that was laying on the table. Someone could've thought he was dead by the first glance. Caroo was in no better state.

"I hate parties... Remind me to kill Luffy later..."

"If you had a better resistance you wouldn't get drunk and then you wouldn't have a hangover," Vivi pointed out.

"Hmm... She does have a strong liver, it filtered through most of the poison and was still functioning somewhat well what I followed doctorine. Maybe it weakened and now you got drunk so fast because of it?" Chopper thought out loud.

"That can't be it. I've been drunk before."

"At Whiskey Peak," Greg cleared and looked briefly at Vivi. She had decency to look ashamed.

"...or maybe it has something to do with your blood-type..." the furry doctor kept on talking to himself. This though tickled her curiosity.

"What about it?"

"Have you noticed something... not normal?" he asked carefully.

"Oh, like turning purple when in touch with air? Yup, old thing. Are you soon done? If this headache won't kill me I have to do it myself," she whined. "And another thing is that my mom is a seaserpent."

"A _seaserpent?_" Chopper yelled, making the three moan and groan in agony.

"You must be kidding!" Sanji was surprised too. "I don't see a tail on you."

"No, it's quite true," Greg said. "The Lady is from the waist down, as you would say, a seaserpent. A ringed flat-tail*, actually."

"That... that means...!" Sanji had a crazed face on now and he kept on muttering something she wasn't sure she wanted to hear...

"My sweet, sweet Gen-chwaaaaan is a mermaid?"

Gen'-chwaaaaan' hissed and punched him in the face for yelling.

"Greee!"

"He says that you even sound like a snake."

"Shut up and do the drug!"

"AAH! S-sorry!"

Gen stared at the tabletop, tracing the lines on it and looking for figures in it. Nothing so far, and Chopper wasn't ready yet. Caroo fell asleep and Sanji finished the dishes, Luffy stopped by to announce his hunger and Sanji kicked him out. Vivi followed him in search of Nami. Sanji had left moment later to do the girls' bidding and the plush toy disappeared somewhere along with him. She also noticed that August had grown again, the sleeping lizard/dragon? laying on his back and twitching every once in the while. The little eyebrowspots had grown into two short stumps and he'd been rubbing them against every surface he came across. What, was he growing horns or something?

Her thoughts broke free and she found herself from the middle of her memories, the nice ones, the less nicer ones and those she had tried to lock away. Chopper apparently noticed her mellowness.

"I'm just about ready, so please don't look so sad."

"Hm? Oh, it's not that..."

"Then what is it?"

She sighed. "My life, in general, has not been one of the best ones."

"Would it make you feel better if you shared? I won't tell others if you don't want to," he offered. Gen thought about it, she hadn't actually told much about herself to the others, except for small glances to Zoro and those who had been present when she'd talked about her treasured pencase and slipped to talk about Chiselle. ...they didn't even know where she was coming from- well, they didn't know that she'd grown up in another realm.

"Gloria?"

"Call me Gen and... I don't know, a lot of things has happened to me."

Chopper took a glass of water and mixed the stuff in his mortar in it, making the water turn a shady color of dark green. He then took a syringe and measured some of the liquid in it, handing it over to her.

She gave it a long look.

"Just take it, it won't taste good but it works on your headache. You should also eat some tangerines and spinache-"

"I hate spinache."

"You need iron," the little doctor pointed out before filling several more syringes. Usopp thanked as he took his dose, chugged it down and grimaced before leaving with Caroo. He too looked like he'd swallowed a toad. Breathing deep she emptied her own.

"Graaah! Fudge! What the netherworld is in this?"

"I'm sorry, if I'd had more time I'd made it into pills, but..." he let the rest of the sentence linger.

"Don't worry, I shouldn't expect medicines to taste like sunshine and happiness."_ 'Or cyanide...'_ "It's okay, thanks. Ye're awesome."

"Don't call me awesome you stupid bastard~!"

"Yeah yeah..."

"Oh, and I need to make you all medical checks so I'll know in the future what to do when you're sick..." he started rambling and planning. He seemed to be excited about starting his career and she couldn't stop smiling. Then she remembered something.

"Um... We do 'ave an infirmary too, but..."

"Oh, Nami told me already, you don't have to give up your room, you were here first."

"...'M not exactly a member, so I feel a lil' selfish..."

"No, no, I can manage!"

In the end she kept her room and August woke up, Chopper saying he was hungry. She had to give him a lump of meat to quiet him down and Luffy sensed that there was food going on, bursting in and staring at her with big puppy eyes.

"No," was her short and cold answer.

"Please? He's getting food!"

"He's a growing child."

"So am I!" Luffy pouted. Well, he looked like a kid...

"You're not."

"Gee, Gen, you're starting to sound like a mother," Usopp snickered when he came in to see what was going on.

"Shut up before I wash your mouth with soap," she glared at him.

"Yes, ma'am."

Few hours later Chopper started his medical checks starting from Luffy as he demanded it and when he was ready with him he interviewed Zoro. The swordsman looked a little peeved when he came from Gen's room - she'd given it to him for privacy - and went grumbling back to training. Usopp was next before food was served.

"Shishishi! He told me I was really strong!" Luffy giggled and grabbed food from Usopp's plate since he was sitting next to him.

"HANDS OFF, LUFFY!"

"That's a must when you're a captain," Nami pointed out.

"Hmm, I wonder if I'm stronger than that marimo bastard... oi, where is he?" Sanji noticed.

"I don't think he wants to come out wherever he is," Chopper said.

"What'd you say to him to make him like that?" Luffy asked.

"Sorry, it's a part of being a doctor that we have to keep things to ourselves."

"The Hippocratic oath," Gen said.

"Exactly," the reindeer seemed mildly surprised. "You know about it?"

_'What? I didn't really expect this world to know it. Well, at least not by that name.'_

"You'll just have to get used to it that she knows everything," Nami said.

"I don't know everything! Just a lot of -thing."

"What's a hippo... hipcro... the hippopotamus oath?"

"It's Hippocratic," Chopper corrected Luffy. "It's an oath that every doctor must know, because it's the base for the moral of a good doctor."

"_LUFFY!_" Sanji noticed that the boy's hand had travelled way too close to Gloria's plate and nailed it three inches from the target with his heel. It startled August and he disappeared under the table.

"Mission: failed," she giggled.

"Shitty gluttonous bastard..." Sanji glared at the boy.

"See it this way: at least he's not a cannibal," Gen smirked. Usopp looked at him warely and his eyes bugged out as Luffy had a crazed look on his face. He screamed as the captain jumped out of his seat and claimed the sniper's plate.

"That could've been you."

"STOP SAYING SHIT LIKE THAT!" Usopp screamed with anime tears streaming down his face.

After the chaotic dinner Gen offered to do the dishes with Vivi as Sanji was with Chopper (_"If I find ONE misplaced item I'll scewer you through your rear and roast you upon the fires of Netherworld and feed you to the okamas" was her threat_). Of course Sanji didn't know that the girls were doing it, he would've never allowed it, but he went topsy-turvey when he returned and shoo-ed them out saying that he'll bring them something extra good.

Nami was next and then she called Gen in.

"Hi Choppie."

"Hi Gen! You're last one?"

"I think so," she sat on her bed. _'This already feels like a doctor's reception'._ She hadn't seen Greg in a while, even when she tried to look for him all over the room.

Chopper had a clipboard and a pen.

"Full name and birthday?"

"Kindheart Erin Gloria, 13.8, I'm seventeen."

"...seventeen. Blood type?"

"Purple.

"...purp- what?"

"Just put purple, I don't know better than that. It _used_ to be AB+."

"Used to?"

"A long story."

"Okay, but it'll be hard if you need a blood transfer," he frowned and scribbled on the paper.

"I know only one besides me with purple-ing blood and that's my mother."

"Ah. The seaserpent?"

"Yup."

He took a bloodtest, probed her to the point where she started to get annoyed, asked her some more questions, noted down her height and weight and told her the same as Kureha about the latter. He also asked some trivial stuff like her favourite color and flower.

"What the Netherworld are those questions?"

"Hm... I'm not sure if I should say..."

"_Tony Tony Chopper_."

"Uah! Okay, the others wanted me to ask you those things!"

"Why? I mean they could ask straight from me, right?"

"I think they're too shy to ask you."

"...so it couldn't be Luffy or Usopp... nor Sanji for that matter..."

"H-hey!" Chopper raised his hooves. "Don't tell them that I told you!"

"I won't, don't worry."

Chopper thanked her and gathered his equipment as she watched him do it. At the door Chopper turned and asked her one last time.

"Oh, and someone asked me to make you a psychological examine too, but I don't know if that's necessary."

"It was Zoro, wasn't it?"

"!**!**!" he jumped and escaped, hooves clicking rapidly as he ran away trying not to drop his stuff.

* * *

><p>(<em>4 days from Drum<em>)  
>"No, really, I don't know anything!" Luffy denied when asked if he'd know something about the fact that all the food had magically disappeared between yesterday evening and this morning.<p>

"Look me in the eyes and tell me, how is it that all the food for ten people is now gone?" Sanji asked him and grabbed his cheeks. "Don't try, you have a terrible poker face."

BRAAAP

"Oh? There's something around your mouth?"

"Crap!_!_ Leftovers?_!_"

"**GUILTY!**" Sanji sent him flying to the other side of the deck with a snappy kick.

As the scene played on and the three accomplices got their tales handed to them, they started talking about Crocodile. Gen was leaning against the rail at the front of the ship, looking down into the waves and gnawing on a big sandwich. She didn't want to go hungry, but August was looking at her pleadingly, one clawed paw on her foot.

"Gree?"

"You're hungry, right? Here, take a piece."

"Greee!" he said happily.

She sat down and took the dragonbaby in her lap. He was now as long as her arm was and she was starting to worry that he'd grow into Little Garden size.

"You have to stop growing, otherwise I can't keep you," she frowned.

"Grueeee."

"I don't know what you said but absolutely." In her pheripheral vision she saw something move and when she turned to look she saw Greg, jogging on his short feet to her.

"Where have you been all this time?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, Lady Herka summoned me so I had to go see what she had to say. She needs to talk with you."

"Oh great, when?"

"Tonight, take the whole night's watch duty so you'll have enough time. She has a lot to discuss with you, M'Lady."

"Hmmm... it should be Usopp's turn but... I guess he'd appreciate it. And..." she squished him with her foot "...don't call me that!"

"Greee! Greee!"

August locked his jaws around the toy and started shaking his head like a dog. The sounds were similiar, too. Greg was screaming S.O.S and she laughed at it, telling August not to destroy him beyond repair. Gen walked to the others after that, right when Vivi was done with her explanation.

"You should've been here and listening," she was chided by the princess.

(_"Psst, Chopper! You're about to see something weird," Usopp whispered._

_"Really? What?"_)

"Nothing that I haven't heard before."

"But-!"

"Crocodile's a hero, shichibukais are gov. dogs 'n' the BW high agents are gatherin' up, am I right?" she placed her hands on her hips. Usopp, Luffy and Chopper were clapping.

"Yosh! Now tell if I get a girlfriend!" Usopp said, earning a bored look and a raised eyebrow.

"All I have to see is your nose and tell you that no."

"Really?" he looked disappointed, so she decided to give him some credit.

"But!"

"But what?" he leaned closer.

"There's a girl who thinks highly of you."

"What? Where?"

"This is exciting!" Chopper giggled. He had stars in his eyes.

"I don't need to tell you," she stuck her toung out.

"WHAAAAAAT?" he wailed.

"You're worse than Laboon!" she had to cover her ears.

"She's a psychic?" Chopper asked, looking around for an answer.

"Sorta!" she smirked. "So there's not much that I don't know."

(_"SO COOL!"_)

Vivi was chewing on her lip, a hesitant look on her pretty face and grey eyes. Gen picked up on it and seriously thought about it. "I don't think I should tell."

"Tell what?" Usopp asked. "About the girl?"

"I was talking to Vivi."

The girl was startled. She propably believed that no one had noticed her.

"Oh."

"You really know the outcome then?"

"I know it too!" Luffy said with determination. "I'll kick Crocodile's ass!"

Gloria didn't let anything on her face to betray her. She just hummed and walked to her room, stepping shamelessly on Zoro on the way. His fault for being in the middle of the deck like that! She heard Sanji's "she's so mysterious!" and Luffy's "so coool!" as she closed the door behind her. In a moment there was a crash, indicating that Marimo and Cheesy were fighting again... Cheesy... that's a great new nickname!

* * *

><p>Sanji had given Chopper the priviledge to use the kitchen table to run tests for Gen's blood. He had been there when doctorine treated her, and they'd first thought that her blood was starting to rot due the poisoning, but further research had proved that it was a natural response to being in contact with certain chemicals in the air.<p>

Through his portable microscope Chopper was so proud of he could see all kinds of things and the wrote them down to a notepad. Sanji, who was ready with the clean up of his kitchen, walked behind him and looked at the notepad.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm studying Gen's blood. She was right, it's AB, but... this is interesting."

"Care to tell me?" Sanji took a seat next to the doctor and Chopper moved from the microscope to let the chef see into it.

"You see all those purple cells?"

"What are they?"

"Blood cells, red blood cells. Well, in this case purple blood cells, their job is to get the oxygen from your lungs further into your limbs and organs and then return the carbon dioxide back to be let out. They also cause blood's red color."

"Breathing," Sanji cleared to himself.

"Mmhm," Chopper nodded.

"What about the bloodcells that don't turn purple?"

"I'm not sure. It looks as if the purple cells and the red cells look the same but... I need to study this more. Doctorine propably knows about this, she locked herself up in her lab for several hours to do something..." Chopper rambled. Sanji gave back the spot in front of the microscope and the reindeer sat down, eye peering into the machine.

* * *

><p>Getting the night watch from Usopp went smoothly and he thanked her once more before turning in. Usopp had been tagged for a double, so she had plenty of time before Sanji's turn was and he'd say that she needed her beauty sleep and usher her back inside.<p>

Greg was with her, standing on the rail at the aft deck and dangling a small eerily glowing stone above the waves.

"What is that?"

"It's a piece of coral that only grows at the bottom of the darkest oceans. Ah, she's here," he said when small bubbles reached the surface and a head popped out, face from nose down still under the water. She looked around suspiciously before rising up.

"Can I board the ship?"

"Sure."

"Thanks," she muttered and pushed herself on the railing and stepped in front of her-

"You have legs!"

Herka stared at her. "Of course I have legs. Where'd you think you came from? Hatched from an egg?"

"Oh that's just-! Ewwww!" she shuddered.

Herka had a heavy, decorated bronze belt with big coins hanging from the bottom of it and a skirt made from the same cloth as the one underneath her bust, just thicker. It disappeared under the belt and it had a big slit on the side where Gen could see her right leg. On the upper thigh she could see indigo blue writing, but she couldn't read the language. Shoes she didn't have, but her toenails were painted turquoise.

"Are you done staring at me?"

"Sorry..."

"Forgiven! Greg, do you have the necklace?"

"Yes, Lady Herka. Here," the bunny stuffed his hand inside a seam in his side and pulled out a necklace. Her necklace, and she was positive that it's most recent whereabouts had been Left Cup, Bra.

"Whoa whoa whoa _when_ did you swim in my underware? Goddamn perv, do I have to lock you off in a box?"

"I-I-I'm sorry, M'L- Gloria-sama!" Greg hid behind Herka's ankle, who picked up the fallen piece of jewelery. She looked at it with a slight frown as she flipped it and pursed her lips.

I dare you.

"Where did you get this?"

"I won it from a fish game. Why?"

"Oh," was all she said. "But it haven't opened?"

"Um, no. It's pretty like that so I didn't want to ruin it."

Herka sighed out clearly in relief. She looked at Gen for a moment, eyes gleaming enigmaticly. "This thing here... It's dangerous, and powerful. In right hands it would cause less damage than in wrong ones. You should be grateful."

"And what is it then?" Gen sat down on a barrel.

"The Locket of the Corrupt Hydra," Herka walked a few steps and looked far to the sea, "was not always corrupt. You should sit down, it's a long story."

"I'm already sitting," she pointed out.

"Oh, then, listen up and listen good, I'm only telling it once. First of all I should give you the fact that I'm not a regular seaserpent-"

"No sheet?" she rolled her eyes.

"Don't interrupt me! ...so, I'm not a regular seaserpent, but I am the Lady Sea, the goddess, the ocean itself. Everything in it is under my mercy and in my grace, all storms and calms and cyclones are made by me (_and the god of wind_), the high tides, the-"

"Alright alright I got it! You're a goddess! ...you're... a goddess... What does that make me? A halfling?"

"Bingo~!"

_'Well isn't she a little bipolar?'_ Gen sweatdropped. Truth be told, she didn't know what to think of this new information. "...too cool. My mom's a goddess!"

"Yup."

"A really bipolar, weird, random and stalky goddess of the sea."

"Oi," there was a slight tickmark on Herka's forehead. "There are me, god of wind, god of thunder, god of flame and that blasted goddess of land..." she grumbled at the last one. "She's a real bitch, but her son is relatively nice."

"A son? Is he like me then?" Gen tilted her head.

"No, we gods can reproduce by ourselfs, so you could say that we're somewhat hermafrodite. A child born purely out of a god or goddess or from two gods is a full god, but I'm the first to have a kid with a mortal."

"I feel special."

"Whatever. This though happened a long time before you were born, Avanirte, the lady of the earth, got greedy and wanted to dry the ocean to rise more land for men to walk-"

"You're starting to sound like the Bible."

"Sorry... it's this holy-thing and it pushes on sometimes."

"Please, continue."

"Okay. So, that bitch of a stone wanted to grow her domain in expense of mine and attacked my minions and troops. We were at war for about hundred years. It was really childish, I have to say now afterwards, but we were constantly at each other's throats. During that Avanirte made devil's fruit, constructed a mass murder wepon Pluton-"

"_WHAT? **THE**_ Pluton? Are you- no, you _are_ talking about-!" she drew breath to calm down. "The blank century and the poneglyphs?"

Herka smiled. "Yes. Do you want to hear the rest of it?"

"I... I don't know... No, don't tell me everything. Just answer the question, what about Poseidon? It sounds like your doings."

"You're right. Poseidon was my answer to Pluton."

"...you didn't really kill people, did you?" she asked carefully, feared to hear it. Herka sighed.

"My target was no lives, but Pluton itself. In the end of the century she tried to strike me down and I defended myself... and we... did something really stupid..." she looked into her feet and had a sulky expression.

"Something stupid?"

"Something _really_ stupid. We were both dragged to The Judge and we were punished."

"Punished? Like how? Does it have to do with your tail?"

"No, the tail is my own decicion. What, is there something wrong with it?"

"No, no, continue, please," Gen held her hands up in defend.

"I can't go on land nor use my powers upon it and same with her in and on the ocean. My domain grew even bigger than it was as a punishment for Avanirte and as an apology to me, she started it afterall. I, in turn, had to fix everything that we broke," Herka pouted. "It took resources, time and energy! No fair! And them some little fucker goes and makes the poneglyphs just so that everyone would know what we did!" she huffed.

"I don't even want to know what you broke."

"Good, I wouldn't tell you," the goddess stuck her toung out. "During that Avanirte used devil's fruit and I used hydras, powerful sea demons. I had only few of them, but after the war The Judge decided that they were too dangerous to be left with the mortals - he was suspicious of the devil' fruit, too - so I had to lock them up and hide in my palace. They were stolen and I got them back, except for this one." She raised the locket and it twirled around lazily.

"That's a sea demon?" Gen pointed at it.

"Yes, a corrupt one at that. It's too complicated to as why I lost it the second time, but it involves a thief, a cult, a sea cow and a dead virgin."

"Not asking. Hm?" Gloria had felt a nudge to her leg and when she looked down she saw August's miserable little reptilian face. "Awwww, couldn't you sleep without mommy?" she lifted him in her lap where he curled up and started making the cute, metallic purr. He was now the size of a big cat, only slightly smaller than Chopper. Herka raised her eyebrow.

"Where'd you get the dragon?"

"So it is a dragon?"

"A volcano dragon, yes, and it's going to be as big as the ship in a year."

"No worries, the Sunny is going to be big enough for him," she cuddled the animal.

"No, it won't. This fella here will keep on growing for five years."

"...that huge?" she sighed in disappointment.

"No, the growth will slow down after the first year. You have four to five months before he's too big to stay on the Merry." Herka looked at her daughter, who looked saddened by the fact that she couldn't keep her pet.

"But I like August."

"I'm sure you do. Hey, why don't you give him to someone you trust? The princess would surely take him?"

"Hmm... I'm sure she would. Ya hear that, Agg? I have to give you up."

"Greee."

"Mm-hm."

"Krhm. The locket..."

"Yeah?"

"Even as a locket, hydras are strong. You should learn how to use it," Herka gave the necklace back to her. "Your natural tendency to the sea - me - helps you with it, so it shouldn't be too hard. Of course, you should experience and see what all things you can do and what you can't. I for example can change my form and liquify, but I'm quite sure that you can't. You can breathe water, but I don't know if you're able to swim fast. I also don't believe that you'd be immortal, but you'll live longer than normal human by couple of hundreds of years..."

"That long?"

"Hey, look at me, I'm immortal. Don't whine about living longer than your friends!" Herka said a little bit harshly. She closed her eyes and seemed to gather her wits before continuing. "You will be able to manipulate water and with lots of training maybe even change the temperature of it."

"Oh, cool. Are you going to teach me?" Gen stood up and stretched her back. August didn't appreciate it and he stalked away to the darkness of the ship.

"No, Gregory will."

"I will?"

"Yes. He's a high ranking demon, he should know a trick or two about it," Herka smirked down to him.

"He's a demon? Not really scary," she snickered._ 'Wait a minute, gods and demons working together...?'_

"I've put him temporarely in this toy, so he could follow you more easily. Sure, even if I'm not allowed to walk on dry land it doesn't mean that the demons are banned too."

"What about me?" she asked.

"I don't really know. You're a person of your own, but my blood and flesh. I wouldn't be surprised if your powers would deplete on ground. Oh yeah, and before I forget and go: the sea makes you stronger, meaning that so will the sea stone. If you touch someone that ate the devil's fruit..." Herka had walked to the rail and placed her leg on it.

"...they'd react as if they'd fallen in water," Gloria ended the sentence. "But... it's not happening always. I've played with Luffy before but the only occasion when he really got weak was when he tried to pull me from the sea."

"Really? I don't know."

"You're a goddess, you should know these things better."

"Mnaa, what comes it comes. Bye sweetie~!"

"That didn't answer to anything!" Gen shouted when Herka jumped, made a flip in the air and grew a tail before vanishing into the waves.

"A goddess of a mother... great, as if I weren't werid enough..." she muttered as she made her way to the kitchen to see what was left in the fridge.

...

"This ship has a fudging _fridge_ but not first sign of electricity?" she realized. "I miss my MpThreeeeee~..."

* * *

><p>(<em>5 days from Drum)<em>  
>August was hungry, and that was a bad thing. Now the little dragon was gnawing on the main mast, making ugly marks on the patches. First Gen was worried that he'd ruin his shiny black teeth, but then she got concerned that he'd eat through the steel and make the mast topple over. She'd had to drag him away and find him something else to chew, and it seemed that he could eat almost everything that came to view. How well his stomach took it she didn't know and didn't want to jest.<p>

"Oi, don't let him come closer to me!" Usopp dejected them.

"Come on, you won't need all those centimeters on your nose, do you?" she joked.

"YES I DO!"

"Oh pooey," she hit air with her fist. "Now I thought I'd get a good taste of Usopp-soup!"

"STOP TALKING LIKE THAT!"

"Usopp-soup has a nice ring to it, though," Zoro mused.

"Yeah... Usopp-soup with boiled Marimo! And mikanjuice..." she started rambling. "...I could have Luffy's whine with Cheesy's lines... would Merry the little lamb taste good with a sauce... or reindeer... I've tasted it! It's_ sooo goood_...!"

Usopp inched away from her and Zoro sweatdropped. "We need food before she starts looking at us funnily."

"Usopp! Let's fish!" Luffy announced. He had a fishing pole and a small cup of foodscrapes as bait. They sat down and got to it, but Luffy ate the bait when Usopp wasn't watching. Because of this Caroo was now hanging from their fishlines above the ocean. Gen had fetched her drawing gear and was now sitting at the table next to Nami, but she could still hear how Vivi, who had left a moment ago to see how they were doing, was beating up the idiots.

"What are you drawing?" Chopper ceased from his book for a moment. She pushed the sketchbook his way.

"Head, back, legs, tail and wings," she pointed at the demonic horse's parts. "It needs one more skull in there..."

"Tha-that's scary," Chopper stuttered.

"Good. Isn't he beautiful, too?" she smiled gently towards the picture. It was ready to trample everyone on it's path without second thoughts, reared up and madness gleaming in it's eyes.

"I don't know, it's foaming from the mouth. It looks evil, why do you think it's beautiful?" he asked.

Gen sighed. "Darkness is cold bliss, evil is blind beauty, rotten around it's hollow core."

"Whoah, that was cool just now!" the reindeer's eyes sparkled. She gave a small joyless smile and went back to coloring it.

"Of course evil tries to be attractive, to gain trust."

"Ah, I see!"

"Nami! There's something up front!" Vivi rushed inside. As Nami and Chopper went out, she grabbed the hem of Sanji's black suit jacket. _'Just to be sure.'_

"Don't let the swan peck you, prince. It would be disasterious."

"A swan...? Okay, I promise that no shitty birds will peck me, Gen-chwaaan~!"

"Go on."

"Hai~!" he danced away.

She was left alone. Truly alone, no hungry dragons eating her leg or demons in disguise trying to protect her 'honor' as he had said once.

She giggled.

"I'm honorable! And damn yeah 'M gonna be that way fer a loooon' time onwards! 'Three lil' birds, sat on my window, and they told me I don' need to worry~'" she started singing, but silently enough so that it wouldn't reach out.

"WE CAUGHT AN OKAMAAAA!" she heard clearly Luffy and Usopp's shrill scream of surprise and shock, and Gen couldn't help but giggle. Suddenly she didn't want to stay inside and miss this scene, even when Bon Clay the Creepy Faggot was there, she wanted to see if he really was so creepy as told. She got out to the deck in time to see Usopp and Zoro playing rock-paper-scissors about who would have to go after him. Zoro lost, and he jumped in, soon coming up with an okama. He dropped the agent down on the deck like he was a bag of potatoes.

"Thank you, you're really fab. people. I was saved by pirates that I don't even know, I'll never forget your kindness. Can I have a warm cup of hot chocolate?" he was sitting politely on his knees.

"DON'T HAVE ANY!"

"We're hungry too!"

Answer to the previous question: YES he was just as creepy as told. He must've had good quality makeup, because it hadn't smeared despite the short sink in the sea.

_'Hmmm...'_

"Ooooh! What a cute cute girl you are! Right my type! I'd like to gobble you up right now!" he saw Vivi and gave her the kissy lips. She shivered, even if the gesture wasn't ment for her.

The princess' eyebrow twitched. "Ewww..."

_'My word exactly.'_

"So you can't swim?" Luffy asked.

"No, I ate the devil's fruit."

"Really, which one?" Usopp asked.

"Well, we aren't on the back of a bunnyqueen here so... I guess I have some time too put up a show for you all! This is my power!" he drew his hand back and slammed his palm into Luffy's face. He was blown back and into the wall with a dustcloud (_what's the deal with all these clouds? Drama?_). They all tensed up. Right before Zoro had time to draw his swords what seemed to be Luffy's voice said: "Waaait, waaait, waaait! I told this was a show!"

"What the fuck?"

"Aaaaabsolutely faaaaabulous!"

"What? It's me!" Luffy had picked himself up.

As the others gaped at his ability and he demonstarted more turning into Usopp, Zoro, Chopper and Nami and explaining how it actually worked, she went to the side of the ship and washed her hands in the seawater. She also wetted her sleeves with it, before returning. They were dancing and shouting 'faaaabulous!' when she interrupted them.

"Excuse me, mister, but may I try something?"

"Oh? Another cute little girl! Sure!"

Gen smirked. She placed her hands palmsides up. "Gimme yer 'ands."

"Okay!"

When he placed his hands on her's, the first thought that came was _'eeeeeewwwww I'm touching it!_' Then she gripped them firmly and looked at him, waiting something to happen... but nothing did.

"What's all about this?"

"Ah, neverm-"

Then his knees gave away and he turned into an okama-pudding. The others looked at her weirdly, but she was grinning from ear to ear.

"Luffy~! Take my hand!"

"Okay!" he slapped his hand on her's... and fell like Bon Clay. She laughed evilly and looked at Chopper next.

"Stop fooling around!" Nami had had enough.

"My what a unique power you have, just fabulous!" the queer struggled to his hairy feet.

"There's a ship coming this way! Is it yours?" Nami noticed the big floating gay parade...

"Oh me oh my, already time to part? Too bad."

"Awwwwww!" there was a pouty whine from the idiot trio.

"Don't be sad, loves! But never forget me, and never forget this: true friendship isn't measured in the length of time!" he posed a teary goodbye. As the idiot trio yelled their bye-byes, he ordered the ships on the move. The crew's answer, "Yes sir mr. 2 Bon Clay!"

"...and she didn't recognize him at all..."

"MR. 2!" Usopp was shocked.

"That was Mr. 2 Bon Clay!" Vivi yelled.

"Vivi, you didn't recognize his face?" Luffy asked.

"No... I've never met him, or Mr. 1 with his pair. I didn't know about his powers either... But I did... hear that he was a big okama, talked like one and wore a coat with 'okama way' written on the back..." she quivered.

"You should've recognized, oi," Zoro, Usopp and Luffy said. Gen facepalmed.

"...in his memory, he had my father's face! To what has he used it?"

"If you can impersonate the king, you can do a lot of bad things," Zoro said.

"We let a dangerous man go," Usopp crossed his arms.

"He was the enemy?" Chopper frowned. Now Gloria felt relatively bad for not telling them in advance, but this was how it was supposed to go.

"Really a nasty opponent, since he can pretend to be one of us once he realizes that we're their enemy. We can't trust each other anymore," Nami said glumly.

"Really?"

"Listen, Luffy-"

Zoro put his hand on his captain's shoulder. "Wait a minute, this guy doesn't much think about stuff, but he's partially right. Let's think it this way: we were lucky to meet him, now we can make countermeasures."

Gen went back to the galley and took a black, thick marker with her. It was waterproof, too, she snickered. She stepped out and was stopped by eight pairs of eyes.

"YOU KNEW AND DIDN'T TELL?" Nami screamed. Gen turned on her heels and slammed the galley door behind her.

* * *

><p>There ye go, fellas. Long and juicy (that sounds so wrong...)<p> 


	22. Coinbelts and perverts

I was yesterday at my grandmother's house, and the whole yard is one big garden! She's got lots of edible stuff growing on there and she's drowning into zucchini... She also has this small flowerbed in the shadowy side of the house with rhodos and moon lilies and stuff, and when I was stalking around before we left I saw this one little bush with blue berries... They didn't look like blueberries, but they tasted good!

Gloria: YOU'RE JUST AS BAD AS I AM!

Snoara: Gran said they were some other breed from blueberries that grow in the woods, so no poisonings. Then when we were coming home there's a place where we have to cross the train tracks. The bars were half down and the bells were ringing, and mom was scared that if we drove through them the train would suddenly come over us.

Gloria: But you're still alive. ...right?

Snoara: Of course I am! I said that it was stupid to think like that, since they are malfunctioning all the time (Gloria: Isn't that a bad thing?) and she reminded me that the train would crash into my side of the car. The way I said 'I'm going to die first' was maybe a little too happy...

Gloria: ON WITH THE STORY!

* * *

><p>Gen locked up in her room to play with August (<em>Greg was talking something about demon monarchy<em>) because Nami was furious. She didn't want to cross paths with her. She had forgotten her sketchbook to the galley but trusted that they'd be safe there. The dragon had eaten one of her shirts while she was gone.

"Agg, stop. You're making holes into my blanket- no! I didn't mean that you could eat the chair! That's it, you're going out! Out out out _out_!" she took the closest piece of clothing - a striped sock - and slapped him with it. He gave a whiny 'greee' and tried to resist.

"Oh no, you are going out," she opened the door and whipped him again. The sock was soft, no animals were harmed in the process, and he let out one last pouty noise before slipping to the boys' room...

"Don't eat too much stuff, otherwise 'M goin' to be toast," she reminded him but doubted that he heard her. Maybe he will eat all the clutter away and make the room tidyer that way?

...he's going to get a stomachache.

The ship suddenly lurched. First she didn't remember the seacat, but then when the 'ahaa!' came she calmed down from the alert and went up to the deck.

"A SEA CAT!" Vivi yelled.

"_MONSTEEEEEEER_!" Chopper and Usopp wailed. They really looked hilarious. Luffy and Zoro in the other hand...

"_FOOD!_"

"Direction... check. I hope we get there soon..." Nami muttered.

"**FOOOOD!**" Luffy's eyes dialated.

"Hey! It's retreating!"

"Reverse! Reverse!"

"Ships can't do that!"

"RUN, KITTY,_ RUN_!"

"Don't let it get away!" Sanji yelled.

"**STOP!**" Vivi yelled and clubbed the three monsters in the back of their heads. Where did she get the mallet, anyway?  
>"What's wrong, Vivi-chan?"<br>"Vivi you ass!"

"You can't eat it!" Vivi said strictly. "Sea cats are sacred in Alabasta."

"Yeah, you can't eat holy animals," Gen crossed her arms. She also hoped that Nami had forgotten about her. "They're holy for a reason. Vivs, why are sea cats sacred?"

"Well..." she sweatdropped. Luffy was gnawing on the railing, and Usopp went to tell Chopper how he 'bravely fought off ten giant sea kings with his both hands tied behind his back'.

"My food... ran away..."

"Don't worry, soon you'll get to eat," Vivi comforted Luffy.

"Really? What cat is it this time?" his eyes gleamed.

"Vivi! The wind and weather are sabilizing!" Nami climbed the steps to the aft deck.

"Yes, we have entered the Alabasta climate zone. The sea cat was further proof of it."

"I guess those guys behind us are agreeing..." Zoro smirked.

They saw ships as they all turned around to see what was going on. She counted at least fifteen ships.

"So many ships! When did they-?"

"Hey, they're all Baroque works ships!"

"They're all gathering together... servants of the officer agents, they must be the billions!" Vivi gasped.

"That must be about 200 bad guys."

"These will be different from the Whiskey Peak," Vivi said.

"All right! Let's shoot them!" Usopp suggested.

"Faster if we go over there and kick their asses! Oh, but food first!" Luffy said. His stomach gurgled.

"Don't bother," Zoro said. "Let's not get sidetracked, there are only eight of us."

Later when they started making marks on their arms Nami was reminded of Gen. She got hit in the head, and she pouted as she was tying the cloth onehandedly on her left arm and failing on it.

"Tie them tight. We have an unknown enemy after us."

"I see. As long as we have these, we don't have to doubt each other."

"Does he really look like us that much?" Sanji tightened his bandage with his teeth.

"He doesn't 'look' like us, he 'is' us. You really should've seen it!" Usopp told him.

"I don't like okamas."

"Sanji..." Gen looked at him and gave a sad little smile. "I truly, truly feel bad for you..."

"Hm? What for?"

"Nevermind. You'll see. Zoroo, I can't tie this!" she whined and stuck her arm at his face. He sighed and undid the loose mess from her.

"When there's a guy like him in the opposite ranks, we can't afford any rash solo actions. What the hell did you do this thing?"

"I don't know."

"What should I do?" Chopper asked.

"Do what you can, nothing else. If you can't beat the enemy, run away! Just do your best!" Usopp cheered.

"You're just telling that to yourself," Sanji said while finishing Caroo's bandage.

"We're coming to the harbour. Let's hide the ship in that inlet to the west," Nami said and pointed to the bay.

"What the-? Did you melt this into a loop or something?" Zoro said frustratedly.

"I didn't! I can't just do a knot with one hand."

"It's doing it's job alright... it's not opening."

"Then cut it off and put another. We do still have bandage, Chopper?"

"Hey, I found the end. If I pull from here..."

"Ow ow ow, you just made it tighter!"

"Uh, sorry."

Few minutes later she had a banded hand and a ball of useless cloth in her feet. Luffy stepped up and put his hand in front of him. "Okay! Whatever happens from now on, this mark is the mark of a nakama!" he announced. They all made a circle. "And now... let's land! TO A RESTOURANT! And Alabasta."

"WHY IS IT AN AFTERTHOUGHT?"

"Luffy, our enemies are assassins!"

"Oh yeah."

"Take caution when choosing your actions! Understand?" Zoro sharpened.

"Yeah, understand!" the boy nodded, but she could've bet her money on that he was thinking about food.

"You too, snowbrain."

"Don't insult her!"

"So little faith in me? I'm shocked."

"Don't give me that face! I know you get into trouble the second I lose sight of you!"

"Excuse me for being a troublemagnet mr. I-get-lost-on-a-straight-line!"

"WHAT? That's not true!"

"No, it's not a truth, IT'S A FACT!"

Usopp snickered and when Chopper asked he whispered something to him, making the reindeer giggle.

Gen made a tactical move and ditched her side of the fight to Sanji before going to her room to get ready. She linked Greg to the side of the trusty black bag that still had the scent of Little Garden and laooma fruit (_she found them under her bed and threw overboard_) and stuffed there her leftover money from Loguetown, a clean T-shirt and a dagger. The locket she put around her neck and hid under her shirt. She left the vest open for now and slapped the hat on her head before walking out, August on her heels.

Luffy was nowhere in sight so she assumed he had gone to look for food.

"What should we do? Nanohana is a really big city," Vivi worried.

"Don't get your panties in a twist Vivs. If we won't find him, he'll find us," Gen smiled.

"Yeah, he's where all the noise is," Sanji lit a new cigarette.

"You got that right!" Usopp and Caroo laughed.

"That's not the problem. He should be aware of that he has a big bounty on his head, especially in a place like this!" Nami sighed.

"He'll manage," Zoro took said. "Let's get to eat, we can worry later."

Vivi noticed Mr. 3's ship floating between the rocks. Usopp scowled to that.

Gen just had to say: "When past is past, everyone can be friends."

"What do you mea- WHERE THE _HELL_ DO YOU THINK YOU'RE _GOING_?" Nami was about to ask when she saw Gen climbing on the railing.

"To the town. I wanna look 'round b'fore Luffy get's us in trouble." The rest of them followed her example.

"Don't tell me that Luffy's going to ask that dude to join us?" Usopp asked her.

"What? No! I'm pretty sure you won't meet him ever again..." Gen grew silent. She felt like a big cold stone had dropped to the pit of her stomach.

_Ace._

"Greg..."

"Yes, Gloria-sama?" the bag ripped to life.

"What about him?"

"Who?"

"That... _that guy_."

"What guy?" Zoro was suddenly behind her and she squeecked in surprise.

"Huh? Oh _him_," Greg understood finally, to Zoro's great annoyance. "What about him?"

"What... am I going to do?" she asked in a broken tone. The others hadn't said a thing, but she was sure they were listening.

"Absolutely nothing."

"_WHAT?_! I can't let that happen!"

"Gloria-sama, you can't do anything about it. It has to happen," Greg sounded sorry. "But you could talk with her about it later?"

"Okay..." she muttered. _'Nothing? Netherworld if I let it happen!'_

August nudged her leg, sensing his master's stress. Although it could've been a reminder that if he didn't get food he'd start scorching down villages and kidnapping princesses. She had to giggle to the mental picture, as she had seen him laying in Vivi's lap and purring like no tomorrow.

"Yeah, a big kidnapper. Let's get you food!" and so the two raced to the town, Nami and Zoro yelling after her and the latter cursing quite colorfully.

* * *

><p>Number one on her to-buy list after the food was clothes. She had stopped on a stand to get two plates of some weird stew that was surprisingly good. As she then walked the streets in search of a clothes shop, she enjoyed the general feel of the place. There was a small band playing arabic music at one corner and she couldn't hold it back to try dancing a little while she walked. She didn't want to admit it, but music was her weak spot.<p>

The group had three singers, one older lady with generous body and long, dark brown hair. It was hidden under a golden scarf, though. She had a deep, adult voice. The two others were younger than she was, and by the looks of it they were twins. Whereas the older woman had dark, tan skin these two were light and they had red hair. They also had dance girl outfits under their untied robes.

The song ended and they started a new one. The girls stepped up to dance, and to her surprise and delight, she recognized the song. In favor of not embarassing herself if she lost control of her hips she scurried away and found the store rather quickly.  
>Aside from normal clothes that she got, she couldn't pass up the chance to try the coinbelts. There were many colors of them, both in silver and gold, and she was looking one when the clerk came to her.<p>

"How may I help you, miss?"

_'Talk about old 'n' pervy...'_ she sweatdropped. He looked her body up and down openly.

"_Hey hey hey! My eyes are here!_ I was thinking of getting one of these," she held up the belt.

"A coinbelt? A dancer, maybe?"

"No, I just want one. Can you recommend?"

"_Weeeeeell..._" he clapped his hands together and strode to another rack of clothes. "If you're planning to get a belt, why not the whole outfit? I'm sure it would look good on you!" he smiled way too widely.

"Hmm..." she thought. "Actually, why not!"

The clerk with scary accuracy found a few outfits her size to try on, and soon she came out of the cubicule in a sky blue top and skirt. She loved it, but as she walked to the mirror she wasn't sure... something was off.

"It lookes so wonderful, miss!" his eyes turned into hearts. _'Why do I have the feeling that Sanji was here?'_ she sighed inwardly.

"Yeah, I know... but..."

"But?" he gasped dramatically.

"I... no, it's not this," she shook her booty to make the belt jingle. She tried on the next one, and the next, both as stunning as the first, but she still didn't feel comfortable in it for some reason. The clerk was more than happy to see her try them on...

"I'm sorry, but I can't use these," she gave up. The guy's pervy face turned suddenly into more normal face. He put his hand on his chin and hummed in thought.

"You have white hair, such beautiful hair, so it goes well with practically every color. Say, which one was the best out of those three?"

She thought about the differences with the three - blue, green and yellow - and decided that the last one was the closest. He raised the belts up to her surprise, and jingled them one after another.

"You hear that?"

"Aaah... what exactly?"

"The green one has a little higher and lighter sound to it, and the yellow is a little heavier, see?"

JINGLE~JINGLE~JINGLE~

JINGLE-JINGLE-JINGLE-

"Oh wow... yeah, I can 'ear it now that you said!"

"Hm hm hm, what a sharp ear! Let's see then... something from the lower end of the scale..." he put down the belts and disappeared into the clothes where she could hear distant jingling. "No, no, not this either... aha!"

The belt he had found was black with gold coins.

"Try it up! I'm sorry, but I don't have the outfit for it, since this didn't come with one."

"Don't worry, I can take a red one and it goes well with this..." she started planning and soon she left the shop with the outfit on and a big mound of other clothes in tow.  
>She was satisfied, the clothes she picked up looked a little mismatched but good. The skirt was full lenght, floaty and red, thinlined golden flowers running down the left side. It would otherwise had a belt attatched to it, but the clerk had skillfully taken it off so the black coinbelt could be wrapped around her hips. The top was red and it had tiny gold and black beads sewn into a pattern and in the middle of it was a tassel of red beads in strings. She also had a red veil that came with it, and she'd wrapped it around her shoulders. The necklace was still around her neck.<p>

No wonder she got catcalls...

She also bought a flask of water and dried fruit and as a guilty pleasure a bag of brown sugar candies. They had honey in them, and they tasted a bit smoky. _'Really can't get treats like this from back earth!'_

_Jingle, jingle, jingle_, with every step. She had also gotten brown sandals, no one could walk in closed shoes all the time! Every one of those steps took her closer to the outskirts of the town where the others were hiding in ruins. She walked to the open, drew her hands up in the air and shimmied.

"So, what do ya say?"

"IT'S LOVELY!" Sanji wiggled.

"Wow Nami, Vivs, you look good in those!" She noticed their outfits. They were a lot better than in the book.

"Thanks! So do you, by the way, but why did you pick red? Wouldn't blue be better?" Nami scrutinized her clothes.

"The blue did look good, but it all comes from this belt here. It was the only one that I liked," she jingled it. "Hear that?"

"What do you mean 'hear'? It's just jingling!"

Gen sighed. "I don't comment on your navigating, do I?"

"Actually you do."

"I do?"

"MELLORINE! That outfit is dashing!" Sanji bellowed.

"Yeah yeah yeah. So, Marimo, what d'ya think?" she posed and jingled.

Zoro hadn't bothered to look at her before, but he almost choked on his sake when he now did. Usopp laughed his butt off.

"Ooh? Marimo can't take a little bare skin?" Sanji teased him.

"Shut up, you're one to talk!"

"You're BLUSHING!" Nami pointed at the swordsman, and it was true. He grumbled something and turned his back to everyone.

"All right, we have everything we need to cross over a desert, Vivi," Nami started. "What next?"

"Firts, I want to take care of the rebels. We don't know when they might start moving. For that, we need to go to an oasis called Yuba, that's their base. To get to there-"

"_Hide!_" Zoro pulled her suddenly down.

"What? What is it?"

"It's marines. Why are they here? ...A big racket, pirates, maybe?" he muttered.

"No, it's Luffy," Gen hung her head. So much for a subtle approach. Right then, he ran past them and the others could see him too.

"IT'S YOU!" they whisper-yelled and ducked.

"Oh, hi Zoro!"

"_IDIOOOOT_!"

Luffy had unintentionally ratted them out and Smoker plowed through his men to go after Luffy.

"You're not getting away that easily!" he launched an attack that could've reached him if not for the sudden blaze that stopped the smoke. She squeeled in her mind and grinned like mad.

"You're smoke, I'm fire. With us, this fight would never be over."

"Who is he?" Usopp asked. Luffy just stood like an idiot. Gen decided to take the reins and grab his arm.

"Ace?" the boy said his name, not believing his eyes.

"Hiya, Luffy. Long time no see."

"He's buying us time, let's slip!" Gen yelled.

"She's right! Go! I'll catch up!" Ace grinned. '_Woah, I'm nothing like a hardcore Ace-fan but... Whoah!'_

"Alright, LET'S GO!" Luffy bolted. The others were in slight confusion but could still follow his example and leave. When they finally reached the ship Luffy stayed standing and peering at the town if he'd see him appear from it. Vivi sent Caroo to take the note to the palace.

"Come on Luffy!"

"Oh, yeah.."

_'He's in deep thought...'_ "Luffy," she whispered so that no one could hear her.

"Hey, who was that guy?" Nami asked.

"That guy... Snowbrain, was he the guy you- OW!" Zoro was silenced by a sandaled heel to his shin. "What the hell are you-?"

"_Shh_!" she hissed sharply and gave a warning look. "Shush."

"Oh, that was Ace, my big brother."

"YOUR BROTHER?"

"Yup, my brother."

"A handsome devil, I must say."

"Shut up!"

"Well, it's not odd that you have a brother, but why's he here in the Grand Line?" Zoro asked.

"He's a pirate, looking for the One Piece like me. He's three years older that me, he left from the island three years before me," Luffy sounded proud of him.

"And both of you eaten the devil's fruit... What are the odds?"

"I know, I was surprised too!" Luffy laughed. Usopp had noticed the same as she did, the little boat that slid next to them, with Ace in it. She gave a little wave with the tips of her fingers. He nodded and smiled up to her. _'Uwaaaah~!'_

"He didn't had one back then, and even then I couldn't beat him, not once! He's really strong!"

"Not once?" Nami awed.

"Big brother of a monster must be a big monster," Usopp said.

"Yeah, I always got my ass kicked! Dahahahaha! But now I could beat him!"

"That's a groundless statement," Vivi and Zoro sweatdropped.

"Just who do you think you can beat?" Ace had jumped off his boat and kicked Luffy from the rail.

"**AAAAAAAAAAACE!**" He yelled happily._ 'Awww, is it just me or was he really cute just now?'_

"Yo. Thanks for taking care of him for me, he must be a hassle," he bowed politely.

"No kidding," they bowed back.

"Why are you here, Ace?" Luffy asked. If Gen squeezed her eyes she could see a tail wagging.

"Huh? You didn't get my message in Drum?"

"He didn't," she said.

"Drum?"

"Ah, that's okay. Anyways, I'm glad I saw you. I'm here for a silly little task."_ 'SILLY LITTLE TASK MY BUTT!'_ "I figured I'd try to meet up with you. Hey... wanna join Whitebeard? With your friends of course," Ace smiled like a chesire cat. A silly little task... that get's you killed...

"Hell no."

"Hahaha! Just asking!"

"Whitebeard? So the mark on your back is real?" Usopp asked nerveously.

"Yes, it's my pride and joy. He's the greatest pirate I've ever known. I want to make him the Pirate King!"

"That's okay! I'll just fight him!"

Gen decided that she'd need to talk with Ace, at least warn him of what was going on.

"Hey, why don't you come inside, I'll make tea," Sanji offered.

"Oh no, don't worry about me. This'll only take a minute."

"I can't see the marines, by the way."

"Yeah, I gave them something else to think about with my power. Here," he tossed a folded piece of paper to Luffy. "Keep this with you and don't lose it, you'll find me with it later on."

"It's just a piece of paper," Luffy pointed out.

"You don't want it?"

"Of course I want it!"

Ace put his hand on his hat. "When brother is dumb like him, it makes an older brother worry. Haha, I'm sure he gives you a lot of trouble tpp. Take care of him for me..."

"Whaat? You're leaving already?"

He almost jumped off, when Gen stepped up and called him. She winced at the slight hint of desperation in her voice. "Uhm, Ace?"

"Yeah?" he turned to look at her.

She went up close to whisper and felt the heat radiating from him. Her hands were shaking. "_It is not Luffy's life you should worry for, but your own. Heed my warning, Portgas D. Ace, the paper burns_." Gen pulled back and didn't dare to look at him as she walked past Luffy, Chopper and Zoro, eyes strictly in the floor.

"Well that was weird," Luffy commented.

"When isn't she?" Zoro asked, shrugging.

* * *

><p>The Merry was sailing in front of Alabasta's coastline in search of the Sandora river's mouth, but Gloria was in her room. She was past crying and now she was laying face in her pillow, angry at herself for crying over something that hadn't even happened yet! She threw the pillow towards the door right when it opened and caught the person off guard.<p>

"Sorry Luffy. Didn' notice ya."

"It's okay, didn't hurt at all. We're going to cross a desert, so Vivi said that we should put good clothes on for it," he said.

"Yeah, I'll be up in a zippy," she rubbed her face to get some life in it and got up. She had bought a sand colored cloak and pulled it out of her bag.

Luffy was still standing there, Gen noted and frowned. "What?"

"Gen needs a hug?" he opened up his arms to welcome her.

"...yeah... oh wait, I'd just propably sap you," she sighed.

"Maybe," he still didn't lower his hands. She looked at him for a moment, rolled his eyes and sighed, before accepting the gesture.

"Can't waste a free hug, now can I?" she muttered in his ear, and he grinned widely before she noticed that he was starting to tremble from the strain. She let go. "Sorry..."

"Stop saying that, get your attitude and lets go lets go lets go!"

"Yes yes. Hold this," she gave Greg the Bag to him while she was put the cloak on. She could hear Luffy giggling mischiviously even through the fabric and raised an eyebrow at him. "What now?"

"Shishishi, nothing!"

"I guarantee that you'll have to eat your future meals through a straw if you're thinking about something dirty and not to mention ban you from ever again entering my room," she gave him a blank look.

"I'm not Sanji."

"No, but you're a boy."

"What does that have to do with anything?" he asked in an offended tone.

Gloria was feeling a lot better as the two returned to the deck where the others were waiting for them. On the way she explained him the basic nature of male thinking and said that boys were always about muscles and showing off. Luffy denied this fiercly, defending his honor as a man and trying to list off things where he was better than she was. The crew could hear their bickering before the door was opened.

"I'm not _that_ stupid!_ Of course_ I know where the babies come from!" Luffy was saying. Zoro looked their way but opted not to get involved into this and for some reason Sanji burst out laughing.

"Cook-boy, shut up!" she was now fairly pissed off and stalked off from the main deck and kicked Zoro when she passed him.

"What the hell, snowbrain?"

"You were on my way," she said as if it was an obvious reason to kick people. "And it was a great stress reliever! Maybe I'll use you another time too!"

"A-_HA_!" Luffy pointed at her as if he'd caught her somehow. "Now YOU'RE being a pervert!"

Sanji kicked the captain's rubbery face in.

They dropped anchor in fifteen minutes and Luffy ran ahed to look around. Gen helped Nami and Sanji getting the supplies from the ship to the shore. Sanji asked to carry her bag for her, but she declined.

"Finally! Yuba!" Luffy said. "It's so... empty. Hey, where's that Crocodile?"

"No Luffy, this is not Yuba yet," Vivi told him. "It's half a day to the north-west."

"Half a day?" Usopp's jaw dropped.

"You could always stay here and get eaten by something?" Gen suggested. She was keeping eye on herself, to notice if she was going to walk into a big sign saying 'Do not trespass, demi-seagod', but nothing so far. Although, she already hated the desert. Her shoes were full of sand!

Vivi was showing them their location on map. "We crossed the Sandora river and landed here, Elumalu, the Green town.

"Green town? I don't see any green here!"

"What about Marimo?" Gen snickered to humor herself. He was outside of hearing range.

"He doesn't count, he came with us. Besides, this is too dry enviroment to that particular breed of Marimo, it needs lots of alcoholic beverages to survive!" Sanji joined in.

"No, it's not green anymore-" Vivi was saying, but then Usopp shouted in surprise.

"Whoa! A turtle? A seal? What the hell is that thing?"

"A kung fu dugong!"

"Kung fu?"

"No, Usopp! Get away from it! They're strong..."

Usopp got beaten in less than a second.

"You lost," Zoro sweatdropped.

"We have a winner over here..." Nami said, pointing at Luffy and an unconcious dugong.

"THAT'S BAD TOO! It's a law of their's that the loser will become the student of the winner," Vivi sighed. The dugong got back on it's tail and bowed before the mighty Luffy.

"Oh, they're martial artists, then," Zoro kept on commenting. Gen felt someone tug her robe and saw one of those dugongs looking up at her.

"Umm... yeah?" she raised her eyebrow. The dugong said something in his own... dugong language. "Sorry, didn't get that."

"No, the stance goes like this!" Luffy was amongst the rows of dugongs that had suddenly appeared out of somewhere.

"HOW'D YOU GET SO MANY?"

"Guoh, guoh!"

"Err, Choppie! I need your help here!" Gen was saying, as the dugong was now bowing in her feet.

"He is only showing his loyalty to the Sea," Greg whispered. The reindeer jogged to her.

"So, um, dugong, could you please repeat what you said?" she asked, feeling suddenly very stupid.

"Guoo! Guoooo!"

"'My Lady, it's such an honor to meet you in flesh!' he says."

"Oh, that's nice, but I think you're confusing me to someone else."

"'But surely, you are the daughter of Her Holiness?' he says. Uhm, what does he mean?"

"You focus on translating, Choppie. Yes, I am. What about it? Do I owe you or something?" she was having a weird conversation...

"'No, no! The other way around! Her Holiness was the one who saved us from the awful land demons and their wepons of steel by teaching us kung fu!' he said," Chopper said after the dugong 'guoo'ed again and bowed deep.

"Chopper..."

"Yes?"

"Don't say a word about this to the others, okay?"

"I won't. I didn't really get it, anyways."

"Good."

Chopper went to Vivi and Luffy, since they seemed to have some kind of struggle with the herd of dugongs gathered around the boy. The dugong next to her was still staring at her. It was pretty big, bigger than it's friends and when it was standing on it's tail it reached her chin.

"You some kind of leader to the others?" she asked, and the thing puffed up his chest. "I take that as a yes. You know, I think they're following him now," she pointed at Luffy.

"Guoo."

"I don't speak dugong."

The kung fu dugongs would've wanted to follow Luffy to the desert, but Nami was the voice of reason and didn't let him do it. Chopper had to bribe them with food so they'd stay, and the big dugong promised them to keep the ship in safe for them.

"And then to Yuba!" Luffy grinned.

"We almost lost all our food becouse of you!" Sanji fumed. Gen had to hit him in the back of his head.

"Somehow I feel like whenever Luffy's involved we will lose food even if he didn't eat it."

"Be glad that Chopper could talk them out of it!"

"They wanted to come with us, so I had to give them food..." the reindeer muttered. He wasn't happy about it either.

"We could take them with us," Luffy said.

"We can't walk around with a mob like that, you imbecile!" Nami seethed and Gen sighed and adjusted her hat. The feather had seen better days, and it had been mangled by a hungry dragon now happily rolling in the sand.

"He says he loves the heat," Chopper said.

"I could see that without you telling," she smiled.

"He's growing really fast," he commented.

"Yeah... I can see that too... He'll be too big to stay with us in half a year, so I may have to give him away."

"That's a pity. I like him," Chopper walked on.

"You have weird dugongs here, living in the river," Sanji said to Vivi and Gen focused on listening to them.

"No, the ocean. You see, ever since the ancient times the Sandora river has been sustaining this country. Lately, the river lost it's force and is now being pushed back by the sea, downstream."

"Then the water the dugongs live in is..."

"Salt water. Can't drink it, can't water fields with it."

"Greg, ya know somethin' 'bout it?" Gen whispered.

"Unfortunately yes. It's only one of the places the sea and the land still struggles in secret from The Judge," Greg answered.

"Isn't all water in Herka's command?"

"No. She is the Sea, the fresh water has it's own spirits. Every creek, pond, puddle and lake as long as it's fresh water is it's own. They rarely show themselves to the gods and even more rarely to the mortals."

"Have you met one?" she asked, curious.

"No, but the lore says that they're beautiful!" he sighed dreamily.

"So... on whose side are they?"

"Both Lady Land and Lady Sea. They need to be seperate from the salty waters but they are still water."

"I see."

"Oi, snowbrain! Stop muttering there!" Zoro called. The others were talking about the dance powder.

"It's also called 'rainmaker'," Nami said with a serious face.

"It's mean stuff," Greg huffed grimly. "Like raping a child." Gloria made a disgusted face.

"Rainmaker?"

"It was created in some rainless country long ago. When burnt, the smoke raises to the clouds and accelerates the natural rain process. Basically, it's powder that makes artificial rain," Nami explained.

"Ahaa! So it's mystery powder!"

"Blah blah it rains. Period," Zoro said, earning a punch from Gloria.

"Huh? That's perfect for a place like this, right?" Usopp asked.

"First, yes. The people who created it danced out of joy, that's where the name... but it had a serious side effect."

"The neighbouring lands downwind dried up! Do you understand?" Nami continued. "The powder makes the clouds give out the rain before their time."

"Of course! The rain won't make it to where it's supposed to go!" Usopp said.

"Yes... it started a big war. Lots of people lost their lives, and ever since the governement outlawed the use, possession and making of the dance powder worldwide," Vivi told the story. When she told them how her father had been set up by Crocodile, Luffy, Sanji and Usopp went out to burn off their anger. A house that was already on it's verge of collapsing now crumpled down.

"Let's go, I'm fed up with this guy," Luffy ordered.

* * *

><p>I don't know... this chapter was a little boring by my standards. Try to live with it! Until next time-<p>

Gloria:** THE STAR!**

Snoara: Oh yeah! Thanks for finding it for myself people, though I had to facepalm myself when I noticed it was so in the beginning and I still couldn't find it -_-' SO, the star was just to say that a ringed flat-tail was just something I ripped off of my mind, not an actual breed of seasnakes. So nothing too big and world changing there...


	23. Like a flower without water

Lazyness. That's my excuse for posting this a little later, and since my mom has these two last weeks of summer vacation free she's home and keeping eye on everyone... so...

Gloria: Excuses, excuses.

* * *

><p>Sand... sand... sand... dunes... sand... sand... little more sand...<p>

'_Whoever came up with the idea of putting a SUN in the sky must be the biggest butthole of all that exists!'_ Gen fumed inside her head. If she'd had energy to whine out loud, she would've done it. Luffy was panting loudly and Chopper was half dead, getting pulled on a small sledge by Zoro. The desert was taking it's toll on everyone except for August that looked happier than ever running up and down the hills ahead of them. Vivi was doing good, too.

"Luffy! Stop that already! You're just wasting energy..." Nami said, fanning herself with her hand. Gen felt like she could collapse on every step she took.

"Huaaaah... I'm frying... Can't even sweat..."

"I'm better with cold than heat..." Chopper gasped.

"It's 'cos you're so fuzzy. Why don't you take that fur off?" Usopp suggested.

"Yeah, maybe I- YOU MOCKING ME, PUNK?"

"GYAAA! A MONSTER!"

"Don't get huge like that, Chopper, or I won't pull you!" Zoro growled.

"Chopper, it would've been better to shave you before we left," Gen put her two cents in.

"You don't seem to mind the heat, Vivi-chan," Sanji noticed.

"I did grow up in here."

"Damn hills... it feels like climbing a mountain!"

"This is an ancient desert, the highest dunes are over 300 meters tall."

Usopp's face scrunched up. "3...300 m? No wonder it seemed like a mountain..."

"Waateeer..." Luffy moaned, fiddling with the barrel he was carrying.

"Just to fill your mouth, Luffy," Nami reminded him.

"Right."

SHLUUURRP...

"THAT'S TOO MUCH!" Nami yelled and hit the back of his head with Usopp, making him spit it out. Gen frowned at the waste.

"Give it here! That was at least 18 swallows!"

"No! It's my turn now!" Sanji roared and joined the starting bickering.

"What the hell was that? You made me spit it out!"

"What was that?"

"Stop fighting! You're just wasting energy!" Vivi yelled.

"Oh sheet..." Gen muttered, as her vision started swimming and she fell on her knees. She had to put her hands in front to prevent her face making friends with the sand, but they were shaking badly from tiredness. Greg slipped down her shoulder and thudded to the ground.

"Gloria-sama! Are you okay?"

"Hey wait, Gen's not keeping up," Usopp noticed.

"Come on, get on your feet," Zoro grabbed her hand and lifted her easily back up just to stumble in her robe and fall flat on him.

"You can't do anything right, you brute!" Sanji helped her up... well, tried. Mr. Prince solved it by lifting her in his arms.

"Uuunnnggh... what's wrong with me?" she groaned.

"The desert is drinking your energy," Greg said.

"It's drinking on all of us," Nami rolled her eyes.

"No, the desert is _literally_ drinking her energy away. Compare it to Luffy or Chopper falling into water," Greg clarified.

"...is there something you're not telling us?" the navigator put her hands on her hips.

Gen hid her face into Sanji's chest (_and making him sprout hearts_), not wanting to talk about it. She wriggled free and forced herself to stay upright.

"L-Let's go, we are in a hurry, no?"

"Hey Sanji! Let's eat!" Luffy suddenly piped up.

"We have only walked about one fourth of the journey," Vivi said.

_'Wait, it didn't go like this... I'm messing things up again. And Now that I think about it, wasn't Luffy supposed to eat the food the very first day after Drum...?'_

"Don't you know the proverb 'eat when thou art hungry'?"

"You just made that up," Usopp said.

"Fine, we'll take a rest when we reach the next rock, but you have to drink right now," Vivi pointed at Gen. She nodded after the message sunk in and went through her bag to get her flask.

"Yosh! To the next rock! Whoever wins in janken will carry everything!" Luffy cheered.

"Don't decide things on your own!" Usopp shouted.

"Isn't it supposed to be the one who loses that has to do it?" Sanji asked out loud.

"I'm not giving my bag to him," Gen growled possesively. Then her demeanour changed and she spaced out, face relaxing but mouth in a creepy smirk. "Oooh, I wonder..."

"OKAY, HERE GOES! JAN! KEN! PON!"

"Now wait a minute!"

"You did it after you saw our hands!"

After some bickering they dumped everything on Luffy, except for Gloria. Her bag had too many good points to get lost on a desert and she couldn't go on if she couldn't drink. Even now her feet were wobbly and unstable.

And there was this little voice, who claimed his name was Tim...

The silence they walked in was constantly disturbed by moaning and whining.

"H-heavy! It's heavy, and hot!" Luffy was panting and dragging their stuff. "I don't get it, I won!"

"It's_ because_ you won. Shut up and pull," Sanji said.

"Don't drop anything!" Nami sang.

"Huaaaanngh..."

Gen followed the lump in the sand with her eyes. August had dugged himself completely in it and was now swimming in it at her left. She giggled, when he stuck his head up and looked around like a mongoose. Vivi and Nami 'aww'ed at him too.

"Hey! I see rocks up ahead!" Usopp finally said.

"REALLY?" Luffy got fired up. "Break time!"

"Damn, he's fast!" Usopp's eyes widened.

"What's that Tim? A shovel? For what?" Gen was muttering to herself. "Yes, yes! A shovel would be perfect to dig a hole in the ground!"

"Oh? He's coming back," Usopp saw the dustcloud that was Luffy running at them.

"THIS IS AWFUL! CHOPPER! THERE'S A FLOCK OF DYING BIRDS!"

"O-okay! I'm coming!" Chopper got up and started to jog after him. Vivi went through several expressions, from confusion to slow realization and then dread.

"Birds? WAIT! LUFFY! THOSE BIRDS ARE-!"

Even though Gen had hallucinations of some sort she knew that this was bad. As they hurried towards the rocks to see the situation she seeked out August and called him beside her like a dog with a sharp whistle.

The sled was laying alone with few white feathers mocking them.

"Our stuff is gone!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Oh no... we were tricked..." Vivi groaned.

"I swear! There were birds here!"

"Those were 'warusagi'," the princess started telling them miserably. "They fool travelers and steal their luggage. I should've told you earlier."

"THEY WERE PLAYING DEAD!" Usopp's eyes bugged out. Sanji didn't take the news well.

"That was three days worth of supplies! How could you let a bunch of shitty birds steal it all? How are we going to manage in the desert with no water nor food?"

"I can't help it! I got tricked!" Luffy was yelling just as loud as the chef was.

"Even a bird is smarter than you!"

"WHAT?"

"CUT IT OUT!" Zoro's voice rang over theirs. "The heat is getting on everyone's nerves. Let's rest for ten minutes and chill out. We're going to get to Yuba by night, right?"

"Yes..."

"If there's an oasis, we'll survive. Be patient!" he sat on a stone. Just forget about this, thinking makes my throat dry..."

Gen got her flask out and gave it to Zoro before calling August to her. She'd seen the herons at the end of the rocky area.

"Listen well, Agg. I know that you can be both sneaky and swift, so I need you to go to there as fast as you can, undetected, and take as many of those fudging birds out. Do you understand?"

"Gree!" he nodded and disappeared.

Then Luffy noticed the birds.

"AAAAARGH! There they are!"

"Luffy no _DON'T!_" Gen shouted, but he still dashed for them. Before the herons got far the sand in their feet exploded in a flurry of red scales, teeth and claws and it took down the leading bird. The rest of the birds went into panic and August had time to clamp his teeth in the next bird's neck, killing it immediately. Luffy chased the birds that were left, disappearing to the desert. Either he didn't hear Nami and Usopp's calls or didn't want to.

"DON'T FOLLOW THEM, LUFFY! YOU'LL GET LOST!"

"Eeh, he'll come back with double the trouble," Gen shrugged and went to see what August caught. Sanji was there first, detaching the dead avian from the blue backbag. The other bird only had the waterbarrel around his neck, but it was still a good investment.

August in the meantime was laying on a stone, a leg sticking out of his mouth.

"Eww, that's gross!" Usopp grimaced.

"Yeah, but that was a smart move," Sanji praised the dragon who 'gree'd to him. "Uhh... You can keep those."

"Unlike someone else," Nami sighed, looking at the spot where Luffy disappeared.

Oh, he's coming back! And he's screaming! ...doodles.

"Something's chasing him!" Nami noticed the big dustcloud trailing the boy.

"I can see a camel," she said while squinting her eyes.

"Here's your flask." Zoro tossed the item and she caught it mid air.

"A giant Sandora lizard!" Vivi gasped at the sight. Gen could see it too: a HUGE lilac reptile with way too big teeth, coming at them with high speed. August was looking at it curiously, but then his eyes narrowed and he let a low warning hiss.

"He is telling that no other dragons are allowed near his herd," Chopper said. He was hiding behind her but keeping his hooves off of her.

"_His_ herd?" she sweatdropped. "And that's not a dragon, Vivi just said it was a Sandora lizard."

"Gree?"

"Sorry."

"I suppose we should save that camel too..." Sanji pondered, giving a testing tap to the ground with his shoe.

"What star was I born under that gives me all this damn trouble?" Zoro was grumbling while unsheathing his katana. Luffy growled, turned around and the monster trio kicked the lizard's tail.

The others were left mouths gaping as it fell dead.

"W-was that really necessary now?" Usopp stuttered.

"...I feel sorry for the lizard..." Nami sweatdropped.

"WOHOO! GO, MONSTER TRIO!" Gen cheered.

Moments later the lizard was cut into chunks of meat and fried on the rocks heated in the sun. She had almost sat on one of the stones but thanks to Vivi her backside was still smooth instead of crispy.

August disappeared inside the lizard that they couldn't eat and she tried not to think about it, when the dragon returned eyes gleaming and... _something_ in his mouth. Nami had a 'genious' idea that since the thing was so big maybe it had eaten lots of wealthy people in it's life and sent the eager dragon back inside the corpse to loot whatever it could find.

"You're going to hell when you die," Usopp sweatdropped.

"And I'll be rich!" her eyes turned into money symbols.

"Nami-swaaan is so wonderful when she gets an idea!" Sanji swooned.

Gen rolled her eyes at this and looked at the camel.

"And what's his story?" Zoro asked, nodding towards the animal.

"Dunno... I chased the birds but they flew away, and then I saw the lizard chasing him. I just started running too," Luffy told, munching on the meat.

"It's not a wild animal, the saddle and all..."

"Cool! We can ride it!" Usopp said.

"Yeah, I bet it could carry two," Nami thought.

"No desert without a camel!"

"I am NOT riding that thing," Gen narrowed her eyes at it.

"Well then, I'll go fir- OW!" Usopp tried to climb on it, but the camel bit his head.

Chopper started translating it's speech and, just like she predicted, the camel was a major pervert.

"'I won't let any guys ride' he says."

The camel got mugged by Sanji, Luffy and Usopp, but then Nami cooed him. "I'm sorry my bandits are such brutes. What a good boy, what should I call him?"

Four hands rose instantly.

"Idiot."

"Moron."

"Dumbass."

"Dick."

"I know! You can be Eyelash!" Nami ignored the others and climbed on the saddle.

"That's the weirdest of them all," Zoro sweatdropped.

"Gen!" Nami rode next to her and she took a step back. "I understand why those nitwits don't like him, but why you?"

"I don't like that face," she pointed at Eyelash.

A suspicios gleam in droopy eyes, a thin string of saliva dripping from a big mouth, unruly and shaggy fur?

_I'd rather die._

"Suit yourself. Vivi! Get on!"

"Uh, I can walk myself..."

Luffy and Sanji muttered more names same caliber as earlier and Eyelash stuck his slobbery toung at them. Vivi did get on the goddamn camel and Nami flicked the reins, making it run away.

"Let's go, Eyelash!"

"WAIT A MINUTE!"

"Hurry up! If you get lost, you'll die~!"

**"SCREW YOU!**"

"I still love you, Nami-swaan!"

"Sanji, hit yourself."

"Hai, Gen-chwan! Ow!"

"A TSUNAMIIIIIH!" Luffy suddenly yelled and started fighting against an unseen enemy.

"Huh? Luffy! What's wrong with you?"

"I guess he should've not eaten that thing," Usopp realized something.

"What thing?" Sanji asked.

"I did say no to him, but he wanted to have a piece of cactus with his meat..." Usopp pointed at Luffy, who now was yelling for help. He was 'drowning'.

"A cactus? Like this one?" Chopper asked the sniper.

"Yeah, one of those round ones."

"AAAH! It was a mescal cactus! It causes hallucination!" Chopper's face turned blue from dread.

"I'M GONNA KICK ALL YOUR ASSES! GOMU GOMU NOOO...!"

"Tranquilizer!" Chopper sedatet him and Luffy fell asleep.

"Nice, Chopper!" Sanji gave him thumbs up.

"Hmm, I wonder how it tastes like..."

"DON'T EVEN CONSIDER IT!"

"Hey! The camel is already that far! Hurry up, we have to follow it!" Zoro got their attention and grabbed Luffy's ankle. "HANDS _OFF_ THE CACTUS!"

"A'ight, a'ight, party pooper," she sulked but managed to dig up two of the cacti with their roots attached and slipped them in her bag despite the thorns and went after the boys.

Soon their pace slowed down to hurried walking, Luffy still positively out of it. Chopper was in his walk point, next to her and panting, Usopp was holding the rear. August wasn't jumping and dancing but yawning every once in the while and walking passively at the front.

Tim had suggested that if they couldn't find a shovel, they could always burn the bodies instead of burying.

"Damn, it's so hot..." Sanji wiped his brow. "At least we have some water and food in here."

"I'm thirsty!" Usopp whined. He dragged himself over to Sanji.

"Don't drink all of it!"

"I wasn't going to!"

"Good! Because Gen-chwaan needs to stay well!" the cook wiggled.

"Tim says you're first."

"Huh?"

"Gen, you didn't eat the damn cactus, did you?" Zoro was more than annoyed.

"What are you talking about? Of course I have a plan B!"

"...I... don't think it was the cactus," Chopper sweatdropped. "She'd have a more aggressive reaction. Gen, when was the last time you drank?"

Gloria was laughing and staring at something far away.

"Too long ago. Gen! Hey, I know you have flask," Zoro tried to encourage her to drink.

"I believe the heat has gone to Gloria-sama's head," Greg sighed.

"Who needs a shirt when you could have a chainsaw?"

"...get her."

They had to force her to drink and Sanji offered to carry her with bad results: Greg flared up and tried to strangle him, accusing him of filthy thoughts. After that they walked on with Zoro carrying her piggy-back style and Sanji dragging Luffy. The bag that August had saved was now Usopp's bother. The said dragon was hitchiking a ride from Luffy, taking advantage of his state and relaxing on him.

They came upon a rock formation and Zoro allowed them a breather, Sanji looking through their scarce supplies. Once Gen was awake - at least her eyes were open and she stood without help - a flask was again shoved her way and she sipped from it, grumbling and having a onesided discussion about hide-and-seek... or hiding a body.

Nevertheless, their break was cut short by a huge blue-dotted, yellow toad that tried to eat Usopp and so they moved on.

"The wind's picking up," Chopper said after some time. True, the agonisingly clear weather had turned into gusts of wind that picked up sand. They also faced another problem.

"It's wiping away the tracks!"

"We'll have to hurry! Stay close to each other and don't get lost!" Zoro said, tugging his scarf to conceal his face from the flying sand. Gen didn't have anything to wrap in, but the cloak was big and loose, and it had a high collar she'd rolled down before. Usopp had fainted (_or was just pretending_) and now that Gen could walk on her own Zoro was carrying him.

She didn't know how long they walked before they reached Nami, Vivi and the goddamn camel, but August lost his ride as Luffy woke up and got punished for his stupidity.

"Ooooi!" Vivi was waving her hands from Eyelash's back, and Sanji went nutters from seeing his 'wonderful blooming flowers of the desert'.

Soon the setting sun switched places with the incomplete moon. The wind was still there and the temperature had plummeted.

"It's night-time..."

"How'd the temperature drop like this?"

"It can go below zero at night," Vivi informed them.

"A-choo! Below zero?"

"I don't mind," Chopper muttered, relieved about the change.

"Me neither!" Gen said. 'Uwaa... 'M so tired...'

They climbed yet another dune, but then there was something in the distance. Vivi pointed at it. "There! Can you see the light?"

"Is it Yuba?" Sanji asked.

"Can't see from all this sand," Luffy shielded his eyes from the cloud.

"Oi... This isn't right..."

"Hey! What's that rumbling?

"There's something wrong with the town!"

Vivi was right. It was a sandstorm - made by Crocodile. This fact of course was not known to the others but Gen. Going closer was impossible, even now she could hear the howl of the wind and feel it tugging on her clothes. She could see the high pillar of sand beating up Yuba.

_'Crocodile,_' she growled in her mind.

Once the unnatural sandstorm calmed down and moved on, they trekked there in sullen mood. Vivi was looking around, not believing her eyes. "Impossible!"

"Damn... this place is no different from Elumalu."

"Where's the water?" Luffy asked.

"Wasn't this supposed to be an oasis, Vivi?" Sanji asked.

"The sand has rised the ground level and swallowed Elumalu..." she whispered to herself.

Gen was seething. She could see what the place had once been in her mind, lush and green piece of paradise in the middle of the desert. Her hand squeezed into a fist and suddenly she felt like punching something.

"M'Lady, restrain yourself. Nothing good comes out of it, if you lose your temper now. And you'd just attract some... unwanted attention," Greg said, his voice going silent and secretive in the end.

"Unwanted? Like what?"

"Travelers, eh? You must be tired from your trip through the desert. I'm afraid that this town's a little dried up, though," a new voice said, cutting off whatever it was that Greg was going to say. To be true, she had heard the rhythmic sound of a shovel (_to which 'Tim' let out a gleeful noise_) the moment they were in the earshot. What was his name again...? Oh yeah, Toto. Her companions were startled and Vivi hid her face when the man turned around to smile with his grimy, bony face. "But you can still rest here, we have plenty of inns... that's what we're known for."

"Excuse me, we heard that the rebellion had a base here..." the princess asked. Toto's smile died and his forehead wrinkled.

"What do you want with that lot?" then there were several things thrown their way. Gen hit the floor when an empty barrel whipped past her. "DON'T TELL ME YOU WANT TO JOIN THOSE FILTHBAGS!"

"Whoa! Take it easy!"

"Those fools... they're not here anymore," he said and went back to digging.

"WHAAAAT?"

"NO WAY!"

'_No news to me,'_ she thought. They would've cut a lot of things if she'd told them beforehand... but then... 'Luffy wouldn't find out how to beat Croco.'  
>She felt eyes drilling into her back and blamed the cold of the night for the shivers.<p>

As Toto kept on digging, he told them what had happened in a nutshell. The sandstorms, the drought, the rebels... Then Luffy did the stupid mistake on calling their princess by her given name.

"Katorea... where's that, Vivi?"

"...next to Nanohana..."

"_NANOHANA?_"

"Hey, why'd we come here then?"

"Vivi...? Did you just say Vivi?" the old man caught on. Gen was getting cold and she had sand in places it defenitely didn't need to be. She waited patiently as the two had their rather teary reunion and Toto was glad to show them a place to stay for the night.

* * *

><p>"Good work today, guys!" Usopp laughed. "Let's take a little rest for tomorrow, ay? Good night!"<p>

"You slept the entire time!" Zoro tossed a pillow at the boy, who soon replied with a pillow in the swordsman's face.

"Of course I was you jerk! I was exhausted! I'm not a monster like you guys! And you, Chopper, King of the Exhausted!"

"Oomph!"

"Sanji-san, that's my bed..."

"Yeah, I figured you didn't want to sleep alone tonigh- _WHICH OF YOU JACKASSES JUST DID THAT?_" Sanji was up in a second when a pillow hit his head. The bickering erupted in a full blown war and Gen, tired as hell, was rapidly getting more and more annoyed.

"**SHUT UP YE FUCKIN' RETARDS 'M TRYIN' TA SLEEP 'ERE!**"

"..."

"..."

"...I'm sorry, Gen-chwan."

She was hissing and huffing under her breath when she got up from where she'd laid to let the sweet, sweet sleep take her. Since she never slept in any clothing she'd stripped under her covers and now she wrapped her travel cloak around her like a bathrobe before stepping out of the whole building.

The night was silent. The moon, now high in the sky, was flooding everything in eerie, colorless light. She was reminded of another place, it only needed the appropriate branches sticking out of it and the random howls that would freeze the blood in the traveler's veins. _'Poetic, am I?'_

Whatever, she was tired and she wanted to get to sleep. Now just to wait the others to shut their traps...

Gloria remembered then that Luffy and Toto were still digging for water and headed their way.

"So, how are you two doing?" she greeted them, making the old man jump at her sudden voice.

"Hi Gen! We're good. Did you come to help us?"

"I don't think I can muster the energy. Being this deep in the desert I've been feeling... I don't know," she sighed, looking for the right word "drained. Or withering, like a flower without water."

"Then you need to drink," Luffy said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Uh, no, that's not exactly it..." she sweatdropped.

"Your friends are making quite the ruckus, aren't they?" Toto smiled as he gazed at the direction where she knew the house was.

"Yeah. It can't be avoided, this crew is just like that," she looked at the endless sky, full of stars. "Well, I'm off. 'Night."

"Good night!" Luffy smiled as she walked away to see if the idiots finally went to sleep.

Fat chance.

She slammed the door before the flying pillow hit her. Gen let out a sigh that turned into a wide yawn and sat on the step, huddling tighter into the cloak.

'Sleepy...' her eyes slid shut on her. She was jolted awake when the door opened and she turned to look who had so rudely done so.

"Ah, Marimo. Did they shut up?"

"Yeah they did. You coming in now?"

"Mmm..." she whined and leaned in the pole next to her. "'M too tired ta walk... Carry me?"

* * *

><p>Gloria woke up from a nightmare she couldn't remember clearly and licked her lips in thirst. The demigoddess sat up and looked around in the room tiredly. How'd she get back in bed, what time was it and how long had she been allowed to sleep?<p>

August was sprawled between Usopp and Chopper, twitching every once in the while. (_Awwww~!_)

_'Ah, Luffy's here too,'_ the boy was laying in a pile of blankets, dead asleep. She noticed now that she was still in her cloak.

Her thirst forced her to get up and crawl to the end of her bed to Greg, who was jolted awake by her.

"Gloria-sama?" he whispered.

"'M jus' thirsty, go back ta sleep- ouch! Stupid cactus..." she drew out the flask that was now half the weight it was when she got it. _'Just a sip._'

"Gloria-sama, are you awake? I want to go to the waterpit," he whispered. She rose her eyebrow and grabbed the bag, leaving the house as quietly as she could.

"Why are we here again?" she rubbed her eyes as she slid down on the unstable sand down to the hole.

The bag gave a zipper-smirk.

"Your first lesson."

* * *

><p>The morning came - or so she assumed - as someone poked her lightly.<p>

Poke.

Poke poke.

_Poke-poke-poke-poke-_

A hand shot from the covers to strangle whoever it was that _dared_ to disturb her and met with the intruding hand. She yanked it inside her cocoon and nuzzled against it,

well aware that it was Luffy's rubbery limb.

"Hey, shitty rubber, what the HELL are you doing?" Sanji's annoyed voice said.

"Bu-but I was going to- and then she- and my hand-!" he was trying to save his skin.

**CHOMP**

"AAA! BEDMONSTER! GIMME BACK MY HAND!" Luffy started trashing around as Gen bit down on it.

When they all were up and packed, she opened the door, cursed and shut it.

"I don' wanna go outside!" she whined. It was just about morning and it already was hot outside, well, compared to the last night. She hadn't been up for more than an hour for Greg's 'lesson' to try and lure water out of the moist sand. It could've gone better if she'd been more awake, but Greg had been happy about the results.

"Stop whining and move so the rest of us can go through too," Zoro pushed the door open and the blistering air hit her again.

"I don't think I can live through this..."

"Good morning, Vivi-chan," Toto greeted them. "I'm sorry that this town can't offer more..."

"Ah, no, it's all right."

"We're going now, Toto," Luffy announced.

"Yes... and Luffy-kun, please take this with you," the old man had a mini barrel with a strap and a straw.

"Oh hey that's cute!" Gen said.

"Wow! Water!"

"Water?"

"You got some?"

'What the netherworld is with those faces?'

"Right after you fell asleep last night I noticed that the sand was wet," Toto grinned. "Digging some more I got water."

"Wow! I didn't get it but wow! Thanks!" Luffy stared at the water like he'd seen his god in it.

"Real Yuba water... I'm sorry that there's not more of it."

"Dude, you did well. Better lil' 'an nothin', ay?" Gen winked at him.

"Bye then!"

They waved as the drought-ridden oasis was left behind and another trek through the desert begun.

Although...

They didn't walk for long when Luffy sat down next to a dried up tree, a frown on his face.

"What are you doing?"

"Luffy? What's wrong?" Vivi was confused.

"Hmm... I quit."

"HUH?"

"You 'quit'?"

"What do you mean, Luffy?" Vivi asked.

"We don't have time for your stupid games! Now get up!" Nami roared.

"We're going back."

"Yeah, we're using the road we took yesterday to get to Katorea and stop the rebels. If all those citizens of this country will clash, it's all over!"

"It's for Vivi-chwan! Come on, let's go!"

"Boooring," the captain sighed.

Gen had no interest in this, but sat down and rummaged through her bag. August was his happy self and chased small animals and bugs he found hiding in the sand, once running over her.

"Watch it! You almost squished Terry!"

"Gree?"

"You named them too? I mean, it's great, Gloria-sama, but... nevermind."

"Vivi," Luffy said. "I want to beat the crap out of Crocodile! If we stop the guys who are rebelling, will we stop Crocodile? We can't do a thing, even if we get to this place. We're pirates. You'd better be off without us."

A silence hung above them.

"Sometimes he hit's the bullseye without even thinking it," Sanji commented.

"That's Luffy for you."

"Well..."

"You don't want anyone to die in this war! The people in your country, or us, or anyone!" he sighed and closed his eyes. "We have a shichibukai against us, and a war with over a million people, and all you want is for no one to die."

"..."

"That's naive."

_'Whoaa~!'_ Gen sighed in bliss._ 'hidden intelligence is such a beautiful thing!'_

Nami was going to scold him, but Sanji of all people silenced her with a hand. Vivi was getting angry and was now shouting to Luffy, who calmly replied: "People die."

_SMACK_

Vivi hit Luffy and the two started a punch-'n'-yell fight, that Gen rolled her eyes at.

**"WHY DON'T YOU TRY RISKING OUR LIVES TOO? I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!**" he yelled, and Vivi clasped her hand on her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. "...look at you," he continued softly. "You're crying. You're the one who has sacrificed yourself for everyone."

He dusted his hat and poffed it on his head. Gen got to her feet and stretched her arms.

"Tell me where he is!"

* * *

><p>*faints* there ye go! Don't expect another one in some time. I've had a good pace since the beginning, but now that the vacation is coming to an end, I'll have to consentrate on other things too :(<p>

But no worry! I'll keep on going!


	24. From the desert to the 'dile's lair

I had an awesome dream last night, I had a grouphug with Luffy and Ace~ *squeel* And they even acted like themselves too! Ace was a bit grumpy and Luffy was smily and_ UWAAA~!_

Gloria: Excuse her, she's been propably writing a _little_ too long...

Snoara: _..and then they-!..._

Gloria: *facepalm*

* * *

><p>He knew he was screwed, royally so.<p>

That night when he'd gone out to look for the lost lamb of the flock... he felt like he'd seen something holy.

How the moon's light danced on her smooth, fair skin and reflect from her hair, making it seem like a glimmering flow of silver. Those eyes, precious and dark, deep like the sky. That small enigmatic smile full of knowledge and sharp words.

Oh, and she had been half-

_'GET A GRIP OF YOURSELF!'_ he smacked himself mentally.

When had Zoro's thoughts been drawn to the little imp?

_Dammit!_ He was a swordsman, his life and death layed on three edges! Something had to be done to this situation!

* * *

><p>As Vivi showed from the map they were going to head to the north, to Rainbase. Nami's eyes sparkled at the mention 'gambling town'.<p>

"I don't like that face," Zoro muttered. Gen was near exhauston, leaning on his back with her hat on her face.

"I guess there are towns like that even in Alabasta," Sanji sighed.

"Gomu gomu NO WAY!"

"Hmm?"

"They're still at it?"

Usopp was begging Luffy for a sip from the mini barrel that he got from Toto, but he wasn't giving him any. It was his precious water that he got from Yuba with hard work. "So you CAN have restraint when you put your mind into it," Nami looked surprised.

"Of course I can, how rude!" Luffy made a face.

"Your restraint is just as good as his sense of direction," Gen thrusted her thumb at Zoro.

"All right alredy, let's just go," the swordsman started walking.

"North is this way, you fool."

"Hey!" Luffy yelped, offended, as Gen bursted into laughter.

"I wonder where would we end up if we always went where he goes," Gen mused when she calmed down. "Maybe he's got an inner eternal pose locked onto his home island or something."

"Who knows?"

They kept on walking...

...walking...

...walking...

_You forgot the shovel._

"Yes, I know my love."

_'Whut?'_

Usopp and Luffy started moaning as the sun climbed high to cling right above them, making the whole litterbox scorching hot. A hot beach was awful enough with the sand burning your bare feet, but what about here?

Hellish.

No coverwords for it.

"I told you two to stop doing that!" Nami chastened the boys.

"Shut up! You're riding on the camel!"

"Yeah, let us ride too!"

"Camel-woman!"

"Nami-camel!"

"SHUT UP!"

"You look better today, Chopper," Zoro smiled as he looked at the reindeer.

Choppie shook himself like a dog. "Yup. I'm sticking out today."

Sanji chuckeled and lit another cigarette. He too cared for their doctor.

"You in the otherhand are talking to yourself again," Zoro sweatdropped as he looked at the white haired girl, mumbling alone and deep into her own little world. Vivi had been thinking too, now in better mood than earlier after she'd gotten her pent up emotions free.

"Luffy..."

"Uh?"

"Thank you. I never could've done that decision without you."

"Rewwy?" the boy panted. "Then feed me."

"What?"

"Once I kick Crocodile's ass, you gotta feed me until I explode."

"Okay! I promise!" the princess smiled, and she had to admit that her smile was pretty.

All their moods were lifted, if you ignored that Usopp and Luffy were whining, and that her head was pounding from the heat. She had denied herself of water even when the roof of her mouth was painfully dry.

_They all hate you._

_'Uh, what?'_ she was so surprised that she stopped altogether.

_They wish you weren't here._

_'Tim...?'_

_When the night comes, they'll leave you and continue without you..._

_'Shut up, shut up, shut up.'_

"Shu-shut up."

"Gloria?"

_**...JUST LIKE THEM!**_

"SHUT UUUUP!" she screamed. Why'd 'Tim' suddenly turn out like that? First the voice was harmless _(let's overlook the 'plan')_, then overly sweet and lovely and now... evil cackling.

Evil cackling is contagious.

"M'LADY!" Greg's panicked voice cut through the mess that her head was falling into.

* * *

><p>Darkness. Soft, cool darkness, that turned into a schorching heat, before it subsided to a comfortable temperature.<p>

She suddenly snapped her eyes open and gasped for air, as if she'd been under water for a really long time.

"Uuuh, where am I?"

"Ah, you're awake," Vivi said to her left. It was night already and the sky was dusted with stars that Chopper was admiring. There was a crackling fire in the middle of them and August was laying _in_ it, annoying the cook who was poking it with a stick. Luffy and Usopp were huddled near the warmth.

Something occured to her.

"Where'd ya get th' wood fer the fire?"

"Hm? Oh, it was just luck, I suppose. There was some trees near these rocks," Nami said.

"Oh, Gen! How's your head?" Chopper noticed her.

"Hm? I'm fine. Hey, what happened? ...where is that guy?" she looked around suspiciously.

"What guy?"

"Tim! He... wasn't real, was he?"

"No, he wasn't," Chopper reassured her, and she sighed in relief. "He was a bit disturbing."

Zoro, Vivi and Nami sweatdropped.

"You really should've drank more," the reindeer started scoldingly. "By this rate you'll kill yourself! It's good that you have that flask, but it doesn't work if you don't_ use _it!"

"'M sorry..." she tried her best puppy-eyes and he seemed to soften. Chopper sighed and patted her head.

"It's all right, but don't give us a scare the second time."

"It's way past second, Chopper my dear," Nami said in annoyance.

Gen smiled and said softly. "No one has ever been that concerned for me..."

"...really?"

"LUFFY! GET DOWN FROM THERE!" Usopp suddenly yelled.

"WHOO! I CAN SEE REALLY FAR!" the captain laughed back.

"CAN YOU SEE MY HOUSE FROM THERE?" Gen asked. There was a short silence. '_Is he really looking for my house?_'

"NOPE! SORRY!"

"IT'S OKAAAAAAY!"

"Stop yelling like that, you'll attract beasts," Zoro reminded them.

"Hm, weird. Greg said something like that earlier too," she looked at the bag to get an answer.

"I have no desire to confront... others like me," he said carefully.

(_"...uuuuaaaaAAAAAAHHH-OOMPH!" Luffy fell off the stone column._)

"Others like you?" Sanji quirked his swirly eyebrow. Gen and Greg glanced at each other.

"Other demons."

"Other... YOU'RE A DEMON?" Chopper's eyes bugged out.

"I knew there was something shady in that guy the second I saw it," Zoro muttered to himself.

"Not really a scary demon," Sanji said.

"I'LL SHOW YOU SCARY, BRAT!" a tickmark formed on the side of the bag and it tried to jump him, but bags are bad at jumping.

"Yeah yeah."

After chatting and a round with a flask they went to sleep around the fire. Gen was laying on her stomach, watching the flames and scratching August who had crawled next to her. He was big, and she mournfully thought about how to approach the princess on the matter.

Zoro was keeping watch. He was sitting on a stone, his back to the flames and his face to the open desert. She scrutinized him, their second in command. He'd done his job really well these few past days, she had to admit.

Handsome, strong, smart, a jerk, dumb, nice, caring, fun to annoy...

Her face flushed red from all the words she found to describe him and hid in her cloak. Despite all the complaining earlier, the sand made a nice bed.

From the noise her sudden movement and the muffled giggle made, Zoro turned to look at the ring of his friends. When he faced away, she peeked from her 'hiding place' to look at him again. Then he turned quickly and she was forced to hide again, turning it suddenly into a game.

She squeeked when the next time he hadn't turned away at all when she risked a peek, and hid from his gaze.

"You're distracting me. If something eats you, don't come crying to me," he said quietly.

"Not possible, how could I do anything if I'm eaten? I'd be dead then!"

"Exactly. I don't want another episode with you screaming like that." There was a sad tone to what he said and she felt guilty. Getting up and walking to Zoro, she sat down and hugged him. He tensed before relaxing again.

"Woa, you've got muscles!"

"I know."

They lapsed into silence, Gen still hugging him. From his posture she knew he wasn't exactly comfortable with it, but netherworld if it stopped her!

"Hey Marimo?"

"Mm?"

"Do you want a kiss?"

"_What?_" his voice had turned high pitched. The way they sat she couldn't see the swordsman's face.

"I asked if you wanted a kiss? I made myself a promise that I'd join the marimo and kissed me a... wait, not like that," she frowned and tried again. "I'd join the crew and kissed meself a marimo. So, you want a kiss?"

"You're going to join?" he asked.

"If he can ask me the right way," she grinned.

"...how would he have to ask?"

* * *

><p>Many many agonising steps in the desert later the Rainbase came to view. She hadn't bothered Zoro, since he already looked bothered by something.<p>

_'I knew I would get bothered, but him? Well, he IS still a teenager,'_ she giggled in her mind. (_'But so am I...'_)

When had she started seeing him in a romantic light? His hair had never struck as odd to her but it was a great way to annoy him, especially when the reactions were so fun. And, of course, he's a gorgeous badass... _'Oh, right.'_

"Heey! I see it!"

"YESSSSSS! CROCODILE YOUR ASS IS GRASS!" Luffy cried tears of joy seeing civilization even when he said that. Usopp and Chopper cheered angrily for water.

"Oh yeah, Usopp, is it ready?" Nami asked from atop the camel.

"'It'?" Sanji asked.

"Hm? Yeah, it's ready," he answered and dug through his bag, pulling out three short pieces of pipe. "Look! This is your new wepon, Clima tact!"

"Clima tact?" Nami took them and looked them over.

"Yes! At first it looks like your old ones, bit these are totally different! The attack changes based on how you put them together," Usopp explained.

"And it's totally COOOL!" Gen grinned, as Usopp went on telling how the rod worked.

"Hey, don't give Nami-swan any dangerous wepons, Usopp!" Sanji said. "Nami-swan, Gen-chwan and Vivi-chwan won't need to fight, because I'LL PROTECT THEM! Just call me 'Prince'! Hahahaha!" the cook sparkled.

"Prince."

"SHUT UP, MARIMO!"

"Hey, do you think that the Baroque works knows we're in the city?"

"Propably..."

"Yup, they know."

"We met Mr. 2 and we know that Mr. 3 is here..."

"A-_HEM_!" Gen 'coughed' rather loudly.

"Yes?"

"They all are here from Crocs to... to... I don't remember their numbers, ANYWAY Mr. 3 was punished for not bringing our heads to him but for now we should have... onetwothree... FIVE positively lethal opponents including the boss-"

"Wait a minute, how do you know so much?" Vivi asked.

"Ignore how I know it, I just do. 'M jus' tha' awesome," she waved her hand dismissively.

"Taken how the things changed at Arlong park you should be really careful," Greg reminded her. "They have their destinies set in stone, but you are a changing factor. You could die."

"...oh."

"All I understood was that 'she could die'," Luffy had his pinky in his ear.

"Is your information reliable?" Vivi asked.

"As reliable as I think it could be, but things never stay the same. They could change, but it's a good start."

"I don't like that part about Gen-chwan dying," Sanji frowned.

"Cut it out, I'm not going to die! Back to the point: they know we're here."

"And that means no random actions," Usopp said.

"How come?" Luffy asked.

"Even if we know who we have against us, we don't know where they are... or do we?"

"Nope."

"...your face says otherwise," Chopper sweatdropped.

"BACK TO THE POINT!"

"If we get caught, there's no way we can get to Crocodile."

"Assassination is their specialty," Zoro reminded them of the grim fact.

"'Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent, never expose yourself and never compromise the brotherhood.'" *****

"..."

"What?"

"Those are the assassin's three rules, but I bet they're not following them."

"..."

"OKAY! CROCODILE, YOUR ASS IS GRASS!"

"WERE YOU LISTENING TO ME AT ALL?" Usopp slapped Luffy in the back of his head.

"I... I agree with Luffy!" Vivi said. "Everything is happening now. We don't have time to think!"

"Usopp, you scared?" Nami asked.

"I know I'm not," Chopper said with determination.

"N-n-n-no, of course not!"

"Hey, where'd you hear those rules anyway?"

All she did was wink, not making them feel any more safer around her.

* * *

><p>They went into the city and layed down to wait since Luffy had run off with Usopp to get water. August had disappeared on them, too, but she assured he'd be fine. He was a dragon after all, and the little 'eyebrows' had turned into horns.<p>

Now Gen was balancing on a fence, trying old tricks that Brian had taught her with Sanji admiring her 'feather-light movements'. She almost fell once and did fall twice, but she was happy that she still could do it.

"Gloria-sama, do you still remember what I taught you?"

"Yes yes," she replied as the bag asked it for the third time. "It's not like I'd forget something like that."

"Good... I'm sorry, M'Lady, I'm just worried for you."

"Hey! I'm not fail in survival!" she pointed at him from a handstand.

"Survival?" Zoro sweatdropped.

"Yes, survival!"

"I'm gonna go take a leak," Chopper said finally after some wiggling.

"Don't get lost, Choppie."

"Hey... was it really a good idea to let them go by themselves?" Sanji asked.

"They can do it, it's just an errand," Nami answered.

'_So... it begins_,' she smirked, hopped down and secured her clothes.

"I wonder... you don't think they'll bring back trouble? Maybe we should prepare for that," Zoro was poking Eyelash with a stick, who didn't appreciate it by the sounds. He was trying to bite his hand off.

"Urgh, they're being chased by the marines again," Sanji sighed.

"_Whaaat?_!_!_ Are you kidding?_!_ Why are they running _this_ way?_!_" Nami panicked.

"'Cos 'ey're idiots."

"Chopper hasn't returned yet!"

"Don't worry, he can take care of himself!"

"Hey guys! The marines are after us!"

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU _LEAD_ THEM HERE!" Zoro yelled while they were running away. "I'm going to wait for Chopper!" Gen decided.

"NO YOU'RE NOT!"

"Awww," she pouted as her arm was grabbed.

"Make sure you catch them this time!" the marines shouted.

"This isn't good, people! Running around like this will reveal us to the Baroque works!" Sanji told them.

"I think it's too late," Zoro frowned.

"Let's go then!" Luffy piped up. "To where Crocodile is, Vivi!"

"Okay. Over there! Can you see the building with the crocodile on top?" Vivi pointed ahead of them.

"How could we_ not_ see it?"

"That's Rain Dinners, a casino owned by Crocodile!"

"Let's scatter."

"Yeah."

"Okay!" Luffy ordered. "Let's meet at there!" and jumped on a roof of a house. Zoro yanked her with him and Vivi to the left as Smoker went after the captain. Soon they faced a new problem: Baroque works.

"Hold up," they stopped.

"They're here too," Vivi said. "They're millions!"

"No big feat once the big bad Smokey is gone," Gen laughed.

"Tiger at the front, wolf at the back, huh?" Zoro grinned and shoved the girls towards an alley. "Go on! Hurry!"

"But-!"

"No butts Vivs, paw before the other!" Gen left on running.

"O-Okay!"

There was the sound of a sword being drawn.

"Will he be alright?" Vivi asked while they came to a street. Gen didn't like it that they were so out in the open, but... ah well.

"What are you talking about? He's epic! ...oh..."

"What?_!_ What 'oh'?_!_"

"There's one person in the world he can't fight~!" she sang. "And it's a girl!"

"... and she's here, isn't she?"

"Bingo!"

There was a suspicious group of people with papers in their hands, so she grabbed her and steered her behind a corner.

"What _now_?"

"I know we are in a hurry, but we have to stop running like headless chicken and practically announce with big shiny letters that we're someone to be chased," she held her pointer up. _'How much am I gonna mess things up?'_

"You... might be right," she let out a nervous chuckle. "I take it you have a plan?"

"Yup! We'll just walk down the street like we'd own it!"

"..."

"We are not going to get killed."

"I didn't say anything," she rolled her eyes.

"Your face did!"

They walked out and immedietly saw the millions, searching for the princess and the demigoddess.

"They know your face, so don't look at them," she whispered before waving her hand at the boys.

"Hell_llooo,_ handsome!"

"Hm? Oh, a cute girl! Hello to yourself!" the guy's face turned color as he waved back. She covered her mouth and gave a ditzy giggle. '_Trust this place to be full of simpleminded pervs...'_

"I can't believe that actually worked!" Vivi was dumbstruck.

"Me neither."

"_YOU_-! You didn't know if it would work?" She was about to rise her voice but remembered their situation.

"Hidden in plain sight, I'd say."

"I am starting to see what the others were saying about you being insane," the princess facepalmed. "And I was left with you..."

"I take that as a compliment!" Gen grinned.

"Why didn't they notice us?" Vivi then asked, looking around as if she was expecting an ambush.

"'Cos their blind ta us now. Ya know, this world works in mysterious ways," she started telling her of her 'invicibility'.

It almost worked too, until they suddenly found themselves in the middle of Baroque works bad boys. Vivi had drawn her peacock-blades and keeping them at bay. To Gen's letdown the princess was doing a better job than she was.

"...doodles."

"IF YOU HADN'T FLIRTED WITH HIM THEY WOULDN'T HAD NOTICED US!" Vivi yelled with sharklike teeth.

"It was no flirting! I just wanted to know how his hair feels like. Did you see it? It was blue!"

"_MY_ HAIR'S BLUE TOO!"

During their bicker one of the guys managed to slip in their defences and rammed the butt of a gun in Vivi's head. Gen felt someone seize her from behind and take her in a chokehold.

"You gave us quite a bit of trouble, princess. No wonder, you were a frontier agent. TOO BAD!" he laughed and pointed his gun at the girl.

"HEY!" Gen shouted angrily. "Let go of her! No hand filthy of sin is allowed to grace her highness! ...uh, what...?"

"Who the hell are you?" the man asked and waved the shotgun her way.

She gave a creepy smile and asked with a sweet voice: "The herald of your doom?"

Suddenly bullets rained down on them, taking out the millions but never hitting the two girls. Gen was let go when the man had to avoid being hit.

"AAAAAH!"

"WHAT THE-? A BIRD!"

"IT'S A FALCON!"

"Where'd it get gatling guns?"

"It's huge!"

And so on.

The falcon - Pell - swooped down and took Vivi away on the high roof of the building next to them.

"Nice to see you again, princess."

"Pell!"

"Please wait here a moment-"

"Oh! You have to help Gen too! She's still-!"

"I'm still what?" the girl's voice startled her. The falcon flew back to the millions.

"AAAA! Gen?"

"What?" she had her hands behind her back and she smiled down to the princess.

"How did you...? Where...?"

Her eyes sparkled. "I climbed."

Vivi bent down to the edge of the building and gazed at the royal guardian. "You saved me! Now we must hurry to the others...!"

"Yes, exactly what I was thinking."

Robin. Or Ms. All Sunday, pick your favourite. Gen's eyes widened, the woman sure could sound like a coldhearted bitch when she wanted to. She had to swallow her grin and the happy (_very Sanji-like_)_ 'ROOOO~BIIIIII~N-NEE~CHAAAAAA~N~'._

"How magnificent. The first time I've ever seen a flying human. But... I wonder if you're stronger than me?"

"Vivi-sama. are these the people you were talking about? The ones who are threatening our country?" Pell growled. His skin was pale and he had black fourpointed stars in his white robes. _'Is it just me or does he look like someone I know...?'_******

"Oh my... I lost my precious employees... Can't use them now," Robin- ah, Ms. All Sunday drawled. "If you don't mind, I'd like to take the princess to our mansion and introduce her to my friends. What do you think?"

"Cut the crap already, that's out of the-"

"We will!" Gen stepped up. "We will come with you peacefully."

"Gen...?" Vivi looked at her. _'We'll end up there whatever we do, no need to get us hurt too._'

"Oh? Surprising. Are you betraying your friend so easily? Nothing else should I expect from a pirate," Ms. All Sunday quirked her delicate eyebrow. Oh, she's got so pretty eyes...

Gen shook her head to clear it and looked at the woman, giving her a gentle smile. "Heart hidden behind the steel and ice weeps for love. 'No person is born to walk alone', I believe it goes. Now, shall we?"

It jabbed right where it was aimed. Her eyes widened in alarm but the mask was returned immediately. She 'hmh'ed and started walking. Vivi looked at her and then at Gloria, who nodded and held her hand to help her up.

"Come on."

"You..." the princess sighed in defeat.

"Trust me. I might be insane but I'm not suicidal."

There was an angry shout as Pell appeared to them. '_Oh fudge.'_

Ms. All Sunday laughed as the man approached her.

"I'll turn you into Alabasta-sand!"

"Tres fleur."

* * *

><p>Ms. All Sunday lead them to Rain Dinners and from several doors to Crocodile's lair under the lake's surface. The more they decended stairs the more Gen was feeling better. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that her mother was the goddess of the sea? They walked through the last door to a dimly light and nicely cool room lined with high windows where she could see under the water - and of course the big fat croco- of wait, bananadiles. There was a table in the middle with that egoistic bastard sitting by and having dinner.<p>

The rest of the crew... they were sitting in a cage with Smoker observing everything that moved.

"CROCODILE!"

"Vivi!" Usopp, Luffy and Nami called her.

"Hooy, I'm here too, y'know," Gen waved her hand.

"Well hello... welcome, Nefertari Vivi, princess of Alabasta. No, Ms. Wednesday. You've done an admirable job of avoiding my assassins on the way here. Ms. All Sunday, who is that other with you?" Crocodile ended his gloating.

"She is most likely one of the pirates," she answered with a smile playing on her lips. "Although she is a weakling."

"_OI!_"

"Very well then."

"Of course I'd come...! I'd come from anywhere as long as it means I can watch you die, MR. 0!" Vivi's voice was bitter and full of rage.

"It's your worthless country that's going to die, Ms. Wednesday," Crocodile smirked. He did look like a Crocodile... wonder where he got that scar over his ugly face? ...actually, he wasn't really THAT ugly... _'**Eeeewwww** what am I thinking?'_

Vivi lashed out at the man with her peacock blades just to discover that his head turned into sand. The strike cut clean through the back of his chair.

"I'm starting to get enough of that substance," Gen crossed her arms and sat down on the lowest step to wait until things rolled by.

Crocodile resolidified behind the princess and wrapped his hand around her face. "Are you satisfied? Ms. Wednesday, if you live in this country, you should know about my suna suna no mi power. Shall I... turn you into a mummy?"

"S-SANDMAN!" Usopp stated the obvious.

"LET GO OF HER, DAMMIT! I'LL KILL YOU!" Luffy yelled.

Crocs did. "Sit and stop glaring at me. It's just about time for the party to begin. Am I wrong, Ms. All Sunday?"

"You are correct. It's past seven," she smiled. There was now something strained in it, though, and her eyes darted at Gen once as she tied Vivi's hands and sat her to a chair. Gen pretended that she didn't see it.

Mr. 0 started laughing like a maniac. _'Wait a minute, I'M the ONLY maniac around here! Grr...! Oh, she's not tying me up? Hmm...'_

"What do you think, Ms. Wednesday? The plan that you helped set up is blooming. If you listen carefully, I bet you could hear the shouting all over Alabasta!"

'_Ugh, what a fudged up piece of-'_

"And what do you think all of them believes? That we will protect them!"

"STOP IIIT!" the princess screamed. "HOW CAN YOU BE SO AWFUL?"

"Hahahaha! Isn't that a tearjerker? Love for one's country is what will destroy it in the end!"

"This guy fits the definition of 'depraved' to the letter," she heard Zoro say.

"THAT _BASTARD_! If only this cage wasn't here...!" Luffy was raging and fuming and despite the warnings still trying to squeeze through the bars of the cage.

_("Is he a total idiot?" Smoker asked._

_"Yes, but he's still trying. That's why he's the captain," Zoro answered.)_

"Haha, I can remember all the hassle I had to go through to get this far! Collecting up members, scraping up money to buy the silver necesseary to produce the dance powder..."_ 'Oh, so that's where it's made from!'_ "Stirring up towns on the brink of destruction... teaching my employees how to carry out false acts of army corruption... slowly eroding the people's trust in their king and increase their frustration!" Crocodile went through with the typical 'bad-guy rant'.

_'Glah, kill me now, please!'_

"Do you know why I want to control your country so badly, Ms. Wednesday?"

"HOW COULD I UNDERSTAND WHAT'S IN YOUR ROTTEN MIND?"

"Hmm... a foulmouthed princess."

There was a short silence in which they heard a very innappropriate YAWN of all things. Yes, it was Gloria, and it was followed by a snicker. How long was he going to talk? They'd die of old age like this!

Suddenly the princess tilted the chair and fell down on the floor with a loud clatter and started crawling away. "Damn!"

"Oi oi, what do you think you're doing, Ms. Wednesday?"

_'My thoughts exactly.'_

"WE CAN STOP YOU! We can still make it in time! If we just go to Alubarna, directly east of here! If we can make it to Alubarna before the rebellion there's a chance that we could stop them!" she yelled with determination.

"Ooh?" Crocodile smirked. "Isn't that odd? We were just on our way to there, as well. Straight to Alubarna to ask your daddy one little question..."

"WHAT?_!_ What are you going to do to him?"

"Huh? Which is more important to you, Ms. Wednesday, the people... or your father?" He put his hand to his breast pocket and pulled out a key. "Haha! If you want to come with us then go right ahead... and go get it!" he whisked it to a revealed pit in the floor. Vivi looked at it and struggled against the rope around her wrists. It gave out... but not in time.

"AAH! THAT WAS THE KEY TO THE CAGE!" Luffy's eyes bugged out.

"There are about 8 hours left until the killing begins, but you don't have the time. It would still take longer that that to get to Alubarna from here. If you want to stop them, you'll have to leave right now, Ms. Wednesday! Or else...! HAHAHAHA! ..hhaa, but of course, it's up to you whether or not you save these fools. It's a pity I accidently dropped the key in the bananadile lair," he mocked them.

"WHOA! Look at that! There's a crocodile growing out of that banana!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed.

"Those are enormous!" Nami gasped. "Wha-? This room is underwater!"

"No sheet, Sherlock," Gen finally said.

"Well don't you look comfortable," the navigator sweatdropped as she saw her loitering on the stairs with her hand behind her neck.

"Actually this is highly _un_comfortable to be sitting here while that deranged scarface tells us his life story."

"Weird bananas," Luffy commented.

"No, you dumbass, look at them! The _bananas_ are growing out of the _crocodiles_. They're _weird crocodiles_," Usopp told him.

Just then a 'dile crawled in the round pit, saw the glint and swallowed the key.

"AH! A CROCODILE JUST...!"

"What? What's happening Vivi?"

"A 'dile ate th' key," Gen said and slipped another yawn.

"_DON'T BE THAT RELAXED_!" Nami had a tickmark on her head.

"WHAAAAAAT? Chase it down and make it spit it back! Get us outta here, Vivi!" the captain yelled.

"I can't do that! Bananadiles are ferocious! They eat sea kings, you know? The second it sees me it's going to eat me!"

"Ohh, I'm sorry, they think that anything I drop there is food. And besides, now you can't tell which one ate it," Crocodile smirked as the reptile returned to the lake.

"WHAT?" came the united cry from the cage.

"That JERK!" Nami grit her teeth in anger.

"Damn, even if we got out of here there's those things!" Zoro handled his katanas.

"Jeez, Zoro. We can't get out 'cos it ate the key, dummy!" Luffy tried to be witty.

"I KNOW THAT!"

"Well then, we're going to take our leave now," Crocodile announced.

Gen couldn't help but sigh in relief. "Finally!"

She earned a dirty look and felt her hackles rise, a shudder racing down her back. His eyes lingered on her as he started speaking. "Also, this room will self-destruct in an hour. I have no use for this Baroque works secret base anymore. Water will flood into this room and turn it into part of the Rainbase lake."

Crocodile started walking at her even when the door at the side was opened by Robin. A cold stone dropped at her stomach.

"One million innocent civilians, or these worthless pirates with no future ahead of them?"

_'Erm, don't come that close to me, please?_' she crawled to the next step up. Crocodile turned to look at Vivi.

"Your chances of saving just one of the two is slim. The 'bet' here is your feelings, Ms. Wednesday. Do you like gambling?"

Gloria had stopped listening. Crocodile had turned his attention back to the others and her breath she hadn't noticed returned to her. _'I am **so** screwed._'

Crocodile told Luffy how he'd caused the sandstorms in Yuba, angering the boy by demonstrating his skill. He let it die down on itslef and again looked at her. "Eep!"

"'Eep' indeed says the arrogant little mouse," he said and walked at her. She backed on another step.

"You should learn to respect your elders..."

He came closer, she crawled another step.

"Hey! Don't touch her!" Luffy said.

"...to keep your comments to yourself..."

"HEY!"

He was almost in her face now. Her eyes were wide like a deer's in headlights and she was breathing deep. His golden hook was underneath her chin.

"...**and pay attention when one talks to you!**"

She _whimpered_.

Then he was gone from her, striding to the door. Water started flooding from the trapdoor, but all she registered was the beating of her heart. Gen knew what fear was, but this was the first time after the Goldylocks-fiasco when she felt real, palpable _fear._

Crocodile was walking away, into the hallway that would lead away from the room, and Vivi raised her peacockblade one more time just to let it fall on the floor along with herself. She broke into a frustrated tears.

"VIVI!" Luffy yelled. "DO_ SOMETHING_! GET US OUTTA HERE!"

"Luffy..."

"Khahahaha! Are you begging for your life already, strawhat Luffy?" Crocodile laughed. "I guess everyone is afraid of dying..." he glanced at Gen who flinched.

"IF WE DIE HERE, **WHO'S GOING TO STOP HIM?_!_**"

"Don't get too cocky, brat."

"You are GOING DOWN!" Luffy had a fierce shadow on his face, one of pure hatred. Usopp and Nami squeeked.

Crocodile left with a menacing laughter and a goddamn _huge_ bananadile came to the room from the trapdoor.

"BEAT IT UP, VIV!" Luffy yelled.

"DON'T BE RIDICULOUS, IT'S TOO BIG!" Usopp said. "Run away, Vivi! You can't fight it! Bu-but save us too!"

"You're the one being ridiculous!_!_"

The bananadile advanced the princess, but then it's evil little eyes landed on Gen. She was still paralyzed from the earlier and sitting frozen like a statue. The animal growled and she turned to look at it, but her facial expression didn't change.

_"**GLORIA!**"_

* * *

><p>* It's an Assassin's creed referance, if someone caught on.<p>

** Ulquiorra :3

Love is in the air and on a crashcourse with Marimo-kun~ AND IT'S A CLIFFIE!  
>By the way, I REALLY hate rewriting every damn bit what Crocodile is saying, and bananadile is such a wordmonster T-T<p>

I had to edit this after I was informed of the grammar farts in it... *bows to the floor* Sorry!


	25. In my element

**A new chapter!** What will happen? (_I want ice cream..._) And why are all the people talking in capital letters? Last chapter was just like that too.

Thanks, people, for all the reviews you've given! It's always like on Christmas eve when I see that there's a new one! ^-^

* * *

><p>She didn't remember whose voice it was, but it held urgency. It snapped her out of her state to see a pair of huge jaws opening at her and she did the first that came to mind: jumped out of the way...<p>

..._on_ the bananadile.

Rubble flew every way from the trashed stairs.

"IT'S SO FAST!"

"It crushed the stone staircase in one bite! Those jaws must be insanely powerful!"

"Kyaa!" Vivi yelped when the tail end of the beast tackled her. The crocodile couldn't see Gen, who was sitting on the banana, holding on to it so she wouldn't fall.

"Gen! Good, stay there and don't move!"

"DAMMIT! That thing's unbeatable!"

"Vivi, RUN! GET UP! It's going to eat you!"

_Rrrrriiingg..._

_Rrrrriiinnnggg..._

A small, ringing noise bounced from the walls. It was coming from Robin.

"Hm, a phone call."

**_"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?"_** a familiar voice said.

"Yes, I can. You're millions, aren't you?" Ms. All Sunday answered.

_**"Hey, is this getting through? I've never used one of these baby snails before... hello?"**_

"What is it?"

_**"Oh, okay, I'll just talk like this."**_

If Gen hadn't been so freaked out by Crocodile and hadn't been trying to be as unnoticeable as possible on the bananadile she would've facepalmed.

"Spit it out already!" Crocodile ordered. "What happened?"

_**"Oh... that voice... I've heard that voice before..."**_

"Huh?"

You could practically hear the smoky coolness that oozed through the line. _**"Welcome sir, this is the shitty restaurant."**_

"'Shitty restaurant'?"

_**"Niiice, you remembered. I'm touched."**_

There was a moment of blankness on his face and then he gritted his teeth in recognision.

"Hey, did you hear that?" Usopp asked.

_'No, we're all deaf! SARCASM!'_

"'Shitty restaurant', sounds like...!" Nami smiled in relief.

"SANJ-!"

"Wait Luffy!" there was ferocious whispering as Usopp gagged Luffy.

"Who the hell are you?" Crocodile asked. He was not amused, unlike Robin, who was smiling a bit wider.

_**"Me...? I am Mr. Prince."**_

"I see, Mr. Prince. And where are you?"

_**"Can't tell ya. If I do, you'll come an' kill me, wont ya?"**_

_'Oh nice, he's talking like me...'_

_**"Well, wether you can or not remains to be seen. I give out lots of 'info' easily... and I'm not an idiot, like you, Mr. 0."**_

There was a bulging vein on Crocodile's cheek.

"PRINCE! SAVE US! WE'VE BEEN CAPTURED! WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT!"

"Hahaha..." the snail chuckled and imitated puffing a cigarette. "Know who that sounds like? My crew. Very well, I'll just be-"

BLAM

"GWAH!" someone fell.

_'Nice, 'Prince'. Hurry up and save the princess.'_

"_HUH?_!" the pirates in the cage looked horrified.

_**"*click* haah, haah... pesky bastard..."**_ a new voice said. _**"Hello? Hahh... what should we do to this weirdo?"**_

"No... Sanji?" Vivi looked broken.

"Where are you? Spit it out..."

_**"Yes sir! At the front gate of the casino called 'Rain Dinners' in Rainbase."**_

Zoro, Luffy, Usopp and Nami went bonkers. It was kinda cute, to see how they react when something like this happened.

"That useless idiot! He better still be alive!"_ 'Aww, you don't hate him. Uh, bad thoughts, bad thoughts!'_

"_SANJIII!_" Luffy's eyes bugged out. Usopp was just yelling and Nami was crying for their only hope to get out. Smoker, the evergrumpy marine... just sat there. _'Oh. Well boo you.'_

Crocodile laughed merrily, and that was something no one wanted to see: a happy Crocodile. He and Robin started chatting to each other.

Vivi ran towards the broken stairs and hopped over the rubble. The action caught the bananadile's eye and it lurched at her, and the sudden movement made Gen hug the ridiculous banana tightly so she wouldn't fall. The banana... well, imagine a leathery banana on a crocodile's head, and it's green.

There. It sounds _wrong._

"VIVI!" She had managed to get a grip from the upper half of the stairs and was now hanging on it. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"We still have some time before this room sinks! I'm going to call for help!"

"That's right! Maybe that didn't really kill Sanji!" Usopp said. "If Vivi can free him somehow...!"

"And Chopper's still outside, he might be able to do something!" Nami realized.

"HEY LOOK OUT!" Luffy cried out when Crocodile's hand turned into sand and the hook soared at the princess, pulling her down with a scream. She went unconcious when she hit the floor.

"VIVI!"

"CUT THAT BULLSHIT OUT!" Crocodile yelled.

"VIVI! OPEN YOUR EYES! THE CROC IS COMING!"

_'...was I... forgotten...?'_ Gen thought hopefully.

Little more gloating from the Crocodile, and he left with Robin the Cowgirl in his tow.

Luffy grit his teeth.

**"DAMMIIIIIITT!"**

She felt the bananadile move and open his jaws. She shut her eyes, this was going to get wild.

The bananadile didn't get her, but she jumped out of the way and slashed at the beast's tounge, jumping away to the stairs.

The croc was pissed and expressed it by a growl.

"Yes! She got away!" Nami cheered.

Vivi didn't wait. She started running, and the crocodile crushed the wall under the stairs, making them fall down completely. The girl ran and reached safe ground just in time. Unfortunately the impact shattered a window.

"OH NOOO! MORE WATER IS POURING IN! NOW WE DON'T HAVE MORE THAN 20 MINUTES!" Usopp yelled.

"Is Vivi okay?"

"Listen everyone! Hang on a little longer! I'm going to find help! I WON'T LET YOU ALL DIE!"

"GO, VIVI, GO!" Luffy and Usopp horraayed as she ran away.

_'Okaaay, what the netherworld am _I_ going to do now?'_

**FLaSHBaCK**

"What the netherworld? It _can't_ be that easy!" Gen huffed at Greg's teaching.

"To you it should be, no matter the amount of water you use."

"So I'm a special case?"

"Gloria-sama, you are the daughter of the ocean herself. The ocean commands even the smallest little currents out there, from droplets and foam to the waves and whirlpools." He sighed. "Go on, give it at least a try."

**END**

She pointed her hand at the steadily increasing water and like Greg had instructed pictured what she wanted it to do in her mind.

"Gen, whatever you do," Usopp said, "don't draw it's attention to us!"

"DUMBASS!" Nami hit him. The animal was looking patiently at the cage, it's tail moving slowly up and down in wait.

"The moment the bananadile notices her she's goner," Smoker stated.

"Hey, there's a tentacle in the water!" Luffy pointed out.

"A-A-ANOTHER MONSTER?" Usopp cried.

"No, she's doing something," Nami said.

The tentacle rised like a snake from the surface of the water and slowly rised over the animal's back. When it's end touched the water at the other side, she grinned evilly.

Five other vines crawled out and locked around the animal. They were faster and more confident than the first one and soon the bananadile was writhing angrily under the restraints. She fell down with a splash because she wasn't holding on anything. It also broke her concentration...

...the bananadile got free.

* * *

><p>"HYAAAAA!" Gen screamed as she tried to get away from the crocodile in the knee-high water.<p>

"HEY, YOU STUPID PEABRAIN!" Nami yelled. "YEAH YOU! I BET YOU CAN'T BITE THROUGH THIS CAGE!"

Usopp looked like he could die right there. "AAAH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, NAMI?"

"We can get out if it chomps through the cage! And that'll draw it's attention away from her!"

"I see! Good idea!"

"BRING IT, DUMBASS BANANA!" Luffy joined the insulting. In the crocodile's small reptilian brain it couldn't focus on one thing for too long. Usopp tried once again to explain it right to Luffy, but he just brushed it off saying that they both were food.

Gen fell in the waves the thing created as it bit the cage. The residents screamed, but the prison held against the jaws. Poor bananadile, it's teeth broke. Gen got spluttering up and while the animal was nursing it's injured mouth and pride, she took the risk and ran to the cage.

"Hey y'all."

"So, you didn't die."

"That's a louzy greeting, Marimo-chan. You almost sound like you're disappointed."

He looked uneasy and shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"Aww, you were worried for me! So cute."

"Hey," Smoker's gruff voice cut their moment.

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM?"

"THINK OF SOMETHING TO DO!"

"How much do you know of Crocodile's plans? That woman with him... is an outlaw whose been on the run from the World government for 20 years. The price on her head is more than 70 million berries!"

_'Why do you say 'more than 70' when you could just say 80? I really don't get it.'_

"SE-SE-70 million? S-SO WHAT?"

"Almost as much as Crocodile's..."

"With the two of them joining forces, this is no longer just the takeover of a nation anymore. If we don't do something now, this will develop into a disaster that will envelop the entire world."

"The entire world? What do you mean?" Nami gasped.

"H-hey, that's a little too much to swallow..." Usopp's eyes were wide.

"What are you guys talking about?" Luffy had crossed his arms in annoyance. "Since when do we need a reason to kick his worthless ass?"

Gen leaned into the cage bars. The kairouseki was grey like iron and cool to the touch. She blinked at the energizing feeling that it brought. "Hmm... I know what he's after..." she muttered.

They all looked at her again, waiting for more.

"You know his objectives?" the marine stared at her like a hawk from his perch on the ledge.

"Why should she tell you anything?" Usopp asked harshly. "W-W-We're enemies," and he hid behind Zoro.

"Oi, wakey-wakey," Nami snapped her fingers in her face when she was staring somewhere really far.

"Hm? You said something?"

"He wants to know about Crocodile's plans."

She looked at Mr. Lungcancer. "He's evil. There's a story carved in stone, and that stone is what he seeks."

"Don't speak in riddles, if you know something I want to hear it," he sighed.

"Yeah! Didn't you hear, the whole _world_ is in danger!"

"Indeed it is, if he succeeds," she grinned. She knew this was annoying everyone.

"You're not helpful."

"I don't care what he wants, but he's a big asshole who's going to get his ass kicked!" Luffy said.

Smoker sighed, puffing out smoke. "...fine." Then he looked down to the water. "So, how're you going to get out of here?"

"AAAH! IT'S UP TO MY THIGHS!" Luffy's eyes bugged out.

"GYAAAAAAAAAG! I'M GONNA DIIIE!" Usopp yelled.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Nami wailed.

"Ugggh, I feel faint," Luffy went slack and Usopp had to hold him up.

"NO! NOOO! HANG IN THERE! THAT'S WHAT VIVI SAID, RIGHT?"

"Vivi! It must be hard for her, she doesn't have any time!" Nami worried for the princess.

"I wouldn't be so overly worried," Gen said while floating in the water while she held onto the cage.

"Make sure never to make noise when eating your meal..." a voice said. "ANTI MANNER KICK COURSE!"

The bananadile coughed up a chunk of stonestairs. Sanji drew on his cigarette and pointed at the cage with it.

"Hey. Were you waiting?"

"Hi Sanji-kun, ya've got cool classes," Gen waved.

"PRIIIINCE~!"

_"STOP SCREWING AROUND AND FIND THE KEY!"_ Zoro grit his teeth.

"Oh, thank you..." Nami had tears in her eyes.

"Come on, Marimo, you can't say you weren't relieved when you saw him still breathing?" she strolled by, swimming on her back. She earned the all too familiar death glare.

"Nami-swaaaan! Do you love me?"

"...there goes the coolnes out of the window. Figuratively, 'cos it's spoutn' out water at the moment."

Nami and Zoro sweatdropped. "Yes, yes, I love you. Open the door!"

"OKAAAAY!"

"His eternal stupidity knows no bounds..."

"VIVI! GOOD JOB!" Luffy gave her thumbs up.

The room was starting to fill with other things beside the water. Three more bananadiles crawled in. She knew how Smoker had determined which one of the crocodiles was the one who ate the key and kept an ear on how the animals growled.

'_Oh wow... I _can_ hear it!'_

Sanji raised his leg high in the air. _'Who am I kidding, he's supercool~!'_ she squeeled inside. The scene went on and she kept on swimming around lazily. Sanji killed the crocodile that came into the room and found Mr. 3. He was beaten into submission and when he was no more of use Sanji kicked him in the face and he let out a weird 'heblooey' sound.

"Hurry, we don't have much time!"

"I think the tunnel they went down should lead to Alubarna, but there are still too many bananadiles in the tunnel!" Vivi said.

"Nothing to worry about..." Nami sweatdropped when Zoro resheathed his katana.

"WHAT, IS THAT ALL?" Luffy yelled while standing next to his first mate.

"I couldn't do anything against only one..." Vivi cried.

"No, Vivi! It's not you! Those guys are just freakishly strong!" Usopp consoled her.

"Yeah, and uber-suber-cool-badass!" Gen's head popped between the two.

"YOU'RE ONE TO TALK, TENTACLE-WOMAN!" Usopp's eyes bugged out.

_KRRRRAKKK..._

"Sounds bad."

"TRY TO SOUND MORE CONCERNED!"

"AAAH! THE WALL'S CRACKING!"

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU FOUGHT TOO WILDLY, IDIOT!"

"The tunnel's collapsing! Escape! We have to escape!"

Water flooded all their senses and Usopp hit his head. Lucky for him, he was saved by Nami and Vivi. Gen heard Luffy's last order to Zoro to drag Smoker up too before he was swallowed by the waves. Sanji was the one to save him.

Gen wanted to take the opportunity to try breathing underwater again, but this wasn't salt water. Was there a difference between that and fresh water?

The decicion was made for her when something big and heavy slammed into her and knocked the air out of her. The cold water rushed into her lungs and she almost waited for the death's grim grip take a hold of her.

_One._

_Two._

_Three._

_''M still alive, so it must mean something,'_ she opened her eyes.

The others had made their way to the surface, but she didn't feel like following them right away. She inhaled and exhaled just to get the feeling only to cough when sand went into her windpipe.

**"So not cool, must look out for that later on."**

She looked around in the water and enjoyed the thousands of different shades of blue it displayed. _'Only to be able to capture all those colors...'_ she sighed.

Gen heard a splash above her and saw a black suited figure sink her way.

**"Ooooi! Sanji-kun! You didn't need to come and save me~!"** she waved.

He stared at her a moment and his jaw dropped comically, before his face flushed red and his overall precense started regenerating bubbles the shape of hearts.

In the end, _she_ had to rescue _him._

"What took you so long?" Zoro asked annoiedly while he distangled from Smoker's jutte. _'Oh, we're here.'_

"Ahh, y'know, water is kinda like my element," she winked. There was a strong scent of parfume that almost slapped her in the face. It made her cough.

Sanji jumped on his feet and started wiggling. "I thought I had died, such a beautiful image appeared before my eyes! An angel! A siren! I saw _heaven!_"

"Die."

"_What?_"

"I assume that you don't have any complaints if I have to do my duties as a professional here?" Smoker interrupted their blossoming bicker.

"Look, this is what we get for saving a marine!" Sanji lit a cigarette, the fight completely forgotten.

"HAAAAAA! FULL SPEED TO ALUBARNA!" Usopp yelled.

"Oh, you two woke up," Nami said.

"SHOW YOURSELF, CROCODILE!" Luffy growled. Then he noticed the marine captain. "_Whoa!_ Smokey! You wanna fight?"

"..."

"GWAAAAH! SMOKER! LET'S GET OUTTA HERE, LUFFY!"

Smoker had a 'are you serious' face, and Gen had for the first time a good look at him. He had white hair and an aura of a little rebel.

"How's your cigar still burning?"

"..."

"..."

"You... are an interesting young lady..."

"Well duh," she rolled her eyes. "Now answer."

"I don't know."

"Oh. What a disappointment."

The man locked eyes with Luffy who had his guard up (_=fists_) and sighed. "Go."

"Huh?"

"This will be the only time when I let you get away. The next time we meet, you're a dead man, remember that, strawhat Luffy!"

They stared at the old marine disbelievingly and Zoro broke into laughter. He'd have to explain it to her later, she decided.

"There they are!" someone yelled. That was their cue to get going.

"Hurry, they're coming! Which way is Alubarna?" Sanji asked.

"That way! Straight to the east!"

"Luffy, what are you doing? Come on!"

"Oh, right," he seemed to snap out of the staring contest with Smoker. "You know, I don't hate you after all~! Heeheeheehee!"

"GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!" Smoker had an angry tickmark in his words as he swiped at Luffy with the jutte.

"_Yeep!"_

* * *

><p>It was a crab.<p>

It was a crab the size of a building.

It was a crab the size of a building, and the way it looked at her... Gen felt like screaming 'rape'.

"A CRAB?"

"Chopper!"

"That's a 'moving crab'!" Vivi smiled in awe.

"DAMN that looks tasty!" Luffy said what Luffy would only say. The thing seemed to hit the brakes and slide to a stop. To Gen's relief August was up on the crab's hairy back.

"Let's ride!"

"We can ride that thing too? Yahoo!" Luffy cheered.

"I don't believe it," Sanji shook his head and laughed.

"Wait, doesn't it look a little... shady?" Nami frowned. Gen hit her lightly in the back of her head.

"You sure didn't have problems when you rode that camel..."

"He's one of Eyelash's friends! Eyelash was born in this town, so he has lots of friends here!_ ...that are perverts,_" Chopper said. "And August just appeared out of nowhere."

"Wow! Moving crabs are always under the sand, so some people don't believe they even exist!" Vivi told them.

"It's pretty fast, right?" Zoro made sure.

They climbed up to the crab's bigger claw and onwards to the back.

"Everyone on?" Chopper looked around. They answered him with nods, and he flicked the reins. "Okay! Let's goooo! DEPART!"

The crab started running sideways, but she saw threat approach them in the form of a golden hook. It grabbed Vivi, who screamed once she realized her situation.

"Vivi!"

"CHOPPER, STOP!" Zoro said to the doctor.

"It's him!"

"VIVI!" Luffy yelled, and without slightest of hesitation took a hold of the hook and flinged the princess back to safety.

"HEY, LUFFY!"

"That idiot!"

"LUFFY!"

"Go on ahead! I'll be fine by myself!" he assured them as he soared through the air twards the two figures standing in the desert. "Be sure you get there! Get Vivi to the palace!"

"Luffy! There's two of them!"

Vivi was worried for her new friend who grinned at them with certainty. Zoro had a nervous grin on his face. All he could do was put his trust on him. "Head straight to Alubarna, Chopper!" he gave the order.

"Okay! Got it!"

"WHAT? We're just going to leave him, Zoro?" Usopp freaked out.

"LUFFY!"

"It's okay, Vivi! He'll be fine!" Nami held the princess down just in case so she wouldn't go after him. "I feel sorry for them! There isn't one single person who's tried to fight him and gotten away safely!"

_'Yet your face spells worry,'_ Gen sighed to herself.

"Understand, Vivi? He will stop Crocodile," Zoro said. "The moment the rebellion moved to attack, this country's 'limit' was defined. If the army and the rebels collide, this kingdom is done for! If you are our only hope for stopping this, then you must stay alive, no matter what! And it doesn't matter what happens to any of us!"

"But..."

Far away, Luffy finally thudded to the ground.

"Vivi-chwan, you helped set this fight up," Sanji said calmly. "You left your country years ago, and you began fighting an organization you knew nothing about. However... you're not fighting by yourself anymore."

"It's like chess," Gen saw an opening to put in her two words of wisdom. "Sacrifice one for the sake of what's more important."

"V-V-VIVI! DON'T W-W-WORRY! I'LL- I'LL PROTECT YOU!" Usopp shook badly.

The princess looked at the distant figure of Luffy and called his name. "WE'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU IN ALUBARNA!"

"OKAY!"

Gen layed down and called August by her side. She hugged the dragon against herself and let her eyes slid shut. It felt like eternity when she had last time had the opportunity to sleep, and the wonderful feeling of water surrounding her was waning from her.

"Agg, guard my sleep," she mumbled before sinking into the dreamland, using her bag as a pillow.

* * *

><p>"Mmmh... gnnmmm..."<p>

"What is she dreaming about?" Nami sweatdropped. Vivi had told her of her and Gen's ordeal from when they split from Zoro to where they were escorted to Crocodile.  
>Nami remembered when the girl had first appeared to them and how she'd been a mystery. That had been somehow forgotten, but now it plagued her mind again. She refused time after time from joining them and yet stayed with them, either from her own will or of Luffy's. 'Or because of Zoro,' she giggled.<p>

Gloria knew things, and she was random as all hell, but there was always something she seemed to consiously avoid. Was she a spy of some organization? What was it that she wanted?

The more she thought about it, the more questions popped out, craving to be answered.

The girl muttered again, with her brow furrowed and mouth slightly open. Was she seeing nightmares? August rised his head and pressed tighter against his master. It was as long as the girl was tall.

"How much do you think he's going to keep growing?" she asked out loud.

"Who? August?" Chopper tilted his head. "He was really small when he hatched."

"You saw him hatch?" Vivi was surprised. Chopper told them his side of the story how they'd found her half frozen in the snow.

* * *

><p>She woke up sweaty and panting. The dream had been a nightmare about things before she had come to this world combined to Crocodile's menacing face floating right in her sight, coming at her and swallowing the world.<p>

"Agg, I need a hug," she whispered and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hey, when'd you grow so much?"

"That's what we were thinking too," Nami said. Usopp was talking with Chopper, filling his mind with meaningless stories. Zoro was lifting weights... excuse me, _camel_.

_'It's now or never.'_ "I can't keep him," she started.

"Really?" Sanji said. His respect to the dragon had increased at the desert with the stupid birds.

"Yeah. He's a volcano dragon and will be the size of the Merry in a year."

"WHAAAAT?"

"And he'll grow for five years."

"That's... huge...!" Vivi and Nami looked at the animal. It was scratching itself, not paying attention to them.

"He can't sail with us, and... I was thinking... Vivi," Gen turned to her, "Could you take him for me?"

"Me?" she blinked in surprise.

"Yes, you."

"Oh, hmm, okay, if you're sure about it."

"I am. Thank you," she hugged her. "Honestly, I didn't have many options. I can't just strand him somewhere, or leave him to some random person, but I trust you and I know that you're a great gal! Ya'll take good care o' 'im!"

"Mh," the princess nodded.

"Zoro, you're only wasting energy," Nami said after a moment of staring him. He grunted her to keep her mouth shut.

"Let them be, Nami-swan, they need something to occupy their minds. Everyone's so tense, especially the musclemoron. He knows the power of a shichibukai."

"What are you saying? Out with it," Zoro glared darkly at the cook.

"All right, I'll tell you. You're afraid that Luffy might have lost."

"ME? _AFRAID?_!" he snapped. "You magic-brow!"

"Gaaah, you're really pissing me off now, dish brush brain!"

_"WHAT?"_

Nami hit them both before they had time to start a bigger fight. Vivi tried to tell them not to worry too much, even when she was the one who worried the most. Nami told her to just keep thinking about the essential, which was now the rebellion.

"Sorry, Vivi-chwan," Sanji scratched his head in embarassement.

"Yeah, we'll just shut up now..."

"Okay, then... head straight to Alubarna! Onwards, Scissors!"

"Eh, what...?"

"I named the crab."

"Oi, come on now, Scissors?"

"Nami, we didn't come here to name things!"

They calmed down and Marimo continued on with the lifts. Sanji layed down and... Greg woke up.

"I was starting to wonder your silence," Gen said.

"Hm? Oh, did something big happen then? I had to do other duties."

"What other duties? And weren't you with me all the time?" she frowned.

"M'Lady, I'm a demon of high rank. I have to check on things on the sub-realm every once in the while," he said.

"Sub-realm? Like, the underworld?"

"Something like that. I was also given information to give to you," he shook himself, which looked weird. "Did you sleep on me? The cactus spikes are digging in my insides."

That made Zoro stop in his reps. "Cactus? Now why does that ring a- **GEN!**"

"What? I just took two!"

"After what happened at Little Garden we can't entrust you with things that makes you see the color of air!" he pointed at her. "Throw them away!"

"No wayyy!" she hugged the bag to herself. "I want plants! The last time I had a cactus I accidently killed it."

"How?"

"I neglected it's water."

"You killed it in _drought?_ How is that even possible?"

"Will you two now SHUT THE_ FUDGE_ UP!" Nami yelled.

"..."

"..."

"Oh my god I'm starting to sound like you," she groaned and hid her face in her palms. Gen made a victory sign.

Zoro put the camel down and walked to the girl. He crouched next to her and looked her in the eye. "Give me the cacti," he said gently, like talking to a child. She gave a pouty frown.

"But it's mine."

"I'll put it this way: the cacti is evil. Give it here, I'll get you another flower later, but you can't keep that."

"But..."

"Gloria. Give me the cacti," he reached his hand palm side up.

"...o-okay," she muttered and dug through the bag for the two plants. She handed them over and without hesitation Zoro whisked them far away.

Gen sulked like a kid and scooted as far as she could from the swordsman with Greg.

"Wait, what just happened?" Usopp asked confused.

"Marimo used his charm," Nami grinned slyly.

"So Greg, what did you want to talk about?" Gen asked.

"First, I want to know what happened while I was gone."

She told him the things that happened roughly, leaving unnecesseary stuff away. He 'hmm'ed and nodded during the story.

"Some animals like me and some don't. It'd be more helpful if I knew which ones," she frowned. The bag chuckled good-naturedly.

"The fish, the whales and the sea kings are on the sea's sides."

"What about bananadiles?"

"They're 'rogues', beings that despite their origins choose to live on land rather than the sea. They live in the lakes of Alabasta and the great Sandora river. Sir Crocodile brought them in his lake."

"Ah, I get it. They still need water to live around, so they stay in fresh water. I take it that they're not friends with me?" she rised an eyebrow.

"The fish, being completely creatures of water, will always know automatically who you are, but for example the dugongs didn't recognize you except for that one."

"Difficult."

Greg sighed. "Some of the fishmen can sense that you're different from a normal human, but can't really tell _what_ you are. You should be careful with them."

"WHAAAAT? THE CRAB CAN'T CROSS WATER?" Usopp's yell broke their conversation. _'Already? This thing's fast!'_

"Gloria-sama, it seems as the story is about to continue."

"It seems so."

Vivi had a map open and they were hunched over it. "The moving crab is a desert animal. They can't stand water."

"It's a crab! I mean, come on! It takes all day to swim across the river!" Usopp exclaimed. Gen crawled to them and layed on her stomach. Zoro was lifting Eyelash again.

"And still there are kilometers of desert left to go! What are we supposed to do, run?"

"There's no way we can make it in time!"

"Oh shit! The Sandora is right up ahead!" Sanji pointed to the distant blue stripe. "Scissors, do something!"

"Oh yeah! Scissors loves dancers!" Chopper remembered.

"Like this?" Nami took her cloak off, the crab's eyes turning to look. The shellfish wasn't the only one with hearts in it's eyes.

"It speeded up!"

"Nami-swaaaan~!" Sanji and Eyelash swooned.

"You broke the other two, as well..." Usopp sweatdropped. Gen threw her arms up like in a roller coaster and whooped.

"ERO POWER!" Chopper cheered.

"How is this supposed to help?"

They realized then that the crab was running blindly at the river, continuing from the sand to the water and actually running across it.

"Holy crab, this thing's amazing!" Sanji turned slightly blue. They started having worried expressions when it started slowing down. Zoro lifted Chopper on his shoulders so the little guy wouldn't sink. They waved goodbye to Scissors.

"No time for complainin', keep swimming!" the swordsman said. August didn't look like he appreciated the sudden bath, he was paddling around like a dog.

"Hey wait a second here! How long is it to the other side?" Usopp asked.

"About 50 km."

"THE HELL WE ARE SWIMMING THAT!"

"Hey, did anyone see where Gen went?"

_"YEEEEEEHAAAAAAAA!"_

"KYAAAAH!" Nami screamed when the fish rose to the surface with their snow-haired friend on top.

"A SANDORA RARECAT FISH! Named because it's extremely rare!"

"WHO CARES ABOUT THAT?"

"And how did she end up there?" Chopper wondered.

Gloria was holding on to the fish's whiskers like reins and waving her hat like a rodeo-rider. "Now, now, Tickles. Let's not eat your Lady-sama's friends, ay?"

The thing, apparently named Tickles, let out a bubbly noise.

"Get on!" the fish lowered itself and let the others climb on it. The dugongs were swimming their way, 'ghuoo'ing happily. _'Normally the thing would've tried to eat us, but now that I'm 'the queen of the fish' he's like a loyal servant!'_

"Tickles...?"

"How did you tame it? They love the taste of human flesh!" Vivi asked. Usopp went bonkers hearing this and started stuttering.

"I rule," she smirked. "Hi dugongs~!"

"Ghuoo!"

"He says it's always pleasure to see you," Chopper translated.

The dugongs escorted them to the shore with Tickles and Vivi waved them thanks as they started walking.

"We're doing good. Can we make it?" Zoro asked.

"I don't know, even with Eyelash here, it'll be tough," Vivi said.

"He can only carry two - and the enemy awaits!" Usopp fretted. "Isn't there any way we can travel as an entire group?"

"WAIT! Over there!" Nami suddenly shouted. There was a small dust-cloud approaching them.

"W-what? They already found us?" Usopp's eyes bugged out. Gen squinted her eyes, but it wasn't needed, because the ducks were fast and came to view.

"No! It's-! Karoo! And the Super Spot-Billed Duck Squad! You came for us?" Vivi asked and the the duck nodded.

One thing was bothering Gen. She was sure that the Squad had only seven ducks originally, but now there were eight. One was clearly a female, and it didn't have a hat like the rest of the ducks. Instead, she had a pink scarf around her neck and lovely ponytails on both sides of her head. She also had a pair of goggles on her forehead and a black spot the shape of a heart on her beak. She chose to ride it.

One of the ducks had a saddlebag full of simple cloaks, and once they agreed to a plan, they set off.

* * *

><p>Aaaaaaand here ye go.<p>

Everyone who hates Crocodile say 'AY'.

Gloria: *lifts hand* AY.


	26. Make it rain

Hello! Happy birthday Gloria.

Gloria: Thanks. I still hate you.

Snoara: Why?

Gloria: Do you enjoy my torment?

Snoara: Yes, yes I do enjoy it *evil laugh*

* * *

><p><em>'I've never rode a duck before~!'<em>

Gen had fun on her speedy-buzzard with August on the back. The way was long, but the ducks were fast, and the capital city, Alubarna, soon came to view.

In the series, the Strawhats had split up in pairs and created a diversion for Vivi to slip by unnoticed. Now that they had an even number, they agreed that one of them had to go with Vivi. Sanji had volunteered immediately, and Gen had thought about it hard, but decided that it wasn't wise to probe the plot in hectic times like these. She was tagged to go with Vivi after a brief argument, and as the others headed on the two of them seperated from them and hid behind a rock.

"Yosh... I think they're gone now," Gen said and turned to look at the open desert. "And the rebels are coming up from there..."

"I don't know how could I ever repay you all for your kindness," she smiled.

"We'll see about that later. Now, let's get going, they're here in a moment."

"Yeah... Let's go, Caroo!"

"Quaa!"

The duck sprinted off with her following shortly behind her, and suddenly she felt that something was very off. August made a panicky noise and suddenly the duck - Daisy, she'd learned - quacked and stumbled. She flew off it's back over the bird's head. Greg screamed.

"Gen!"

"Vivi! Move it! It's all up to you!"

"O-okay!" she left without looking back.

"Weell, weell, weell..." a voice droned out from the cloud of dust Daisy had made when she tripped. She soon saw the reason too: there was a rope around her ankle. The duck was out cold and August picked himself up and shook himself out of the daze.

"CRAY ROYLTON!" Greg growled.

"Eh, who?"

The first thing that came to her mind when she saw the guy? _'OMFG he's HOT!'_

He was a very handsom man with blonde and orange hair and muddy brown eyes. He was like a model... or something ripped right off of a bishounen manga. He had a big shoulder armor on his left arm and shoulder that ended to a gauntlet with sharp claws. There was a yellow cape on his back and a white button-up shirt with delicate tribal pattern. He had dark brown slacks and a green sash that clashed oddly with the rest of his colors. His long, muscled legs ended to a pair of shiny shoes.

All this goodness was marred by a cold smirk on his face, and he was pointing a sword at her. His eyes shifted to the black bag that she had dropped.

"Sir Elmo-Gregory the Crappiest. Oh, and the little bitch."

"Sir Roylton the Douchbag and your lover, I assume," Greg looked at the sword.

"Douchbag? You sure you're not talking about yourself?"

There was a growl and a white glow surrounded the bag. It leaked out of it, grew, and took a humanlike shape before solidifying and turning into a man.

Gen whistled.

He had blue eyes, black, shoulderlength hair in a cute small ponytail low in his neck and a black military jacket with a pair of turtle shells as shoulderpads. The one his right had long lines lengthwise and the one oh his left was just an ordinary turtle shell. They were lined with silvery edge and they were joined by a black chain across his chest. Greg too had a cape, but it was white, and he had navy blue trousers. He was also armed with a sword that he drew quickly.

Another bishounen, and she hadn't even known it!

"Kyaaaa~!"

"Ah, M'Lady!" Greg bowed to her. "Is my form appealing to your eye? If not, tell me what it is and I change it."

"Change it?" she tilted her head.

"Yes, this is not my real self, but a cover that we use when interacting with mortals. We _are_ demons, after all," he gave a handsome smirk, but then sweatdropped. "Your eyes turned into hearts..."

"_Kyaaa~!_" was all she could say.

There was a rude sound of someone spitting a glomp. "Are you two fuckers ready now? I've got killing to do!" Cray had a sadistic grin. 'A man I never want to face in a dark alleyway...'

Greg went into defence. "You can never have her!"

"We'll see about that!" The two clashed in a flurry of swordstrikes. They moved so fluidly and they seemed even, until the first blood was drawn. The bleeder was Greg, and her hand flew to her mouth automatically. It looked painful, and the demon grit his teeth. He was standing between her and the other demon.

"Gregory, you're even more shittier than usually!" Cray laughed. "If you stand in my way, I'll just have to end your life as well."

"Why are you after her?" he demanded. The blonde swung his sword on his shoulder and leaned back.

"Since you're asking so nicely, I'll tell you: her excellency wants to get rid of this... abomination between a mortal and a goddess. She is no fit to take the throne of Sea!"

"Why does this suddenly concern your mistress?" Greg asked.

Cray 'hmh'ed and charged at Greg again. After some more otherwordly swordplay they both had scratches and rips around them. Cray was surprised to see a deeper gash open on his chest. The shirt had lost a few buttons from the top, making it open a little more... "Take your shirt off!" Gen yelled an encouragement.

The handsome demon smirked.

"Not bad, for an old fart like you."

"What does Avanirte has against M'Lady? TELL ME!"

"Impatient? That's not like you!" Cray laughed. When he calmed down he looked at her and sneered. "She's filthy. A spawn from mortal flesh. She's unworthy of the crown!"

"Now wait a freakin' sec! Who said that I even _wanted_ to rule something?" Gen got up and asked put her hands on her hips. "Or... is there something I should know?"

"Her holiness knows well that she can never become the ruler of the palace of corals, but that does not mean that she would love her any less!" the blue-eyed demon seethed.

"**Unda Delphinus!**" he slashed at Cray, a thick wave of water shooting out of the blade. The blonde evaded it and whistled lowly.

"If that would've hit I'd be in trouble! Hmh, no matter, I have my orders." Cray went for a strike against Greg and kicked him in the gut. While he was winded, the blond rushed at Gloria. She got on her feet and escaped. Cray was faster, and was upon her in two seconds.

"M'LADY!"

She closed her eyes and waited the sword to strike, but it never did. When she had the courage to look, she felt her blood run cold. "A-August?"

"Greeh..." the dragon squeaked, as Cray pulled his sword from it's gut. August had shielded her by standing on it's hind legs in front of her.

The dread turned suddenly into anger, as she watched August lay in his own blood.

"Excuse me," she sayd slowly, "but did you just _scewer_ my _baby_?"

"Hahaha, a dragon and a sea bitch? What the fuck? Fire... hahaha! And... water? GAHAHAHAHAHA!" the demon laughed and wiped a tear from his eye. "That's rich."

"Grrrr I'LL TEAR A NEW ONE!" Gen snapped. Greg attacked and lured the other back to the fight.

"HEY! I WANNA PIECE O' 'IM!" she shook her fist. "Agg, you okay?" she then asked.

"Greh..."

"Good, and stay alive!"

"**Aspidum Terram!**" Cray thrust his sword in the ground with all his weigth, and the shockwave it created made the sand into spikes that Greg avoided easily.

"**Unda Delphinus!**"

"**Harena Boare!**"

The attacks met in the middle, making _sparks_ fly. _'What the netherworld?'_

"Gloria-sama! Please leave this to me! He is an opponent too strong for you!" Greg yelled. "GO!"

She scrambled on her feet, grabbing her now lifeless bag, and with Daisy's help got August on the duck. Gen sat on the front, flicked the reins and fled. Daisy had to dodge another Harena Boare (a wave of sand, much like Greg's attack) before they were far enough from the range. The sounds of battle could still be heard.

She turned in the saddle and looked August over. "You'll need to see Chopper, Agg. Aaaargh, why can't I be more of help? The others are fighting and I'm running from one! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" she ranted. The only thing she'd bested was the fishman, and even that had been half accident.

_'First things first, Agg needs to get patched up, but if Usopp and Choppie are still in trouble, I can't go there interrupting them. But what if..!'_ A figurative light bulb switched on above her head.

"Daisy, this is what we'll do: you keep going to the south-eastern gate to Chopper and Usopp with August."

"Quack!" the duck nodded.

"I'll continue on inside the city and seek out the bombers. I don't know how strong they are, but if either of them have devil's fruit powers I'll just whip them into next Tuesday. I need you to take a message to Chopper. Can you do it for me?" she asked, and recieved another nod. "Good! First, drop me off at the east gate. There shouldn't be much trouble. Here's the message..."

* * *

><p>As she'd suspected, the east gate was free of problems. Daisy brought her inside past the guards and left. Gen had to climb rooftops to see around and the clocktower was really far, with lots of obstacles in the way. She hoped that Vivi had already reached the palace and would be out of harm's way.<p>

Gen didn't want to test this world's laws of physics, so she found a ladder and climbed down. The streets were empty excluding the random groups of people. They were all Alubarna's soldiers, but some of them had the Baroque Works sign tattooed to their arms. She steered clear of them, not wanting to face them unarmed. If only she found some water-

_..wwwhhhiiiii_ **THUK!**

She'd had her senses on high alert, and the_ knife_ that suddenly dug in the wooden door next to her ear made her jump several feet in the air and duck behind a wall.

"Missed. I've gotten rusty," a monotone female voice said. Gen peeked from her hiding spot.

She had brown chinlength hair and tan skin, and they were eerily close to the same color. Her lips were plump and she had a pretty face with light leaf green eyes. The clothes were plain: a plack polo shirt, black skintight pants and... golden plimsolls? Also, she had a lovely little jacket, also black, with a harness underneath it. It was tucked full of knives, gleaming menacengly in neat rows. Two places were empty.

_'...doodles.'_ "Who're you?"

"It is not necesseary for you to know my name, for you will die soon by my hand. You can see yourself lucky that you have seen my face," she said and with one fast move threw the dagger hidden in her hand at her. She evaded it, but it pinned her hat in the wall.

"Hey! That's my hat!"

"You will not need it," another knife came at her, forcing her to hit the floor and roll behind a barrel.

**THUKTHUK!**

_'Two? I thought it was-'_

**TH-LINK!**

_'...three.'_

The last one hit a wall and landed harmlessly next to her hand.

"Do not try to resist your fate. The moment I heard your name you were doomed," her voice came way too close for comfort. Gen looked around and saw an alleyway on her left. If she just could get there...

She bolted.

**THUKTHUKTHUKSHLIK!**

"Aaah!" she cried out. She was now 'safe', but she had a knife in her bicep. Biting her lower lip so hard it started bleeding she willed her muscles to relax, gripped the knife and pulled it out. "Ahh...!" _'N-now I have two knives... and purple stuff running down me arm. I _have_ to do something. I need water!'_

She realized that she still had her bag with her, and the half full flask in it. She let her hopes go up as she weighted it in her hand. _'Not much...'_ she sighed inwardly. _'And I can't let my concentration brake like with the bananadile. I bet this chick is in league with that Cray-dude. She's got the same feeling.'_

She uncorked the flask and poured the contents out to the ground in front of her. She held her hand above it and the widespread puddle drew more together and became a ball. Soon it hovered two inches from the ground, but started dripping when she looked away. _'BE A BALL!'_

To amazement it returned to the wanted form.

The woman... '_Naa, I'll just call her Betsy,_' ...was walking at her hiding place. She made the sphere of water turn into a snake, and made it take one of the knifes she had in her hand. The steps drew closer, and she prepared to sink the knife into the demoness.

'Betsy' came to the view and Gen didn't hesitate. The tentackle worked like a whip, or an extension of her arm, as it flung the knife at her.  
>It was easily flipped aside.<p>

"You cannot kill me. No one can. I am death itself," the woman chanted, and the way she said it made her skin crawl.

"I know what you are, my gut tells me that you're a demon. Did you come with Cray?" she walked backwards as Betsy walked at her unhurriedly. Gen coiled the water around her wrist.

"You are right. I am a demon, I do not deny that, but Sir Cray Roylton does not know that I am here. Though, he got your bodyguard to stay behind, did he not?"

_'Oh sheet...'_ "A diversion," she muttered, turned around and ran. Stubbornly ignoring the pain that the three knives in her back and calf brought, she limped in another alley. Leaning into a wall, she yanked the knife in her leg off and dropped it, and the knife near her kidneys followed it. She had to reach some, but the last one was soon on the ground too.

'_Ooowwwwh!_' she whimpered. Her dance girl outfit was ruined, but at least she'd had the brain to drop the coinbelt some time ago. It was a pity she had to lose both that and her hat, but she could mourn later. There'd be more mourning if she lost her life.

"You cannot walk anymore, you are like a wounded deer in front of the hunter," Betsy said.

"You're fast," she stated out of breath.

Betsy proved her right. Next thing she knew there was another knife coming her way that she dodged, but the woman was one step ahead of her and rushed at her with a short sword. Gen's eyes widened as it sunk in her side and she let out a rattly breath.

"Now sleep, forever."

"I'd rather not," Gen chuckled in pain and tried to cut the demon's throat open with the dagger she still had. The brunette was faster, jumped away and only got a minor wound.

"Hmh, you are clever for a young age. I shall not make that mistake again."

"Oh yeah? C-Come 'ere then, an' lessee if ya can kill me!" she taunted.

Betsy did. They were soon engaged in a rapid dance of death, jab here, another there, block, swipe, thrust, block, scrape and repeat. Unfortunately for her, the demon had the height and the number of knives on her side. Suddenly Gen had a knife sticking out of her left upper thigh.

"Why do you resist?"

"For many reasons," Gen said and dislodged the knife. She was lucky it was the already injured one. "First comes that I have to help Vivs, she's a princess. She's also my friend, and I've gotten so many friends during this trip," she said fondly. "Y'know, I've never 'ad many friends, bu' now tha' I do, can't go an' get meself killed. They' be sad, an' they're too 'mportant ta be saddened. 'Sides, 've got stuff ta do b'fore I kick th' bucket," she held a pause and grinned. "An' someone owes me a flower."

She lashed at the demon with the tentackle of water, once, twice, and Betsy tried to kicked her. It never met the target, as the water wrapped around hen shin. Gen used the opening and thrust the dagger she held in Betsy.

Her pupils turned into slits and she let out an unearthly shriek before swatting at the demigoddess. She had to let go of her, and watched in facination as the brunette started... changing.

The demon twitched, _sizzled_, wailed and grew fur. It was disgusting to look, but she just couldn't turn away, when Betsy sprouted a tail, _no, wait, it's a snake_. The end result was like an awfully disformed, mangled and mutated cat on steroids. It was also growing actual leaves on it's face around the eyes. She almost laughed when a small white flower popped in the bush.

The demon raked it's claws against the ground and growled, shaking it's fur in place. The tail - snake - hissed and licked air. It only had one humanlike blue eye.

"You... are... _UGLY_."

**"AND YOU ARE DEAD**!" the monster said with a layered voice before charging at her.

Gen couldn't do much when it crashed into her and tried to bite her head off. She covered her face with one arm and with the other tried to blindly hit the hidious thing. The sharp claws were digging into her gut.

Betsy screamed suddenly and backed off, and Gen saw what had caused it: there was a knife plunged into it's head. Nausea built in her stomach, as the demon tried to get rid of the knife unsuccessfully.

She backed into the wall and saw her water again as a puddle on the ground. There was blood mixed into it, and she quickly formed it into a long spear before hurtling it at the demon. There was a screech of agony, as it tore through her. Gen had aimed for it's heart, and hoped for all good in the world that the thing was dead when it layed unmoving in the alley.

Breathing shakily and getting on her feet she felt the adrenaline leave her tired and teary. Everything ached and her head was dizzy from the bloodloss, and she believed that the stench of it would never come off. She knew, that if she ever wanted to be stronger, she'd just have to bear with it.

Gen staggered away from the scene, taking support from the walls and finally collapsing on some shop's stairs as her knees gave out. _'Stupid, stupid demons and their stupid, stupid knives and stupid ugly cats...'_

* * *

><p>She woke up slowly. Her back ached, and her leg was burning for some weird reason. She frowned as she felt her hand numb... or more like she <em>didn't<em> feel her hand. She lifted the right arm with her left and scruntched up her face when it resembled so much like a dead body's. She tweaked it and once she got the blood flowing she looked around herself. She had fallen asleep on the stairs, which were now painted purple by her own blood. It was still fresh, and she fleetingly wondered how she was still alive after so much bleeding. _'Well, Zoro does survive things like that, so why wouldn't I? But I'm not on the same level of badassity as he is...'_

She realized that she'd lost her bag and weighted if she was to go look for it. She almost didn't want to, but then again she'd already lost her coinbelt and hat in the fray, she couldn't give up on the bag. Besides, Greg would propably want back in the bunny.

It was easy to follow the path back to the place, where she saw the remains of the demon. It looked like it'd been there for two weeks in a scortching sun, and it reeked just the same...

Holding her breath she quickly got her bag and ran away.

How long had she been out? She still had to take out the bombers. It wouldn't be any good to get in the middle of the fighting people.

"I have to find the others... they... are going to the palace...? They propably know of the bombs already, too. To the clocktower, then."

She didn't have the energy to climb buildings anymore, but it wasn't necesseary: Gen could see the tower high up. To be frank, she didn't have energy to do much walking either. All the same, she found herself from in front of the clocktower. It stood like doom on a building. What was it for? Not the point.

"Hey! Hey look, it's Gen!" she heard someone call her name. It was Usopp, bandaged from nose to toe. They were all battered and dirty, but alive. She gave a relieved grin, when Daisy and August were with them, both in bandage instead of just the dragon. Did something happen to them?

"When Daisy came to us we got so worrie- _AAAAAH!_ WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?" Chopper's eyes bulged out and he started fuzzing around her.

"I'll tell ye later. Has anyone seen Greg?" she asked.

"Greg?"

"Hm, you haven't. You'd know if you did... aghh...!" she sat down. "I'm beat."

"Gen!" Vivi said in panic. "There's a-!"

"Bomb in the freakin' tower, I know. I was goin' to do something about it, but then I met problems. I'm sorry..." she hung her head.

"You don't have to. Looks like you had a serious fight," the princess gave a small smile. A fist connected with Gen's head.

"You knew about the bomb all the time and couldn't say anything?"

"Aaayeah..." she rubbed the lump Nami left in her wake. "Again, I'm sorry... Hey, everyone's okay, right?"

"You shut up and get your wounds treated," Nami huffed. "What the hell are we going to do? We have one minute and we can't climb that in that time!"

"I originally planned Pell to take us up there! Where is he?" Vivi looked around to the sky.

"He got shot by a frog."

"_WHAT?_!" Vivi shrieked.

"We only have the stairs left!"

They looked up at the tower as they tried to come up with something, and a familiar face popped to one of the windows. "OOOIII! NAMI-SWAAAN! GEN-CHWAAAN! VIVI-CHWAAAN!"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE?"

"Your message said 'clock tower' and so I climbed up! So, where're the bombers?" he asked with hair flying in the wind.

"ON TOP OF THE TOWER!" Usopp pointed, "JUST GET THERE AND FINISH 'EM UP!"

Another person came to view, on the roof in front of the tower. It was Zoro, and she felt suddenly a lot better when he was around, bloodied, but there. His white shirt had suffered, it was torn and dirty and soaked.

Sanji craned his neck. "Hm?"

"Hey! I were looking for you guys, for quite a while."

"YOU'RE THERE TOO?"

"What are you doing there?" he asked.

"THAT'S WHAT WE'D LIKE TO ASK YOU!"

"MARIMOOO! I MISSED YOU SO BAAAD~~!"

"Yeah yeah. Those marines told me to go north, so I came here."

"**'NORTH'** ISN'T THE SAME AS **'UP'**!" Usopp had shark teeth. "Whatever! Good job! Climb higher!"

"He can't."

"What?"

"From where they are, they can't enter the tower. To get to there, they must take stairs from the ground level," Vivi told them.

"Zoro can brake those walls!" Usopp tried.

"The shock might make the bomb go off!"

"We'll have to take the stairs, then!" Vivi ran at the door, but Nami stopped her: she had a plan.

The massive clock started opening. Stupid laughter rang down to them, as Mr. 7 (_the new one, Zoro'd killed the previous times ago_) and Ms. Father's Day showed themselves.

"Our last job, Mr. 7! Kroahahaha!" the woman laughed. _'And she sounds like a frog, too,'_ Gen sweatrdopped.

"Oh ho ho hooh! And it's coming to an end in just thrity seconds!" Mr. 7 laughed.

"Who are they?" Nami asked.

"Mr. 7 and his partner!"

"I wonder if we can get a promotion after this... what do you think?" the frogwoman said.

"That would be great! Oh ho ho hooh!"

"Is it just me or does that face make you want to punch them?" Gen asked.

"I think it's a common thing," Usopp frowned.

The two losers up in the tower talked stuff and lit a match. The big cannon was aimed at the centre of the battlefield.

They got to work. "Nami, what are we doing?" Usopp asked, as he was holding both Chopper and Vivi on his shoulders. "We don't have time for this!"

"I know that! And don't move!" Nami held her weatherstaff. "I'm calculating."

"Don't move? Tell me what you're thinking!"

"After I do it you'll know. Here I come!"

She shot a cyclone tempo at his crotch, making him fly high in the air. "AAAAAAHHHHH!"

"CHOPPER! GO TOWARDS SANJI AND JUMP!" she gave out directions.

"Nami-nee, I bow before your evilness."

"Thank you."

"So this is the plan? Just keep jumping?" Vivi asked.

"SANJI! YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT! NO TIME LEFT!"

Chopper jumped from Usopp, who started instantly falling down. Sanji jumped from the window and the reindeer was catapulted higher. The sniper crashed to the ground behind Nami with his face down. Vivi and Usopp closed in on Zoro, and he drew his swords.

Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day finally noticed them, and Usopp and Nami freaked out.

"Yo, chill. They'll be good."

_BONK_

The agents pointed their guns at Vivi. "Lookee here, chance isn't easily gained!"

'What the heck is she talkin' 'bout?'

"Change position, yellow bullet! Oh ho ho, what a good target!"

"YOU DARE TO POINT A GUN AT VIVI?" Sanji roared from mid air.

"Those two are snipers! Zoro! Push us up, and Chopper, think of a way to change the course!"

"What? NOW?"

"ONLY SEVEN SECONDS LEFT!"

"HURRY UP!"

Zoro sent the two go, and the sniper agents shot. They weren't aimed at Vivi, no, but at Zoro. Such a small detail had been forgotten.

"_ZORO!_" the three yelled. Now the snipers took Vivi as their target, but she was already gone from them. Chopper avoided the shot by turning into his small form, so it went by him harmlessly.

Sanji crashed to the ground, and Vivi knocked out the Baroque Works agents. She disappeared inside, and they all held their breath as they waited what would happen. Gen's face darkened, she knew that the bomb would go off anyways.

"Did she make it?" Usopp dared to ask. Zoro finally came down and hit the ground hevily.

"So you're still alive?"

"_Phew..._ what about the cannon?"

Chopper came running from the dustcloud that was surrounding them. "What happened?"

"We don't know the outcome, Vivi's still inside."

"...it's not over."

"What, what do you mean?"

"I mean..."

"_NOOO!_ IT'S A TIMED BOMB! IT'S GOING TO EXPLODE AT ANY TIME IF IT'S NOT DISASSEMBLED!" Vivi screamed.

"_**WHAAAAAAATT?**_**!**"

"Damn, how could this-! We stopped the cannon! But the bomb is still...!" Sanji cursed.

"A Time bomb?"

"If it's a 5km blast zone, this whole town will..." Zoro said. Gen sighed, she was dead tired and it wasn't over still. _'Soon.'_

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Usopp asked. "YOU MEAN THAT STOPPING THE BOMB WAS IMPOSSIBLE FROM THE BEGINNING?"

"WE FINALLY FOUND AND STOPPED IT! BUT HE LEAVES ANOTHER WAY TO FIRE IT!" Vivi yelled. Her voice was defeated.

"VIVI! DON'T GIVE UP ON HOPE!" Gen saw it necesseary to say, but the girl was beyond calming down. A loud shriek of '**CROCODILE!**' that came from the tower was so full of anger, pain and frustration that Gen's heart wrenched.

Then she saw Pell fly up in and perch on the edge.

"Did you just see that?"

"It's that damn bird..." Zoro muttered.

"Pell."

"What?"

"His name's Pell," she whispered. Pell disappeared inside the clock and came out with the hugeass bomb in his claws. They all looked in disbelief as he flew higher and higher, and then...

**_BOOOOOMMMM!__!_**

The bomb was far enough not to cause too much damage, but the shockwave it created blew Usopp off his feet and Gen had to shield from all the flying stuff.

"That bastard... why...?" Sanji gasped.

"In order to protect the country, he sacrificed himself," Nami said.

"Hey..." Usopp and Chopper were looking at the battleground. The blast had disrupted it, and the men were starting to get back on their feet. The bomb... hadn't been enough to stop the fight.

_"I'm scared..."_ Gen heard a small voice rigt next to her ear. _"I'm sorry! I can't! I'm scared!"_

"Who... are you? Why are you scared?" she didn't see anyone. The voice belonged to a child, she could tell.

_"I'm... scared... when he's still here...!"_

The others looked how Vivi was crying in the tower, shouting her voice hoarse to everyone to stop fighting. Nami had tears in her eyes, before she started giving out orders to the boys sto save as many lives as they could. _'Hurry UP Luffy!'_

"Who are you scared of?" she asked with a whisper. She held small hands hug her arm, but still she couldn't see anyone.

_"I'm scared of him!"_

"Good boy, no need to be scared. Tell, who is it you are scared off? Maybe I could help?"

There was a pause, but then the child's voice said silently: _"The sand demon."_

_'He must mean Crocodile.'_ "Don't worry, wait a moment more and you'll see him flying high and coming down hard!"

"Who're you talking to?" Nami asked, but she chose to ignore her and smiled.

"Who are you?" she asked.

_"I'm Suhaiba."_

"Nice to meet you, Suhaiba. I'm Gloria."

Giggle, _"Hello, Gloria!"_

"Are you scared anymore?"

_"No, not so much."_

"Good."

_"If you promise me that he'll go away, can I finally do my duties?"_

_'Duties?'_ "Sure you can," she smiled gently.

As if on cue, there was a great blast and someone flew out of a cloud of sand. It was Crocodile, followed with a dusty tail.

"Hey! Look at that!" Sanjii was the one to notice him. Gen felt the tiny hands squeeze her hand a little tighter, but then she heard a surprised voice. "It's really him!"

"Yes it is."

"Crocodile?"

"Although I don't know where he came out of but..." Sanji kept talking.

"That doesn't matter, we know...!" Usopp was saying.

_"Miss Gloria?"_

"Yes, Suhaiba?"

_"I think I'm not scared anymore, at all!"_

"That's a good thing to hear!"

**"LUFFY WON!"** the pirates all joyed.

_**"PLEASE EVERYONE! STOP HIS MEANINGLESS FIGHTING!"**_ Vivi yelled.

Gen felt it. It felt like IT, it smelled like IT, and suddenly the small lifebringing droplets started pelting down on everything.

_Rain._

_'So that was his duty? To bring water?'_ ***** she thought in awe. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked around, and Vivi yelled once more. Now everyone on the opening could hear her voice, as the rain cleared out the smoke and the dust and washed away the anger. The men lowered their wepons.

"Vivi's voice... is finally reaching them," Nami said. The people noticed Crocodile laying on the ground.

"Mr. Crocodile! Why is he down here?"

"_MISTER_ CRCODILE? LET ME TELL YOU WHAT HE'S DONE!" Usopp seethed.

"Just wait and watch," Sanji prevented him from running off.

The rain... felt good, and she could feel how energy started coming back. Of course, it wasn't enough for her, she was too injured, but it was right now the best feeling in the world. She closed her eyes and tilted her head. "And so the rain fell, soothing down the dried land."

"The rain right now, will fall again like before," Vivi said. "Because all the nightmares have ended!"

* * *

><p><strong>*<strong> Suhaiba: I looked up for an arabian word for 'cloud' but all I got was gibbersih. I had to make the name by the ear. Isn't he a darling?

Gloria: *shrieks* _MY HAT!_


	27. One naked Marimo

*Scream of horror* My freedom is over! It's back to school, people. I was yesterday at our capital city with two of my friends, went to movies, bought stuff, got lost... the normal stuff. From now on, my work may be slowed down, but for the first week (maybe two) I still have time enough to write better, and of course the weekends. NO WAY IN NETHERWORLD will I give up on this though, remember that!

Gloria: 'Ear 'ear!

Snoara: I bought a japanese teacup~! Hope ye enjoy the chapter.

* * *

><p>From that on her memory was hazy. How'd she got in the palace was forever a mystery to her, but she was the second to wake up. Nami was first, and Chopper came right after Gen.<p>

She was sore, but clean and bandaged and when she got food in her system she started thinking about the more important things: where was August? What about her bag? It was important to her, one of the only relics from her previous life. Was Greg okay? Where was he? She hadn't seen him after she left him in the desert.

Nami was sitting on a couch, looking through king Cobra's books. Some time forwards the others woke up too and went to do their stuff, Sanji and Usopp out to get something and Zoro... to train. Luffy was still out in the dreamworld, with Vivi personally taking care of him. The reindeer asked her timidly for another bloodsample and started on it after making a crapload of medicines.

Gen wandered around the palace, weirding out the guards and taking in all the details the place had to offer. There was an open balcony that beconed to her, and she looked down to the city.

_"Thank you, miss Gloria!"_ she jumped to the voice. There was a young boy, maybe the age of four, sitting on the rail in a simple silvery cloth. His hair was a big glimmering fuzzball, as if his hair had been spun from glass. He was like a ghastly illusion.

"Oh, hi Suhaiba. You're the one who brought the rain, right?"

_"Yes! Now I will go and herd some more clouds around, I haven't been able to make it in a looong time."_

"Hm, I hope nothing comes to your way anymore."

_"I will see that you will be rewarded, young miss sea,_" he giggled and made curtsey to her. The boy was cute like a puppy, and the gesture was even more cuter.

"Uh, no, I'm only half... Herka's my mom but my dad was a human..." she muttered, suddenly timid. He bid goodbye to her and vanished into air - like a ghost - and she continued her adventure in the massive palace, opening doors after doors, curiously sticking her nose to places.

Then she came upon a real treasure.

"**KINGKINGKINGKINGKINGKING-!**" she ran back to the room where the man was sitting and waiting Alabasta's hero to wake up. The king was an old man with black hair and funny beard, but he had a gentle personality and kindness that almost oozed out of him. Gen liked him immedietaly.

"Whoa, slow down, you'll open your stitches if you rush around like that. Now what is it, young miss?" Cobra held his hands up. Oh, right. He didn't know her name.

"I need pens and paper! Do you have stuff like that anywhere?"

Cobra lead her to a little room (_which he called a closet -_-'_) and if she hadn't known better she'd believed that she'd died and gone to heaven.

"Is this what you were looking for? These are my personal art supplies. Some of them are old, so I don't know if they all work anymore."

"Oh my mother goddess... this is awesome!" Gen slid her hand on the rows of soft paint brushes, pens and pencils, tubes of paint and the high stacks of paper. "Whoaaaa~!"

"Take whatever you want to. If I may ask, what are you going to draw?" he asked. Her eyes sparkled.

"I saw this awesome door when I was walking 'round an' I just had to open it. There was all kinds of sparkly things-"

"You found the palace treasures?" he was surprised.

"Yeah, and I looked around, there were all these cool egyptian things like golden statues and figures and... but you know what there is, don't you? Yeah, and then I saw this awesome statue and I thought: why not draw it?" she talked quickly and when she ended it she was gasping for air. The man sweatdropped.

"Sure..."

Needless to say, she spent the next three days drawing all the pretty statues she happened to see, her favourite being the female version of Anubis. She was hardly seen after that, and one of the kitchen servants brought her her food. For nights though she was ushered to bed to sleep, and finally when Luffy awoke she was fetched.

"Heya dudes and dudettes," she greeted them. Chopper was trying to scold Zoro for taking off his bandages... again.

"Long time no see?" Luffy tilted his head.

"No surprise that he's confused," Usopp said.

"Yeah, Luffy, ya slept fer three days."

"_THREE DAYS!_ I missed 15 meals!"

"Why are you so fast calculating _that?_" Nami asked.

"And you counted 5 meals per day," Usopp pointed out.

"Has anyone seen Agg or Greg?" Gen asked. She was worried for them.

"August was last seen harassing the royal stables, but for the bunny... no," Vivi told her.

"Oh, right! You don't know!" she started telling them of her encounter with the demons. Usopp and Chopper told about their battle against Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas. She listened to them, even when she already knew about it all.

"So Greg was like that..."

"Yeah, he's gorgeous," she said dreamily.

"Sorry for your hat," Chopper gave his consolations. He ment good, but it made Gen curl up in a fetal position and angst in the corner.

"Hey Gen, what was up with the tentackles?" Usopp asked.

"Huh?"

"You know, the water... thingies?" he made a squiggly motion with his arms. "With the crocodile?"

"Ahh, that. It comes from my mother's side, but up until now I haven't been aware that I could do that."

"Up until now?" Nami quirked her eyebrow.

"Gen-chwan is so mysterious!" Sanji sighed.

"Yeah... you know, I was adopted. Or, well, my real mom left me to... a place, where I could grow up without harm (_or that's what she says_) and then she brought me back here. I met her the first time at Baratie."

"BARATIE?" the other's parroted her in surprise.

"Baratie? Did we meet her?" Zoro asked. Chopper and Vivi were a little left out.

"No, you didn't. She's been following us around, if you wanted to know. I think she's a stalker," she 'whispered'.

"A stalker...?" Usopp frowned.

"You really are a mystery," Zoro muttered.

The door opened and a woman who looked freakishly like Igaram came in with a big cart full of fruit.

"Your captain just woke up, I see. It'll be another 30 minutes for dinner to be ready, so please wait for it. It'll be better if we all ate together!"

"HEY! WHA? Hey, man! You're still alive?" Luffy's eyes bugged out. Gen bursted into hearty laughter, but she had to stifle it when one of the stabwounds throbbed. Zoro's face was priceless!

"Heehehehehehe-! Owh!"

"YOU... So you're into _THESE_ kinds of things...?" he backed away.

"You all misunderstood," Vivi came for the save. "She's Terracotta, Igaram's wife and the palace's head chef."

"Thank you for looking after princess Vivi and Igaram."

"There should be a limit as how similiar a couple should be," Zoro sweatdropped. "You stop laughing before you rip a stitch," he pointed at Gen.

"Awww, you do care!" she smiled and wiped a tear away.

"I heard that one of you eats a lot before dinner. Please enjoy these fruit, okay?"

"I understand," Luffy burped. The guy who'd pushed the trolly hadn't even let go of the handle when the fruits were gone. Sanji, Zoro and the random trolly-guy all had looks of... well, there really wasn't a word for it.

"_MAGIC?_!"

"Auntie, I want three days worth of food!" the captain demanded.

"Don't worry, I have worked for 30 years, I won't dissapoint your appetite, just eat your fill!" Terracotta, that brave woman...

The dinner was held in a large room with a big table and high, red chairs. In Gen's opinion it was somehow illegal to have such comfy chairs in a dining hall. For some reason there were guards standing by the walls, who were commenting on their obnoxious feeding time behaviour. Luffy was stuffing his face faster than the eye could follow. It forced the others to eat quickly too, if they wanted to eat at all, and Chopper almost choked on his food. August had appeared out of nowhere to eat his part, and his appetite was almost as bad as Luffy's.

Her heart wasn't fully in it, though, as the feast started tunring into a party with Luffy, Usopp and Chopper dancing on the table. She couldn't lay easy before she saw that Greg was okay. The depressingly dark cloud above her was starting to bug the one sitting next to her, and Zoro clapped her back.

"Hey, try to be more happy, it's not like you to worry about stuff!"

"I can't help it! Greg is still somewh-"

"Shhh," there was suddenly a forkful of noodles in her mouth. "Stop worrying, Snowbrain and eat up."

"Hahaha, hey look! Zoro's feeding her!" Usopp laughed.

"Nami-swaaan~! May I feed you?"

"I can eat by myself!"

"Gen your face is all red!" Luffy laughed, but so was Zoro's.

Gen stood up from her seat and stomped her leg on the table. "SHUT UP! Pour me more whiskey!"

In the end, everyone in the room was laughing, including the guards. In one point Gen stole Zoro's drink with her powers, turning it into a shark that jumped out of his mug. August chased it down and destroyed it in the middle of the table.

After dinner they were escorted to the palace spa. Even the changing room was luxurious. The girls, at least, had a big tower in the middle of the room with golden seashells as shelves, and they were full of towels, shampoo bottles and bathgoods of all sorts. She put dibs on a sponge shaped as a seahorse, and went through all the bottles, sniffing on them and enjoying the scents.

"Ahh~ this is my first time being in a place like this!" she said.

"Really? How about you, Nami?" Vivi asked. She already had her towel around her, but Nami was still taking off her clothes.

"Once, but it was nothing like this."

"Woo! This smells like caramel!" Gen squeeled in delight.

"You're such a kid," Nami sweatdropped and popped open a bottle. "Hey! This smells like strawberries!"

"Eeeh, I don't like that one, it's too sweet," Gen said.

When they finally got to the bath, she saw big, golden dragons. They had water coming out of their mouths, and Gen ran to the fountain, standing underneath the shower.

"Thiiis is the best~" she sighed and sat down in the bath. Her towel, a bottle of shampoo and the seahorse were waiting her on the edge. She rised her leg up to examine the stabwound in her thigh. It had four stiches, and since she had six wounds, it would make... twenty four stitches! They looked well, but she didn't know if it was a good idea to get them wet.

"This feels _so_ good," Nami said. Vivi was scrubbing her back with a washcloth.

"That sounds _so_ wrong," Gen said. She leaned on the edge of the pool with her elbows, letting her hair fall over her shoulders like a white cape.

"You and your dirty mind," Nami stuck her toung out. "I wonder if there's a ship equipped with such a bath!"

"There must be one, the sea is so vast!" Vivi laughed. "Giants and dinosaurs, sakura in a winter island... so many things to see!"

"That's why they're pirates!" Gen grinned.

"Oi, aren't you ready to join us already?" Nami asked.

"It depends. If a captain asks me, maybe I will!"

"Luffy's asked you at least hundred times."

"What's this?" Gen put her hand behind her ear as if to listen to something. "You want me to join too?"

"Well, you are practically one of us."

"Will I get a cookie if I join the dark side?" she tilted her head and gave a mischicivious smile.

Nami grinned. "Ask Sanji. Maybe he'll make you. (_Wait a minute, what _dark side_?_)"

"Chocolate chip?"

"He's Sanji, he'd bake you anything if you asked. And even if you didn't... Vivi, let's swap."

"Hnn, thank you. You're an odd one, Gloria!" the princess giggled.

"I told you, it's Gen!"

"Hm?" Nami looked at the wall that seperated the boys from the girls' side. Luffy even had his arms over the wall, and Sanji was factoring hearts. Chopper was just cute, hanging on the fence butt naked.

"Awww~!"

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Vivi yelled.

"Those guys... _Happiness punch_! Hula... it makes 100 thousand each."

"NAMI!" Vivi blushed, when the navigator flashed at the boys, making them fall off. There was a muffled 'mellorine~' fom the other side.

When the nuicanse was taken care of and Nami was done scrubbing Vivi, they climbed in the bath with Gen.

"You have pretty hair," the demigoddess commented. "You both have."

"Thanks, so is yours. How come it's white?" Vivi asked.

"It's my natural color, even though it hasn't always been white."

"Hey, I remember when you were so surprised to see your hair, right after we found you," Nami recalled. "You said that your hair shouldn't be white."

"How do you remember that?" Gen sweatdropped.

"Then, what was it originally?" Vivi asked.

"Blond."

They chatted about unimportant things such that only girls would talk, and Gen's eyes started darting to the separating wall. When she clearly wasn't following about the two's conversation, Nami poked her in the side.

"Eeek!"

"What's with that calculating look?" Nami rised her eyebrow. "Going to peep on the guys? You perv."

She giggled and a lecherous grin split her face in two. Vivi and Nami sweatdropped. "You know, you should just tell that guy that you like him."

"Huh?"

"Zoro," Nami cleared. "You like him, don't you?"

"Eehhehehehe," she turned red and swam away from the two. Nami shook her head.

"How did you get into that conclusion? They're always making fun of each other," Vivi asked.

"That's it exactly!" Nami winked.

"Here we go~" Gen said and started climbing the wall.

"GET DOWN FROM THERE!"

"But but buuut! I wanna see muscles, and skin!" the girl whined, but the impression was ruined by her still present grin.

She ignored Vivi's calls and got up to the wall. It was slippery from the steam, so she had to be careful.

There the boys were, Luffy and Usopp playing around with Chopper. Gen had always liked Usopp's hair, since it was naturally curly. Now he was keeping it in a ponytail, but she could imagine how it was if it was open: an afro.

Sanji was washing his hair. He was lean and pale, but his abs were awesome, as well as his legs.

Her eyes travelled to the pool, where Zoro was laying with his eyes closed, enjoying the feeling.

After a moment his eyes fluttered open, as he felt someone stare at him. He looked around the room to spot the culprit, and then he saw Gen on the wall. She saw him staring back at her confusedly, and she couldn't help but wiggle her eyebrows.

Zoro's eyes widened and he disappeared under the surface, red in the face. She saw him slide away with long, strong strikes and hide behind the lion fountain.

"_Yoohoo~!_" she waved. "Having fun?"

"_GYAA!_ A PERVERT!" Usopp yelled. He was trying to cover himself like a girl. '_Dude, you just peeped on_ us, _didn't you?_'

"GEN-CHWAAAAN~~!" Sanji went noodles. It might've had something to do with the fact that she didn't have a towel with her, since it had only made it more difficult to get to the wall. Her only cover right now was her hand.

"Hey Gen! Wanna come play with us?"

"Okaay~!"

"_NO SHE CAN'T_!" was a vigorous answer from both the sides. Zoro was one of the shouters.

"GET DOWN FROM THERE!" Vivi had a tickmark on her head.

"Come oooon, it's just Luffy!"

"Yeah, she can come and play with us!" Sanji said.

"You twisted fiend~," Gen cooed to him, and was yanked down from the girls' side.

* * *

><p>Gen was hugging on to her bag she'd filled in the king's art stack. He'd given her a permission, don't worry. There was also a thick bunch of drawings she'd done in three days in the treasure room. She had to be careful, because she also had her new potted plant in her lap. It had been on her bed when they'd returned from the bath, but Zoro hadn't said anything about it. The cactus had a small red flower on it, and the pot it was in had white and black stripes going upwards. She felt like giggling, she'd have to thank him properly sometimes.<p>

"Tonight?" Usopp reminded her of their topic.

"Yup."

"Well, I think we should too," Zoro said. "No reason to stick around here any longer."

"Mmhm, I've had enough of sand for the rest of my long life," Gen said. "Though I'm gonna miss Agg..."

"Greee."

"The marines are starting to lose their patience," Sanji commented.

"Luffy, it's up to you," Nami said.

"Yosh! We're leaving after one more Arabasta banquet!" he smiled and was hit by Nami.

"We have to leave NOW, idiot!"

Vivi was looking miserable, so Gen put the stuff down and went to hug her. She squeezed back.

"Now now, Vivs! Don' look so sad."

A guard holding a big, violet and yellow den den mushi with white polka dots came to the room.

"You've got a phone call."

"A phone call?" Nami asked.

"From someone called 'Bon-chan'," the guy said. Gen shuddered. _'It's that goddamn queer again.'_

"Bon-chan? Who's that?" Usopp asked. "We don't know him."

"He claims to be your friend, so..."

"Yes yes, we know that... thing."

"We do?"

"Unfortunately," she groaned.

"A friend?" Sanji got up and answered it.

**"Hello? Hello? Hel~loo? Njahahaha, it's ME~! It. Is. ME!"**

CLICK

Sanji put the reciever back down with a sick face.

"I told you..."

The snail started ringing persistently.

"WHAT IS IT?" Sanji yelled. Luffy stretched and snatched the snail from the plate the guy was holding and answered it.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want with us?"

**"Oh? Isn't that you, Straw-chan? You're so strooong~! I was so surprised~! Oh, yes, yes! Don't go calling me Mr. 2! If the marines get wind of this conversation, I'll be in super big trouble!"**

"YOU JUST SAID THAT YOURSELF!" Chopper said.

"Just spit it out," Zoro was sitting cross legged on one of the beds.

"Ah, right, right, right! I took your little ship!" the queer said.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

"Hey! You asshole! Where are you now?" Usopp demanded.

"I'm at your boooooat~!"

"Of all the annoying bastards in the world..." Sanji muttered.

"Cut 'im some slack, he did it fer a good cause. Bonnie, have you seen a really handsome man, by the way?" Gen calmed them down and asked.

"Hmmm? A really handsome man? Why yes! There was a really super goooorgeous boy here! Wanted to rub myself over him and say 'me~ow', but oh! I'm not a cat!" he laughed.

Gen shuddered again, and Sanji's eyebrow twitched. "L-Let's forget entirely that you just said that. Is he still there? Is he okay?"

"He is! He's actually sleeping right now! He was really beat when I first saw him~!"

"Gen! Don't be all buddy-buddy with that guy!" Usopp said.

"You've got it all wrooong! Aren't we friends~?" the snail laughed. "Ah, and I took the liberty to move your ship upstream. Bye~!" and the line went dead.

The guard took the phone away and left the strawhats ponder on it.

"Well..." Luffy was the first to speak. "We were friends before..."

"The idea of you becoming friends again scares me," Zoro said.

"You are underastimating that twirly-toe," Gen yawned. She was tired and drowzy from the relaxing bath, and the image of Zoro enjoying his bath was burned forever in her memory. She layed next to Vivi on the couch and rested her head on the princess' thighs. Her hair had been braided, and it was still wet. Vivi's hand started absentmindedly pet her.

"We don't really have a choiose," Chopper said.

"That's right, he's got our ship. If he's trying anything funny, we'll just kick his ass."

"Lessjus' go, or someone hafta carry me-e-e*_yawn_* t'th' ship."

They started putting their stuff together."Hey... everyone..." Vivi's voice was small and mellow. "What... should I do?"

"Listen well, Vivi. We'll give you twelve hours to think. We'll be at noon at the eastern harbour, and if you sill want to come wit us for an adventure, that's your last chance. If you come, we'll celebrate, as pirates!" Nami said.

Sanji dropped a rope from the window. He had one leg out on the windowsill. "You're the princess of the Kingdom, so this is the best invitation we can give you."

"Come, Vivi! You have to come! Come right now!"

"Luffy, she has to make her own decicion," Usopp said. He and Luffy started talking about why Vivi had to do it by herself.

"Hnn, Vivs, if ya come with us ya'll hafta leave Agg t'yer dad, mm'kay?"

"Let's go. Gen, you have to get up, too," Zoro reminded her. "Hey, hey, don't fall asleep there!"

"I think it's too late," Vivi smiled. The girl was sleeping in her lap, hevily like a little child. The swordsman sighed and took the girl in his arms. Nami was nice to take the black bag, and Chopper was tagged with the cactus.

"Come on, Snowbrain, you have to stay up for a little more," Zoro shook her shoulder, but she was beyond awakening.

"We don't have time for that, just ride with her," Nami said annoyedly.

* * *

><p>"What in the fudge is all this racket?" Gen walked half asleep to the deck. "Greg!"<p>

"Ah, good morning, Gloria-sama. Was your sleep sound?" the man bowed to her. He looked like a prince.

"Yes, thank you."

"JUST KEEP HELPING THE SHIP!" Usopp yelled.

Indeed, the ship was full of harpoons.

"Ah, marines, my old enemy..." she narrowed her eyes at the blue and white ships. Two at the right, two at the left, two at the back and two at the front. Bon's ship was right next to them them.

Greg jumped on the ship's railing and waved his sword in an arc. He used his attack, the one that shoots water (_she didn't remember the name anymore_) and cut the nearest harpoon. It was still lodged in the Merry's side, but now it was just a stump from before. He changed place and cut cleanly through the next one, muttering something in another language. Gen guessed it wasn't anything pretty by the tone of it.

"Fire the cannons! Not those harpoons!" Luffy yelled rather urgently. "Cannonballs I can bounce back!"

"If they keep hitting us with the spears, it'll only be a matter of time before we sink!" Sanji shouted. Greg jumped from seemingly nowhere and sheathed his sword.

"Here they come again!" Nami said. More harpoons flew at them, and the monster trio stopped them before they could harm the ship - leaving the other side was vulnerable.

"OI! THERE'S NO WAY I CAN PATCH ALL THESE HOLES!" Chopper yelled from the door that led below deck.

"Hurry up and DO something people!"

"We can only protect one side at the time! Going against eight ships is too much!" Sanji was biting his cigar.

"Even when we're good in hand-to-hand combat... Even if we rush them or retreat, they won't brake their formation!" Zoro growled.

Gen stifled a yawn. It wasn't that the situation wasn't dire, but she had just woken up and she was particulary slow today. "Then brake it. Boom, boom, take two ships down and there's a hole in the form," she demonstrated by 'shooting' the ships with her fingers. "Or I could sink 'em."

"You can do that?" Nami asked hopefully.

"Dunno. Never tried."

Someone laughed from the marine ship: "You pipsqueaks won't beat us! Dorks!"

"Yeah, really mature an' tough talkin' from ov'r there. Come 'ere an' say it again," Gen hit her fist to her palm. She new the guy on the next ship's aft, he was that hypnotizer-guy... that one with the mushroom growing from his chin. Who was that other guy?

"Oi! Hypnotist! I thought you were a pirate!" Luffy said.

"Who's the other guy?" Sanji asked.

"That's what I was thinking."

"We meet again! That bloody violent chef, and those guys! I'll sink you all today! I'm much stronger now!"

"Oooh, now I remember! He was that dork at the restaurant! The one with the skank around his arm!" Gen realized.

"Today I will show you all, I'm not weird! Come, look at this circle! Ok?" the hypnotis- oh yeah, Jango was his name-o.

BOOM

The ship was shot and started falling at it's right: on the other marine ship. Girly screaming later they both sunk.

"Wow!" Luffy sweatdropped. "Usopp! You're great!"

"Holy shit... I MEAN! That's right! It was all planned! Didn't expect that, did ya?" Usopp, real smooth...

"Well done, long nose! Well done! You sinked the ships at the south! Now let's rush-!

_Blublublublublu..._

"Hey! That ship over there is sinking!" Sanji pointed to their behind. Gen had her hands up and she seemed to be intensly concentrated.

"_You're_ doing it?"

"Shh! You don't know how hard it is to sink a ship properly!"

The ship tilted forwards, then backwards and WHOUMP! just... sunk. Gen fell on her butt on the deck and panted.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"I... detached... the bottom... of the ship..."

"BAD NEWS!" was heard from the swan-ship. "IT'S THE BLACK CAGE!"

Bon froze. There was a group of three ships coming up from their north side.

"What's that?" Luffy asked.

"Black cage Hina! The marine Headquarters captain who patrols this area of the sea! Not good at all! Let's get away!"

"Aye, Bon Clay-sama!"

"What the hell are you guys doing? Lets ruuun away!" the queer turned to them. "If we go that way, we can still get out! If we stay like this, we'll be done in for sure!"

"If you want to go, go. We can't," Luffy told him.

"Whaaaat do you mean you can't?" his eyes bulged out. His crew was asking him to return to his ship so they could escape.

"We made a promise to be at the eastern harbour at noon. There's no time to sail back. We have to press forward," Nami said.

"That's the silly-silliest thing I've ever heard!" Bon Clay shouted. "What kind of treasure could there be that's worth your LIVES? Fine! Go and die!"

"We're going to see a nakama," Luffy pressed his hand on his hat.

"F-For a... friend?" Bon Clay stuttered.

"A really good one, too. You know 'er, blue hair and a duck?" Gen gestured. _'The one you tried to kill?'_

"BON CLAY-SAMAA!"

"Truly... running away now would defy the way of Bon Clay! If we're not able to sacrifice ourselves to help our friends, we will never rest in peace!" the okama started crying.

"Strawhat Luffy and the rascals, listen to me carefully! We will be a decoy!"

"WHAT?"

Suddenly Bon Clay's men popped out with costumes... actually not bad... considered. The one guy that was supposed to be her had obviously a wig. As they sailed away, the marine ships went after the swan. It was peppered with iron spears, and the pirates jumped on the nearest marine ship to cause chaos.

"BON! BON! WE WILL NEVER FORGET YOU!" they looked how the ship suddenly ignited. Somehow Gen was getting wistful. She saw something dark slither in the water. A hand rose above the surface, a hand with arabian coins.

_'That's mom.'_ "What is she doing?" Gen asked from Greg, who had opted to stand behind her like a bodyguard.

"She is setting the ship's soul free," he said quietly.

"The ship had a soul?"

"Love makes life," Greg simply said, and she could believe such.

"Let the flowers of friendship scatter above the water," she said.

The ships were starting to pop out of the smoke and advance on them, and the boys started taking them out one after another. Pieces of wood was flying around... and all the while there was Vivi's voice speaking of their adventure, an inside thing to only those who knew it by detail.

When the bad guys were beaten, they sailed closer to the shore. 'Wait, wouldn't it be us the bad guys, since we are pirates?' Correction, when the good-ish guys were beaten, they sailed closer to the shore and the town.

"Vivi..." Chopper and Luffy were hanging on the railing. "Did you hear that? The speech right now, that was definitely Vivi," Zoro said. If he had any heart, he would be sad too.

"Vivs... Agg... Caroo..."

"It's that ceremony at Alubarna, seems like she decided not to come..." Sanji said.

"It just sounds like Vivi, that's all! She's definitely going to be at the place we promised, right?" Luffy sounded like a kicked puppy. "She has to be here!"

"Let's go... it's past noon already," the cook sighed.

"She _has to_ be here! Let's get off the ship and look! I know she's there!"

"Problems! The marines are coming at us again!" Usopp said from the upper deck.

"_WHAT?_! How many damned ships do they have?" Zoro asked.

"Infinitely," Gen said, but it lacked her usual enthusiasm. Greg pat her on the shoulder.

"Let's sail now! Full speed ahead!"

"Forget it Luffy, she's different from Vivi that was with us," Sanji said.

"She is coming!" Gen snapped. "I know she's coming! Wait just a little moment!"

"Of course she's coming if she says so!" Luffy supported her.

"EVERYOOONE!" a shout came from the shore.

"VIVI!"

"AND CAROO!"

"LOOK! SHE CAME!" Luffy cheered.

"Let's turn back! Quick!"

"VIVI-CHWAAAAN~!"

"The marines are closing in!" Chopper informed them, but waved to Vivi nontheless.

"I'M HERE... TO SAY GOODBYE!" Vivi yelled.

"What...?"

"**I... can't go with you**," she started talking to the speaker so she didn't beed to yell. **"Thank you all for what you've done for me! Even though I still want to go with you, but right now I... I really love this country! So I can't come along! I...**" she was starting to tear up, and it sounded in her voice. "**Even though I... want to stay here! But if there is one day where we meet each other again, will you still call me nakama?"**

"She's crying!"

"So are you, Gloria-sama."

"I'm not crying, it's just sand that went into my eye."

Greg sighed. "Hai, Gloria-sama."

"NO MATTER WHAT WE-!" Luffy was going to yell, but Nami gagged him.

"Idiot! We shouldn't answer her! The marines already saw her, if they found out we're friends, they will mark Vivi as a criminal! Let's just part quietly..."

Luffy was biting his lip, and they turned their backs at her and the kingdom of sand, Gen and Greg too. Even when he didn't have the x-mark on his arm, he still lifted it.

They stood like that even when the cannons went off around them and water sprayed on them. Soon Luffy gave his order to set sail.

* * *

><p>It's a wrap. I'm off to write more, and then to school T-T<p> 


	28. Welcome home

*Stumbles through the door* Oh my freakin'...! It's only been three days of school and I'm already beat! This is _not_ boding well for me.

Gloria: And the chapter is short. Why'd you left it short?

Snoara: Because I saw it fit to cut it where I cut it. Please don't hate me.

* * *

><p>"The marines finally gave up."<p>

"Hmmm..."

"Mmmhmmm..."

"Hmm..."

"Seems like we lost them."

"Mmm..."

"Hmmh."

"Hey, what's with that answer?" Zoro asked and crossed his arms in annyoyance and badly covered murkier mood. "What's wrong with you all?"

"We're lonely~!" they all were hanging between the railing with their arms hanging freely. Gen was one of the weepers. Greg had returned to the rabbit and closed out the world again on them.

"Stop crying! Jeez! You still can't accept her leaving. I knew that I should've just dragged her with us."

"Whaa, you're a barbarian," Chopper accused.

"Despicable..." Nami said.

"Devil..." Sanji muttered.

"Santoryuu."

"Wait, Luffy, that's not an insult," Usopp said.

"Yontoryuu."

"You just added one! Hey, you know Natou? Rotten soybeans? That could be an insult!"

"Heartless rot-brained rat's-ass bastard, you could just go and chew on a kitten or a puppy-dog. But I'm glad that you're missing her too. It's kinda sweet."

"I understand, just cry for all I care!" Zoro swetdropped.

The door below them opened. "Finally we're out to the sea... Good work."

"**?_!_!**"

"You're here for revenge? Come on!" Zoro grabbed his katana.

"WHY ARE YOU HEEERE?" Nami screamed.

"AAAH! PRETTY LADY!" ...no need to say who...

**"ENEMY ON BOARD! ENEMY ON BOARD**!" Usopp was talking to a loudspeaker and Chopper 'hid' behind the mast.

"Who is she?"

"What? It's you! You're not dead?"

Gen was still laying between the rails. Several hands disarmed Nami and Zoro. "Don't point these dangerous things at me! Didn't I tell you that before?"

"Argh! Hands?" Zoro looked creeped out.

"Since when did you board the ship?" Nami asked.

"I was here the whole time in the cabin, reading a book and taking a bath. These clothes are yours? I'm borrowing them," Robin took out a foldable chair.

"WHAT ARE OU DOING, B.W.?" Nami had a tickmark on her head.

"Monkey D. Luffy."

"Eh?"

"You aren't forgetting what you did to me, are you?"

Sanji looked shocked and he started shaking the captain back and forth. "AAAAAAAH! LUFFY, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THIS BEAUTIFUL LADY? WHAT! DID! YOU! DO?"

"Hey! Don't lie! I didn't say anything to you!" The boy said. Gen started crawling down the stairs like a snail.

"Yes you did. You put me through some very excrutiating treatment. You better take responsibility!" she chilled on the chair. Sanji started shaking him again.

"'Excrutiating treatment'? What the HELL did you do to her?"

"That could be taken very misleadingly," Gen was now sitting next to Robin's chair. _'I'd love to smother her with all my big heart, but... she's a devil's fruit user...'_ she sighed sadly.

"You're really weird, what do you want?" Luffy asked. Robin leaned forward to her hand.

"Let me... join your crew."

"EH?"

"It's you who made me go on when I wanted to die... that's all your fault. I have nowhere else to go, so let me stay on this ship."

"Oh, if it's like that, then there's nothing I can do. It's okay," the boy said easily.

"LUFFY?_!_"

"Don't worry! She's not as bad as you all think!" he smiled.

Usopp put up a table and another chair on the deck and shone a lamp at her. He had a pen and paper in front of him. Maybe it was supposed to be an interview, but to Gen it looked like a third degree. She was still sitting tightly next to Robin and thinking about joining the crew. Her hand was wrapped around the chair's leg and she was leaning into the chair. Robin was entertaining Luffy and Chopper with hands that sprouted from the deck, and Zoro was leaning against the mast. He looked like he was napping, but she was sure that he was keeping his eye on the woman.

"...and that's why I'm good at stealthy things. I'm quite good at it."

"Hmmm, you are pretty confident... what kind of operations?" Usopp asked.

"_As-sas-i-na-ti-on_," she said and smiled.

"LUFFY ACCORDING TO MY INVESTIGATION, I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THIS WOMAN_ IS TOO DANGEROUS!_" the sniper cried. The captain wasn't paying attention. The arms were much more interesting now.

"PAY ATTENTION!"

"Really, they're useless. I still remember you used to be the vice president of an evil organization. You were Crocodile's partner! You can fool Luffy, but you won't fool me. If I see anything suspicious, I'll get rid of you!" Nami threatened.

"Hehe... Okay, I'll remember that. In that case..." there was suddenly a pouch on the table. "I'll just keep these jewels to myself."

"Waaaa, I love you, Onee-sama!" her eyes turned into sparkles and she could hear the cash register crunching in her head.

"Oi, oi, oi, oi!" Usopp and Zoro sweatdropped.

"Nami's down!"

"That was dirty..."

"Ah, it's love!" Sanji twirled at them with a cup of coffee. After lines of love-cofessions (_that the author is too lazy to write_) he set the cup in front of Robin, who thanked him.

"Did he really just do that?"

"Yeah, but he was a lost cause from the beginning," the two sweatdropped again.

"It seems we are the last fort," Zoro said.

"Those guys really need someone to take care of them!" Usopp said with a tough-boy attitude.

"Usopp!" Luffy called him.

"Hm?"

"Chopper!"

And Usopp was a goner. Zoro had a pulsing vein on his forehead, and he turned to look at Gen. "What about you?"

"Hmmm?" the girl looked at him. He wasn't sure if she was really awake.

"What do you think of her?" he nodded towards Robin. The women looked at each other before the girl broke into a smile.

"Took you long enough, Robin-nee, but welcome home! If I hadn't been depressed right then I would've tackled you to the deck."

"Ah, thank you."

"I'm sorry I'm out of juice today~."

The swordsman facepalmed. "You... too...?"

"Pretty much! Robin-nee needs lots of love and hugs," she said. "Oh! And we need to know each other properly! A tour! A tour!"

"Weren't you just apologizing for being tired?"

"Gen! Come and play with us!" Luffy waved her over.

"This isn't so bad, are they always this cheerful?" Robin asked Zoro.

(_"Come on, Gen! Chase me too!" Luffy said. "You're just chasing Usopp!"_

_"Yeah! Yeah!" Chopper chirped "Chase me too!"_)

"Yeah, they're always like that," he replied.

(_"Yeah! Don't chase me! It makes me want to play dead!" the sniper pointed at the girl, who just stuck her toung out._)

"Really?" she smiled like the sun. Zoro froze, and looked at her from the corner of his eye.

_'The guy's whipped by a little cute smile.'_ "Zoro youre pouting!" Gen laughed.

"_I don't pout_," he grumbled and left to get his weights. He had gotten new ones, the old weights were gone now.

"Hey, hey!" Luffy stood in front of Robin. "Why does the hedgehog cry?"

"The hedgehog... is that a riddle?"

"Yes! It's a stupid riddle that she gave to me! If I get an answer to it, she'll join the crew!" he pointed at Gen.

"You should get the answer on yourself instead of asking others, y'know," she frowned. She was now looking through her drawings, looking for mistakes and throwing away the ones she didn't like. By now she'd balled a picture of a golden dog that as a statue had been so pretty but now on the paper looked bad.

"But it's so hard!"

"You're not with them?" Robin asked.

"Nope. But seeing that I'm not going back where... you know this is really confusing sometimes," she shook her head, losing the subject.

"Where do you come then?" Robin asked.

"Here... but still, from there..." Gen frowned. "I'd love to say 'not going back where I came from', but that's not true since I really came from here in the first place."

"That does sound difficult."

"Hey, what the heck are you talking about?" Usopp asked. "You don't make any sense!"

Gen hummed and bit her lip. She'd tried to bury her past away and just not talk about it, but it seems that there's always someone who has the right question. "There's... 'here'," she gestured. "And then there's 'there'."

Robin nodded. "And you are from 'there'?"

"No, I'm from 'here', but I've also been 'there'. For long I didn't even know where 'here' was, but then stuff happened," Gen said.

Nami rolled her eyes. "I'm happy that we finally have someone who can understand her."

"Hey! I am completely understandable person! You are just too attached to reality," she pointed at the navigator.

"That didn't make any sense!"

"Exactly. Find sanity in insanity."

"You speak in riddles," Usopp sighed.

"I get what you mean. But do tell me..." Robin leaned to her and asked quietly: "Where is 'there'?"

Gen smirked. Robin was trustworthy, she decided. And hungry for knowledge. She cupped her hand on the older woman's ear and told the answer. Robin chuckled. "Ah, so that's how it is."

"But shh! They don't know that much about me," Gen pressed her finger on her lips.

"What? What is it?" Luffy asked. That curious little thing.

"It's a secret~!"

"Come on!"

"Na-a."

"Please?"

"Non."

A hand suddenly grabbed Luffy from the back of his neck and pulled him aside. The whitey tilted her head in confusion, as Zoro dragged him away. Then she shrugged and dropped it.

"If you're from 'here', how'd you get to 'there'?" Robin asked.

"According to mom, she took me there."

"Ah. You sure are trusting, has been from the beginning. How do you know that I won't tell the others? You... unnerve me."

Gen gave a big grin. "I know you."

The woman rised her eyebrow. _'Yeeeeah by this rate I'm just going to creep her out.'_

"By the way, miss Navigator, is the log pose okay?"

"Straight forward to north-west, don't worry, Robin-nee-san~!"

"You... kept the jewels, didn't you..." it was a statement.

"Sanji, where's my snack?" Luffy asked.

"Wait a sec!"

"Can I have some too, Sanji-kun?"

"HAI, GEN-CHWAAN!"

"Me too!"

"And me!"

* * *

><p>Luffy couldn't help the grin. Sure, he was a smily person and hey, who could be sad when life was so good? Though, this grin seemed to be something that he really couldn't help. Now he had a way to get Gen join them!<p>

**Flashback**

"What are you doing, Zoro?" he asked from his first mate, who'd dragged him away from the others.

"Gen doesn't really care for the riddle anymore."

"What? She's not going to join at all?" He looked horrified. "I'll just have to be more persistent!"

"No!" Zoro grabbed the boy from his shoulder. "That's exactly what she doesn't want. Now listen good, Luffy," he looked at him seriously. "The only way she'll ever join is if the captain asks her to."

Luffy was quiet for a second. Then... "Okay! I'll go ask her right now!"

"No, you dimwit!" he had to pull him away again. "Right now you're not 'the captain' in her eyes, but a kid. You have to be a CAPTAIN, if you ask her to join."

"Oh." Silence. "Then, I'll just have to ask her real nice!"

"You idiot..."

**End**

Of course he knew what Zoro had meant, he wasn't that stupid. He never was a complicated thinker, usually someone else had to do it for him. Many times he just compensated that by strength, and it always ended up just fine. Sometimes though kind words and humble mind did more than fists. That had Vivi taught him at Drum.

What Zoro had been saying was: try to act like an adult.

"'Remember when I told you how my kin is different in some ways? And how you should not fall in love with someone like me, anyway...'"

"Hmm? Someone's singing?" Luffy heard the fragile voice and started walking towards the source of it. It was silent, as if not wanting to be heard.

"'Between the lines, people see signs, when they feel the sear, every day's fear...'"

"Luffy whatcha doing?" Usopp asked. He and Chopper were burning time by fishing.

"Do you hear that? Who's singing?" he looked around the deck.

"'And one night their torches find the girl without a name, and the one who has her love... is no more safe...'"

Usopp and Chopper both turned to look up. "Oh, it's just her. She's been singing for some time now."

"I like her voice, but the songs could be more happier," Chopper commented.

"She can sing...?" Luffy blinked. "AH! GEN! _YOU TRICKED ME!_ YOU SAID YOU COULDN'T SING!"

She popped over the basket's side, her hair fluttering like a white flag. She stuck her toung out. "I never said I couldn't sing, you asked me if I were a musician, and I said no. I am not a musician."

"She's _always_ singing, haven't you noticed?" Usopp sweatdropped.

"Can you cook too?"

"No, that's something I'm not even going to try. I'd just poison you all. Besides, Sanji's really good!"

"Thank you, Gen-chwaaaan! Can I get you a drink?"

"No thanks!"

"Could you sing something happy for the change?" The reindeer asked.

"Sorry, I'll shut up if you don't want to listen to it, but honestly I didn't even notice that I was singing."

"It's your own mouth moving, how can you miss that?" Usopp sweatdropped.

"Sing! Sing!" Luffy encouraged her.

* * *

><p>Gen was beginning to turn red. It was purely a mistake that she'd sung, but she couldn't supervise EVERYTHING in her when she was so deep in one thing, that being drawing right now.<p>

"NOOO!" she shrieked and disappeared in the crow's nest.

After a while when Luffy got bored he joined Usopp and Chopper. Zoro climbed to the Crow's nest and started doing push ups with his finger on the flagpole. Nami was looking around with a pair of binoculars, and Robin was reading on the chair she'd wordlessly marked as her's.

The boys were making a lot of noise for a quiet activity.

"Nami-swaaan~! To enhance stunning beauty such as yours with silky smooth skin, I have brought you a special tropical juice!" Sanji twirled to the navigator.

"Thank you."

"Hey, now!" the three fishmen all said. "Give me some too!" "Silky smooth!"

"Hold on... why would you guys want silky smooth skin?" Sanji asked. Gen snickered, earning a weird look from Zoro.

"Hey, don't sweat on my drawings!"

"I'm not! I'm training here, so why don't you go somewhere else draw your... what the hell is that anyway?"

"...dunno."

"It... lookes like a torso with monster tentacles and a creepy mask, but why is the mask upside down?"

"Hey, don't ask me."

"I'm asking you! And it's guts are coming out!"

The idiot trio got their drinks and resumed back to fishing. Nami was broadcasting the weather to be good.

"GOT ONE!" Luffy's excited yell could be heard, and then a big splash.

_KLONK_

_'Klonk?'_ Gen peeked over the rail.

"What the hell is that?" Luffy asked.

_'What...? The netherworld...?'_ she tilted her head. It was a big... thing, like a shell, with lots of squiggly things coming from under it. It also... had a window in it. _'It's either a filler or something completely reserved for me,'_ she thought and swung to the ropeladder, climbing down.

"It's huge!"

"Oi, Luffy! What'd you reel in this time?"

The shell fell on it's side, and Gen had a sudden urge to poke it with a stick. They all gathered around it, and Luffy was the first to say something.

"That's one big turban shell!"

"I don't believe that's a turban shell," Usopp commented.

"Am I the only one who wants to poke it with a stick?"

"Why would you do something like that?"

"I don't know."

"What do we do with it?"

"Poke it?"

"We are not going to poke it!"

"Can we eat it?" Luffy was drooling.

"_Eat it?_"

"Maybe I could grill it on it's shell...?" Sanji wondered.

"YOU TOO?_!_"

A door in the thing's shell opened, and a hand stuck out. She noted absentmindedly that it had three rings in it's fingers. "Aaah, I thought I was about to die! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

_'Oh, it's this. I'm not particulary familiar with it,'_ Gen realized.

"Who... are you?"

The guy had a brownish... orange-y suit with blue shirt underneath and a cloth going over his right shoulder. It read SUPER DEAL in red letters, but his face spelled 'weasel'.

"Oh, forgive my rudeness! With a single call, you can count on us to deliever all your material needs! My name is Rice-Rice from Den den mushi mail order services! Delighted to meet you," he bowed, and he smiled so wide his teeth shone. Bling! _'Oh no, it's a salesman!'_ Gen resisted a scream.

"Den den mushi mail order service? What the hell is that?" Zoro asked.

"Oh! While I was delivering some merchandise in my Escargot, I suddenly found myself amidst a storm! It tossed me around quite viciously!"

"It's a snail?" Gen tilted her head. "...I still feel the need to poke it. Or sprinkle some salt on it and see what happens!" her eyes gleamed.

"...and before I knew it, I was lost at sea!"

"Lost at sea?" (_'Sounan desu ka': double meaning of 'Lost at sea?' and 'is that so?')_

"Yes, I was," he laughed. It was a sound she never wanted to hear again. "Oh my! That was a nice pun, miss!"

"Here, have some water," Chopper was taking care of the... snail?

"I wanted to salt it," Gen pouted. Chopper instantly denied her of doing so.

"I can't thank you enough for saving my life! As a toke of my appreciation, please take these catalogs. Anything you desire will be delivered with a single call!"

"Hey, that's prertty convenient," Zoro admitted. "So you deliever all the way out to the sea?"

"Actually we don't."

"Oh, I see..." his vein was bulging in alarm.

"Yes, our motto is: 'safety and low prices are our top priority.'"

"Which translates as 'we give you dangerous crap and rob you clean'," Gen snickered under her breath. The guy kept talking as Usopp and Luffy looked inside the weird shell creature.

"Aaah! What are you doing?" he grabbed the wobbling thing from Luffy. It looked like a rod with two balls on each end. Gen had had enough of this circus, however, and went to her room to change on her bathing suit and take advantage of the great weather. When she returned, the deck was taken over by... crap. Crap you'd only see in commercials channel. She sighed and shook her head, at least Robin was still staying out of it, even when the creepy weasel-salesman was trying to sell her soap.

"'Ey, 'M goin' ta swim around a bit," Sanji's eye turned into a heart when he saw her change of outfit. The swimsuit was sky blue with a white stripe on the side.

"You are such a beautiful young miss! Would you like to see our beach catalog? I'm sure your fair skin would bur in this sun! We have sunlotions, smooth and invicible, blocking out those evil little rays of light~! And inflatable mattress for sunbathing on the waves, or maybe these cute flippers...?"

"Ehh... no thanks," her eyebrow twitched and she jumped off the railing.

"Ahh, such elegant being," Sanji sighed. Zoro slapped him in the back of his head.

Gen wasn't scared of breathing water anymore. Though, she had noticed that if she didn't first empty her lungs of air, she'd start coughing when the water went into her lungs. She swam on her back, looking to the surface. Sun was playing at the waves, making the world crystalline and clear. It was blue, and it was vast. The ship was moving, and she rushed to swim after it.

The weird shell suddenly jumped to the sea and swam away. It was in a hurry, and she blew a raspberry at it's wake as it disappeared in the distance. What had made it escape? Did they finally say something weird and chase him away?

**"Ah well. Better this way."**

She made a rolling movement with her hand and the water started moving counter-clock around her. The water rose from the sea and dropped her off to the deck in front of Robin, who's eyes turned to her. She didn't say anything, but Gen saw the question. "A natural."

There was noice on the ship: Luffy, Usopp and Chopper had deck brushes, and they were yelling things at Zoro.

"Why arent they doing anything?" He asked, pointing at the girsl. Gen blinked and pointed at herself.

"They're ladies."

"That's stupid! What's the difference between a man or a woman?"

"One has a dingle and the other has a dongle," Gen said. "You really should now that by now."

Sanji's foot connected with Marimo's cheek. "Just help out, you monster."

"That's funny coming from you, you love-love machine demon!" the two were suddenly in each other's faces.

"Take a brush, or I'll kick your ass!"

"Why don't you try it? Think you can beat a monster?"

"You only talk like that 'cause you haven't witnessed my demonic powers!"

"Oi, oi, oi! I'm the only demon here!" a voice snapped from Gen's feet.

"Greg? Hi."

"Good day, M'Lady!" the bunny bowed. "Has your day been pleasant?"

Sanji and Zoro were fighting, and Luffy was egging them off. Chopper was trying to speak them to stop raging.

"Yes, thank you. I was meant to ask you, but forgot: how was the fight between you and Roylton?"

He sighed. "Even. He escaped, and I fear that he will make another attempt to your life. Not soon, I know, I did manage to nick his core!" he sounded proud.

"Core?"

"Or 'heart'. It's the center of a demon's being and power."

"I see. By the way, how'd everyone take your human form?" she asked.

"Considerably well, though I think Sanji-san felt himself slightly threatened when Nami stared at me a little too long. He gave me the evil eye," he chuckled, and she could hear smugness in his voice.

"What about the others?"

"Pretty good. The green one gave me a one look that said pretty much the same as Sanji-san, just not that... verbally."

"Oh no, he didn't?" she grinned. She could really imagine what the chef had said.

SMACK

"Didn't I tell you to be QUIET?" Nami had hit the two studs. Hm, it takes a fiend to separate a demon and a monster, Gen mused.

"M-Mellorine..."

"A single blow!" Chopper admired her.

Nami returned to her hole and Zoro climbed up to the crows nest to sulk. He had a big bump in the back of his head.

"Damn, that hurt..." he sounded defeted. Sanji was supervising the three kids' cleaning with his arms crossed, and Robin was STILL reading! Gen had a feeling that she'd read the book and started it over.

"Hey Marimo?"

"Guah! Don't sneak up on me, woman!" he jumped when Gen appeared behind him. She had changed back in her clothes, but her hair was still damp. "What do you want?" he eyed her warily.

"I... wanted to thank you."

"Huh?"

"For the cactus. It's pretty."

"Oh... you're... welocme," he looked abashed and turned back on watching the sea. Gen sat down next to him, and they enjoyed each others' silence.

"Ne, Zoro, do you think I could become something one day?"

"Why are you asking me that?"

"Because you're here, sitting with me and I have heavy thoughts."

"Oh. Well... maybe. I don't know."

"Sure you know! You're a smart guy and you see things that others may happen to miss," she poked him. "Do I have the juice?"  
>He sighed, looked at her and thought about it. She looked back, waiting for him to say something.<p>

"Hmm..." he hummed.

"What?"

"You'r hair's wet."

She sweatdropped. "_What_ are you looking at?"

"Your... hair."

"..."

"...sorry."

"For what?"

"For being weird," he turned away. A blush was starting to creep upwards, starting from his collar.

"Why should anyone apologize for being what they are? That's stupid. Except when you're being a pervert."

"Are you saying _I'm_ a weird pervert?" he frowned.

"Yes! We're all little weird from the inside! You just need it to bloom!" she demonstrated by opening her hand like a flower. He looked at her and wanted to say something, but... what was the point?

"So... you think I could be something?" she tilted her chin to the side.

He swallowed. "Yeah, definitely."

She smiled and leaned her head to his shoulder. "Aww, that's so nice of you!

The level of noise was increasing again on the deck. Usopp was sitting on Chopper's antlers with the deck brush, and the reindeer pushed himself from the pink... abslider? Was that it's name? Anyway, he gave a boost to the sniper who skated around the deck while hanging on to the brush, and Luffy was laughing loudly. Why was the whole deck covered in bubbles? 'It's just a matter of time before...'

"WHAT'S-! going... on...?"

"Nami-swan! You must be tired. Have you finished your work?"

"No... What's all this?"

"Oi, what're you guys doing?" Sanji asked. The wind lifted some bubbles up to the mast and she reached her arm to catch them. Zoro had heard the noises too and climbed down.

"Pop, pop, pop, soap bubbles rock!"

"We're cleaning," Usopp said.

"It's kinda fun," Luffy replied. "Wanna try it out, Nami?"

"What's all the noise?" the swordsman asked when he was walking down the stairs. He bent down and picked up something. "The silky smooth skin soap?"

"Hey, that's dangerous!" Nami said.

"Don't worry, we're fine!" Usopp reassured the navigator as Chopper readied to push the guy on the deck brush again. He didn't look where he was going, so he crashed into Luffy, and he was flown over Merry's figurehead.

"That idiot!"

Luffy stretched his arm and slung himself back like in a bungee jump... and he was going right at Sanji and Nami. NOW Gen remembered what was going to happen, and hid her face into her palm.

"Watch out, Nami-swan!"

_CRASH BANG Klirrrrrkk..._ "Ow ow oww!"

Gen couldn't see what happened in the room, so she slung herself over the crow's nest's edge and on the ladder. Her hands were slick from popping bubbles, so she slipped and had a moment of dread, gripping to the ropes for her life. Her hair was going in her face, too.

"My map!" Nami gasped.

"Oh, you were drawing maps?"

"What? A map?" Chopper asked from the door.

"So that's what you were up to?"

"That's right. It's one of the kind map recording our travels on the Grand line. That's all I wanted!"

The others were taken back by what she said... or for that she was crying. "Get out!"

Luffy tried to apologize, but he was kicked out anyway. The navigator closed the door behind her and the rest of the crew was heading to the other side of the ship. Gen was making progress on getting down from the mast, but...

"SOMEBODYCATCH_MEEEE!_" she fell down. Suddenly pairs of hands sprouted from the mast, but they turned into petals as she went through them. A pair of strong arms caught her before she could become a stain on the deck. "Thanks, Zoro!"

"Try to be more careful."

"Hai, hai."

The mood had gone down.

* * *

><p>It was a sunny, beautiful day. A warm day. A <em>lazy<em> day.

Gen woke up on the deck under the mikan trees. How'd she end up there? Why was she all wet?

"'Ey, did someone water the trees...?"

"YOU WERE STILL ASLEEP?" Usopp yelled.

"Obviously, what happened?" she rolled her eyes and yawned, stretching her hands up. A fist connected with the back of her head.

"A cyclone happened! Didn't you notice? You were even walking around!" Usopp said.

"...I was?"

"Yeah! You said 'none will survive, when the evil mushroom eats all bees'," Chopper said, and then muttered: "It was really scary... I thought that evil mushrooms will come and eat us."

"That was a little random, even from me," she rubbed her eyes and sneezed. "Hrrrr it's cold!"

"Go change out of those clothes before you get sick, I'll go ask Sanji to make you tea," the doctor told her.

"Okay. Is Nami still doing that map of her's?" she asked.

"Yeah, but don't go there! She's even more scarier than the evil mushrooms!" the reindeer looked frightened. She smiled and flicked him in the nose.

"You're such a prey."

"HEY!"

* * *

><p>x_x School has the same affect on me as the desert on Gen.<p> 


	29. Snowy white filler

It's so sad how long this took to update TT-TT almost a week! I hope you will forgive me... *grovels*

Big thanks to **ReitsukiMakoto**, who made a picture of Gen as a mermaid~ And thanks for all the reviewers!_  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>'May you rest in peace, little burned, little hacked, and I have no idea what that orange stuff is.'<em>

Gen was in the kitchen, trying and ultimately failing to make herself breakfast. Everyone else was still asleep, Sanji too, and she didn't want to bother him at six in the morning. Two hours later the room was full of thick smoke that smelt like mustard and she'd had to open the window. Greg was sitting on her shoulder and shaking his head.

"I'm glad you have Sanji as your cook. Otherwise this would be a very short story."

"I fail..."

"Island!" Nami's voice rang through the ship. "We're approaching an island!"

"Let's go see!" she dropped the pan on the kitchen counter. She'd ruined one pan already, and this one seemed to be suffering.

"An island?" She stood next to the navigator.

"Where's the island?" Luffy climbed up the main mast.

"Look there!" she pointed to the pink morning mist.

"It looks kinda... funny," Gen tilted her head. "Round."

"It's not round, M'Lady."

"Okay, then it looks like a huge turtle shell. Like the one you have," she poked the bunny. The others had gathered around them to see their next stop.

"I'm going to make breakfast. Any wishes, Nami-swan? Gen-chwan?"

"Uhhh..." she started sweatting nervously.

"Whatever you see the best, Sanji-kun!" Nami said.

"How about you, Gen-chwaaan?" he cooed.

"Errm... Just... You know, I don't think I'm hungry at all-"

_GURGLE_

"...or maybe a little..."

Sanji started walking to the galley, promising all kinds of good foods and treats to them, even when he closed the door behind him.

Then there was a really unmanly scream. "_WHO THE HELL WAS HERE?_!"

* * *

><p>The island was full of pineapple-ish fruit that she didn't like in particular, but they were edible. The day was nice, and Nami assigned them on gathering them for stock.<p>

"Do I have to pick 'em?" she asked.

"Of course you have to- no wait. You'd just bring back something deadly."

"I don't think that this island has many deadly fruit..." she muttered in thought.

"If there was a mountain of apples, you'd come across the only one that would kill a person," Nami looked at her flatly.

"Not true!"

"You destroyed the kitchen," she reminded her.

"Damn you..." her eye twitched. "B'sides, apples don' kill people. ...well, except the apple from the Snow white."

"Snow white?" Luffy asked.

"It's a story from around where I come from," she waved her hand. "You haven't heard of it?"

"You have to tell us that tonight!" he grinned.

They draw straw (_sticks_) and Chopper was left to the ship alone with Robin. Gen gave him a kiss to the cheek and he blushed madly and cutely, and she decided that a kissed reindeer was the worlds most dangerous wepon.

She wondered around with Greg the Shoulderbag, talking freely of things in her past life. It was nice, to be able to speak like that, without the worry of a slip-up.

She sighed: "I miss everyone. Mom, dad, Adrian and Carl, and of course grandma Mrs. White, Brian... Chis..."

"Please, Gloria-sama, don't be sad. It's such a great day. Why don't you draw something?" he suggested.

"No, I don't feel like it today. Hey, what do you say if I joined the crew tonight?" she jumped from one topic to another. Greg spluttered.

"That's a big thing! Really?"

"Yeah. I'd love to... but... there's this one little thing," she held her index finger and thumb an inch apart.

"What is it?"

"I... just can't ask him."

"...why?"

"I, I just can't! You know, like... there's this blockage, even if I wanted to ask, I can't!" she threw her arms up in frustration. "I don't know what it is. I just can't ask for it, I feel selfish if I did!"

Greg sighed. "You can't make decicions for the life of yours, and when you do make your decicion, you stick with it. You decided that you are were an outsider and shouldn't join them in fear of tampering with the plot. Now even when you don't feel like that anymore, the decicion is still etched into you."

She contemplated it and started ripping a blade of grass into tiny bits. "I hate options."

"So if someone makes the decicion for you, you'll just go with it?" Greg shuffled to see her face.

"If they leave no room for objection."

"Hmm. Gloria-sama, look! That flower looks spectacular! Why don't you draw a picture of it?" he changed the topic, and she gave a half-hearted smile.

"Ok, one blue flower coming right up!"

Drawing did good. She didn't use much time to perpetuate the simple little flower, to color it with soft colors and sign it. She smiled and tucked it in the bag before getting up from her position on the ground and start walking onwards.

The fruit were everywhere, and not just the one's Nami sent them to gather, but she found a group of trees carrying shiny red ones. The fruit had each a black, curly leaf at the bottom of it, and she plucked one. Greg coughed when she was about to take a bite.

"What?"

"Are you sure that's wise?"

"Relax, bishie-boy-demon, it doesn't look dangerous," she pressed her lips against the soft fruit. It smelled good and sweet. "B'sides, Chopper's with us."

"It's not an excuse to deliberately eat unknown entities!"

"So now it's an entity?" she laughed, and chomped a piece from the fruit. Greg screamed in horror and started trashing, telling her to spit it out. She ignored him, ate the whole fruit and gathered the bag full of them even when he was ferociously trying to get rid of them.

The day turned to evening and the sun set, painting the sky with different colors from red and gold to purple and blue.

Gen had been the last one to get to the camp, a half eaten red fruit in her hand. The first hadn't killed her, and so she'd kept eating them just like that. Greg was still wary of the fruit.

"Hi, sorry 'M late. The place is so full of beautiful spots that I had to stop and draw them," she apologized and rubbed the back of her neck.

"It's all right, you're here now," Nami said.

"Hey, what's that you're eating?" Luffy asked, his eyes sparkling in curiosity.

"I don't know, but it tastes good. Want one?" she offered it to the boy, but was snatched away by Sanji. He turned it around, looked at it from every angle with care. The sweet scent floated around them, and Chopper was sniffing the air with his eyes closed.

"It doesn't look dangerous," he admitted finally and gave it back to Gen, who gave it to Luffy.

"What have you guys been doing today?" she asked, and was given a brave story of why Usopp hadn't brought in anything (_not that Luffy'd brought any, either_). Zoro's basket was full to the brim, and Nami said jokingly that he could go out and gather more for the rest of the night since he was so good in it. Chopper said that he'd had a nice day, even when being alone, and Nami and Sanji had been charting the island together.

"Gen! Story!"

"What story?" she tilted her head to the side. "Ah, wait, I remember now. Snow white and the seven dwarfs. Haven't you really ever heard of it?"

"No we haven't! Tell us!"

She did, and even Robin put her book down for a moment.

* * *

><p><em>'Once upon a time, there was a king and a queen. They had a daughter, her hair as white as snow, her eyes blue as the sea and her lips red like roses. The queen died, and the king married another woman. And when the king died...'<em>

"Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" queen Grimhilde asked from her enchanted mirror. An ugly mug of a clown appeared in it instead of her picture, with an outragious make-up and a big, red nose.

Every day he answered, that the queen was the fairest, but one day he said: "Sorry, Alvilda, someone else's now prettier than you."

"WHAT?" she stomped her leg. "Are you saying that I'm _UGLY?_"

Buggy started sweatting nervously. "No! I never said anything like that! I just said that she... may be... prettier?"

_'The queen became angry, and every day she would ask the mirror the same question, getting the same answer every time. She called upon her best hunter.'_

"Here, Smoker. I'll pay you after you bring me her heart as proof of your success!" Grimhilde handed him a small silvery box with intrigue carvings.

"You sure? She's just seventeen, you can't really go and kill someone just because they're prettier than you," he puffed on a thick cigar. The queen glared at him and waved a mace- a scepter in his face.

"I'm paying you! So you better bring it to me!"

"You can stick that thing in your-"

_'A-hem. The hunter took the box and sought out Snow white, who was feeding fish at the pool in the yard, singing a gentle tune with a breeze in her hair. The hunter looked at her, and felt his heart tighten.'_

"Oi, girl!" Smoker called her with his hands in his pockets. She turned to look at him annoyedly for interrupting her.

"What are you doing here?"

"The queen wants you dead."

"..."

"..."

"...why?"

"Because you're too pretty."

"Oh."

"..."

"Soo... you're going to kill me now?" she asked.

He sighed. "Just run away. I'm not really in a mood for a murder."

"What are you going to tell Alvilda?"

"Aah, I'll get something. I don't really get why I was called for this stupid story's cast anyway..." he muttered.

"I'll kill a pig and take it's heart."

"A pig? Can't you use any other animal?"

"Why? What's the matter what animal it is?" he asked.

"Well... I don't know. Do I want that you pretend a pig's heart to be mine?" she rised an eyebrow.

_'The hunter killed a pig and took it's heart, placing it in the box instead of Snow white's and gave it to the queen. She joyed, and hurried in front of her mirror, again asking:'_

"Who's pretty now?" she grinned and shoved the box with the heart to Buggy. He seemed to think for a while how to give her the bad news.

"You are beautiful, yes, but still is Snow white more. Smoker didn't kill her, that's a pig's heart."

"**WHAAAAATT?**"

_'Meanwhile, in the forest, had Snow white ran through dark shadows and ghastly stares, her hair tangling into the tree branches. She ran, and ran, and ran until her legs gave out. Her knees gave out and she collapsed against a tree trunk, tears streaking down her cheeks.'_

"I hate you," she sweatdropped and kept walking onwards. There was a broken bird's nest in her hair that she hadn't noticed yet, and she had to scramble through a throny bush before she tripped to the ground. She sighed, there were starting to be all kinds of woodland critters around her, looking at her with their small, emotionless black eyes. She stared back and shivered: _'Creepy...'_ "Shoo! Shoo!"

She found herself on a grassy hill where the sun shined, and in the middle of it rose a small cottage.

Snow white got up and shook most of the dirt from her clothes. _'Why the netherworld am I in a DRESS in the first place?'_

The little hut had seen better days, and the roof had been patched again and again. The end of the roof had a sheep's head, and there were two trees growing out in the yard. _'Mikans,'_ Gen- erm, Snow white thought.

The house was tidy and warm. She looked around and peeked in every single room.

Snow white was hungry, and looked through the fridge. It was full of good food that she warmed on the stove in a low heat and ate it, before looking for a palce to sleep. There were two bedrooms, one for boys and one for girls. The boys' room had five beds and the girls' room two. She chose to sleep on a couch in the livingroom, when she started feeling herself quite tired.

_'When the dwarfs came home, there was a surprise. Their house smelt like freshly cooked food and there was a beautiful girl laying on the couch, hair splayed and her rosy lips lightly open. They looked at her and whispered, if they should wake her up or not.'_

_*SNOOORE*_

"Oi, wake up!" Green poked the girl.

"Don't touch her, marimo-head!" Curly growled.

"She's sleeping in my spot."

"Sanji! I'm hungry! I can smell food, but I can't find any!"

_BONK_

"Don't call him that, his name's now Curly!" Greedy said.

"Oww... But still. I'm hungry!"

"Your rolename is Smiley," Scaredy had to remind him.

"We should wake her up. That doesn't look too comfortable," Wise commented.

"Snow white, Snow whi~te?" Shy shook her with his hoof.

"Wake up Snowbrain," Green poked her again. A fist connected with his face.

"I'm awake, you dorks. Don't you know how tiring it is to wade through that jungle? Someone should do something about it!" Snow white grumbled. "Uh, I mean..."

"Snow white-chwaaan! You're so beautiful when just woken~!"

"Yes, yes, Curly-kun."

"*_snicker_* Curly..."

"You're one to talk, **Green**."

"You wanna fight?_!_"

_'Snow white stayed with the seven dwarfs from that on. They were all nice to her, and she was always there waiting for them when they returned from their work._  
><em>The queen seethed. The hunter had decieved her and disappeared. She came up with a devious plan to get rid of Snow white: she made a potion of malignant nature, dipping an apple in it. Whoever would taste it would fall asleep and never awake. She seeked out the seven dwarfs' house and encahnted herself as an old hag.'<em>

"We're going now!" Smiley waved from the door.

"Take care, Snow white-chwan!" Curly hugged her.

"Yes, yes, it's not like I'd die if you left me alone for a day," she rolled her eyes at the 'dwarf's' expression.

"I don't like this," Green grumbled under his breath. "Don't open the door to anyone and don't speak to strangers."

"I won't," she reassured him. He looked awkward when she hugged him too as a goodbye.

"Bye!" Shy jumped up and down.

"Bye-bye!"

"Yosh! Let's go make me some money!" Greedy's eyes sparkled.

"Oi, oi, oi..." Scaredy sweatdropped.

_'The dwarfs left and she was left to clean the house- (_"I'm NOT cleaning after them!"_), do the laundry- (_"I SAID THAT I'M NOT DOING IT!"_) and she sang happily all the while. Someone then rapped on the door, but she remembered Green's words not to open the door to anyone or talk to strangers.'_

Instead she opened the window next to the door and leaned out. "Hi. Do I know you?"

"No, you don't. Apple?"

"Sure why not!"

_'The unsuspecting Snow white took the apple and bit it. At the same time the animals of the forest alerted the dwarfs who hurried back home, only to find that Snow white had fallen to the ground. The dwarfs chased the queen to a cliff, and when a lightning struck she fell to the sea below and was beaten to death by the goddess- wait a minute...'_

"SNOW WHITE-CHWAAAN!" Curly lamented. Smily wasn't smiling anymore. He found the apple and crushed it in his fist. Scaredy and Shy were weeping, and Greedy was just staring unseeing as Wise was comforting her.

Green was petting her silky white tresses with a dark expression. "I told you that I didn't like this story..." He lifted her in his arms.

"Let's place her in the coffin," Wise said.

_'The dwarfs didn't want to bury her in the ground, because she was so beautiful. They made a coffin out of glass and trimmed it with gold. They made a bed from flowers and placed her gently on them, before dragging the coffin to a clearing in the forest where they would be able to visit her. Green went to see her every day and drink sake for her honor. _(Hey! Who trampled with the script?)_  
><em>

_One day a prince on a white horse came by, saw the girl sleeping in the coffin and fell in love.'_

"M'LADY!" the prince jumped from the horse and ran to the coffin, opening it.

"You are _not_ kissing her!" a shoe kicked him painfully to the chin. "Gen-chwaan! I will wake you with a sweet kiss!"

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" she shrieked.

"Yaay! She's awake!" Smily cheered. Snow white got up and jumped on the horse.

"Wait! We have to end the story!" Greedy made everyone halt. "And the story has to end with a kiss," she leered.

"_Why_ are you looking at _me_?" Green's eyebrow twitched. Snow white sighed and rode the horse next to him and without warning she smooched him on the cheek.

* * *

><p>"...and they lived happily ever after," she ended the story. They all had become rather sleepy during it, and the fire had almost douzed out. She poked it with a stick that layed on the ground next to Nami and added some more wood in it. Sanji and Zoro were more or less leaning into each other and Gen had a really strong urge to draw them like that. Chopper and Usopp were asleep as well, and Robin had returned to sleep in the ship. Luffy was miraculously still awake, but the tiredness had settled in him too.<p>

They sat in silence, the boy gazing at the campfire that she was rejuvinating.

"That was the girliest story I've ever heard," he commented, and she had to stifle her laughter.

"It's considered a princess story at home. Not really your thing, as a reckless, stupid and brave boy," she said quietly so the other's wouldn't be disturbed. "But you managed through it."

Luffy made a face. "It needed more fighting, and there was_ kissing_ in the end. Not that kissing is _bad_ or anything but..."

"So you didn't like the story?" she asked and yawned.

"No, no no no, I liked it!" he waved his hands in denial. "I liked it, you're a good storyteller!"

"Don't yell."

"Sorry. Do you know any other stories?" he asked and shifted into a better position.

"Yup. Loads of 'em, maybe you could help me with that action part later, but I'm not telling anymore tonight," she yawned again, making Luffy yawn too. "Get some sleep, okay?"

"Aren't you going to sleep yet?" he asked while he layed down. She smirked and started digging through her bag. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to draw for a while, and see that the fire won't spread."

"Okay, *_YAWN_* good night Gen..."

* * *

><p>The sea had fogged up, rendering their sight to a near zero and making it impossible to draw without the moisture soggin up the paper. She didn't like it, it made her uncomfortable and sticky.<p>

Luffy was sitting on Merry's figurehead and Usopp up in the crow's nest. "Damn, this fog is as thick as milk, I can't see a thing! Luffy! See anything?"

"Nnya... no..."

Usopp stopped his restless turning and zoomed on something in the front. "Oi, I think I can make something out! ... Look out! There's a huge ship dead-ahead"

"Sanji-kun, the helm! Turn us hard to starboard!" Nami ordered.

"Right away, Nami-swaaan! Sanji's special love- **ACK!**"

"This is bad! We're gonna be surrounded by Marines!"

"Hmmm..." Gen hummed. _'I don't remember anything from this either, so these past few things must be filler episodes from the anime.' _"I'm BOOOOORED!"

"SHHH! Don't yell, idiot! The marines will hear us!"

"AWESOME!" Luffy gaped.

"Even the marines are blind in mist this thick," Nami said.

"We should try to blend in and make our escape," Robin suggested.

"They won't be able to see us at all. We noticed them only when we almost crashed into the ship," Gen reminded.

"Okay, everyone stay quiet, and we'll just keep going forward. You too, Luffy! Be quiet!"

"Got it"

"I'm still bored. Marimo, amuse me!" Gen pointed at him.

"No."

"Come on! Either that or I'll start singing 'Old devil moon'," she threatened.

"A song?" Luffy turned to look at her.

"No, no singing!" Nami glared.

"Nami-san..." Sanji called her. "Wait a moment..."

They looked at the ship that rose like a wall next to them. There was a kid in a chef's hat and a marine outfit. He was gazing at something... or nothing. Or maybe he was sleeping with his eyes open?

"A kid? What's he doing?" Nami asked. Then the boy noticed the small pirateship, panicked and fell off the side with the big pot he had with him.

"Watch out!" Sanji leaped to the rescue.

"Leave it to me," Robin crossed her arms and grabbed him before he could fall. She lowered him on the deck and Chopper took care of him from that on.

The kid was taken to the galley where Sanji started quickly on a soup when the boy would wake, and Gen crawled childishly under the table. She pulled out her necklace and looked it over, mapping every little scratch and curve of it to kill some time.

The others crowded around the little marine, excluding Sanji for obvious reasons and Zoro, who was standing at the door in watch.

"He'll be alright. Looks like the restorative worked," Chopper said. _'Oh, so that's what the pink little tube was.'_

The kid snapped awake and sat up, looking around him before noticing the people around him. "Where am I?"

He had warm, reddish brown hair and big, thick glasses on his nose. He also had freckels. The only word in her vocabulary for him was 'nerdy'.

"You're aboard the ship of Strawhat pirates," Usopp informed him.

"P-Pirates?"

"Yarrr, we'll carve yer guts out and use 'em as bait!" Gen grinned from under the table. A mysterious leg kicked her in the butt.

"Nevermind her," Nami frowned. "But yeah. Don't you remember?" Nami asked. "You fell off your warship."

He looked thoughtful as he regained the last thing he remembered before blacking out. When he remembered it, he made an angry face. "Stay back! You're planning on attacking the marine warships, aren't you?" he asked.

"What's up with this kid? After we just saved his ass..." Usopp muttered.

"Hmm... I'm so bored that I could actually do it..." Gen pouted. "I don't cope well with boredom."

"Try it for once," Zoro looked at her flatly.

"He _is_ a marine," Robin stated. Sanji had the soup ready and brought it to their guest.

"First you need to eat."

"Take it away. I don't need pirates to take care of me," he scowled.

Sanji chuckled. "So you won't eat a soup made by the cook of a pirate ship. It's not like I'm gonna poison it. Just put a little of that in your stomach and you'll feel better."

"I AM **BOOOORED!**" Gen yelled and writhed. She earned a glare, and the kid she'd dubbed as Larry flinched.

"Go down to your room if you can't be quiet!" Nami scolded her.

"But there's nothin' ta dooo~!"

'Larry' looked at the soup and his fat eyebrows shot to his hairline. _'Looks like Sanji managed to impress him.'_ He stared at the plate before picking it up and tasting it. After the first spoonful he started eating it. The strawhats looked pleased, but Gen rolled out from under the table and crawled out to the deck. At the door though a black boot stepped on her and she squirmed like a worm.

"Don't do anything stupid," Zoro looked down at her. She gave a wide smile.

"But I never!"

Somehow he wasn't convinced.

She climbed up to the Merry's head now that it was vacant. In the background she could still hear how Tajiyo (Not Larry) called their ship 'poor and little'. Luffy and Usopp started arguing that Merry was NOT 'poor and little.'

She was humming a tune, when the door opened and the people filed out. Luffy saw her lazing on his seat, and pointed at her shock written on his face. She rubbed her neck sheepishly and slid down.

"The truth is... I... spilled the curry for today's lunch."

"Aaaaaah, NOW I remember!" Gen snapped her fingers. Tajiyo explained how because he'd spilled the curry he was in charge of making a new batch of it.

"The chef's right, no doubt about that," Sanji said, Luffy nodding at this.

"I've tried so many times, but I've never been able to get it right," he sighed.

"Tajiyo-kun, how long have you been a cook?" Nami asked.

"I've been a trainee cook for only half a year."

"Half a year is more than enough," Sanji said.

"No it's not! Every day all I get to do is wash dishes and peel vegetables! I've never actually cooked anything before! And the thing is... once a week, all the fleet captains gather to eat curry. This time, the ship I'm on is in charge of it! My curry would never be good enough for the marine brass."

"Hey, it could be worse, y'know," Gen piped up.

"How?" Tajiyo asked bitterly.

"You have seen half a year how a kitchen works, so you know in theory how to make food. I can't even use a _microwave_ without making the food explode*****..." a cloud of depression fell on her.

"What's a microwave?" Usopp asked.

"Ehehee~ nevermind!"

"Marine curry is pretty famous. Every chef uses their own skills and culture to create a curry for their ship," Robin offered her wisdom.

"Hey, sounds tasty!" Luffy smiled.

"You've been a trainee cook for half a year, but haven't built any confidence in yourself. Just go back and apologize to your chef again," Sanji walked away.

"No! If I do that, I'll have to leave the ship!"

"Does it _have_ to be that ship?" Luffy asked.

"Is there a specific reason?"

"Well... it's just that... All..." he muttered. Then he raised his face: "Have you heard of All Blue?"

Sanji stopped. Tajiyo started telling them what it was like in stories, and Gen decided that she'd ask from her mother about it. "All the senior cooks call it a dream and always laugh at me, but I believe it exists! Staying aboard a marine shhip gives me a better chance of finding it, right? That's why I don't want to leave the ship."

"Wait, wasn't All Blue..." Usopp started, and Zoro glanced at his rival. Gen giggled.

Nami sighed and smiled. "We really should get away from here as fast as we can, but..."

"Yeah, if they find us they're gonna start firing," Usopp flexed his arms.

"But since he's so determined, we have to take him back, right? Sanji-kun?" Nami asked.

"...I'm only taking him back to the ship. Oi Luffy, lend me a hand."

Luffy, Sanji and Tajiyo left, and they settled around to wait.

Gen went to the aft deck and looked down to the water. "Hmmh, mom? Are you there~?" she called quietly. After when nothing seemed to happen she was going to go, but then there was a splash and the sea goddess rose from the ocean.

"Whaaa-aa-aaa_*yawn*_ aat?"

"Sorry, were you sleeping?" Gen apologized.

"Yeah... Why'd you call me?" she rubbed her face. Sometimes she just didn't look like a mother to her, more like a sister if had to be chosen.

"I'm bored and I forgot what I was going to ask you, so tell my something cool."

Herka blinked, before the words registered in her head. "Something cool? Lessee..."

"Okay, tell me why it's so foggy."

"Easy: I was sleeping."

"...doesn't explain it. And I really didn't expect an answer to that."

"The sea is me, and I'm the sea, you get it? Good, so, the sea has more energy than it necessearly needs. All the leftover energy gets pushed around and piles up in some places of the sea that would otherwise have not enough of it. You follow?"

"Yeah, but what does it have to do with mist?"

"When the energy is piled up, it cooks up a storm to burn it off. Also, when the places with no much energy clash with the foreign energies, they don't melt into each other calmly. They create more storms or cycklones, or tsunami-waves or something other like that. You know how you start tapping your foot or run around in circles when you have too much energy?"

"Yes, or I'll tease Marimo," Gen grinned. Herka smiled and shook her head.

"In the other hand, there are spots in the sea that doesn't get enough energy despite that there's so much of it around. Those places are either fogged up, nice and sunny or they don't have much sea currents. The places where there aren't sea currents my good friend wind makes the boats move, except-"

"What about the Calm Belts?"

"I was just going to it. Calm Belts are like barriers that keep the energies of the seas away from each others, mostly to separate the Grand Line from the four seas."

Gen tilted her head. "Why?"

"The energy on the four seas is pretty normal, every one of them has approximately the same amount. The Grand Line also has that same dose of energy, but because the Grand Line is more smaller and denser than the other four seas, the energy is also packed and pent up. And to top it all, those damn magnetic fields make everything a mess," Herka grumbled. They were silent for a moment, just enjoying each other's company. Then Gen remembered what she had wanted initially to ask.

"Oh yeah, can you tell me about All Blue? It's Sanji's and that kid's... Tajiyo, it's their dream to find it. Is it really real? Have you ever been there?"

Herka smiled widely. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Gen thought about it. It _was_ Sanji's dream, did she have any right to know the truth before he did? She chewed her lip, balancing on the edge. Then she shook her head slowly a no. "Actually... don't tell me. It's good that you asked me, now I won't feel guilty later."

The goddess flipped her hair that made a wet slapping noise when hitting her back, and she beamed at her daughter. "Hey... how has your life been~? Any love-life your mommy needs to know?"

"Hey!" she snapped, face going red. "You don't have to know!"

"Mouu, but I told you how the sea works~ why can't you tell me what wind blows in your sails?"

It sounded so wrong to her, and she reddened even more. Shrieking, she pushed Herka off the rail where she had been 'sitting'. She heard footsteps approach her, and she saw Zoro appear from behind the corner.

"Is something wrong? You screamed."

"No!" she stormed by him, not confident to look him in the eye.

* * *

><p><strong>*<strong> This has happened to me... -_-'

There. I will try to be more quicker with the next update, but I'd rather make good (or at least moderate) quality than update in haste.

Oh yeah... I was thinking of putting up a picture of Greg in some point, in inspiration of ReitsukiMakoto and because AmmyChey3X asked for it. To be truthful... _it only needs to be colored and scanned~_


	30. A girl to a girl, Rainy day's filler

It's another one. I feel like there never was any vacation at all... And I'm getting sick of history. No offence, Robin, but it's BOOORIIING!  
>There's a fair tomorrow and I get to see some people I wouldn't otherwise see! Yaay! Although, I don't like when there are so many people, it get's so loud and I see people I'd rather not see ever again...<p>

Gloria: Then stay home.

Snoara: I can't, promised to go out and wander around with some friends of mine.

Gloria: Tough luck. Nice sufferin'!

Snoara: Oi!

* * *

><p>They had all huddled inside the warm little galley except for Zoro, who was keeping watch outside in the rain. Chopper kept the helm steady, even when he was half the size of it, and Sanji stood in front of the sink with his sleeves rolled up, washing dishes. Usopp was doing something only Usopp would do and the other two girls were reading, Nami a newspaper and Robin a book. Gen was happy that the fog that slithered in from every damn hole was gone, but the rain was still there. She wondered if Suhaiba was just being mean. She had a thin plank under the paper, as she was finishing the picture she had started at the campsite in the heart of the night. She cooed silently at it: Sanji leaning into Zoro's shoulder, both in sweet slumber against a tree trunk with flames casting light on them and the shadows stretching behind themnlike a cape. Gen had made her best to capture their boyish expressions. Of course, she had made it a bit more... <em>softer<em> than the actual scene was, but hey, who'd sue her? She was almost a pirate anyways.

"I'm sick of iiitt..." Luffy was bored out of his mind. He hit his fists into the table, making the papers fly around on it and roared. "WHEN'S IT GONNA STOP RAINING?"

"Why is rain such a bad thing? If you don't like it, maybe I could ask the clouds to make it stop..."

"REALLY?"

"...or not."

He moaned and slumped on the table again. "Ne, Usopp, you have anything fun to do?"

"Yeah, I've got a firework I made. Wanna set it off?"

"HELL YEAH!" his eyes sparkled.

Gen's ears perked. "Explosions?"

"Don't even think about it. What if there's an enemy ship nearby?" Nami asked calmy while turning a new page.

"Guess you're right," Usopp nodded. Luffy looked like the world was coming to an end if he didn't find anything to do right then and there. He - again - fell on the table. Then he saw Robin and scooted over to her. Gen remembered this one, because it was very sci-fi of Luffy.

"What've you been reading all this time?" Robin looked at him, slightly surprised, and Nami gasped. They all froze and looked at their captain. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, nothing at all!" they chorused. Robin closed the book and slid it to Luffy to see, and said that it was about a rainbow-colored mist. It was a book about adventures, and Gen thought briefly if she should read it one day.

Luffy took the book in his hands with an excited smile. "Adventures? Sounds cool!" He opened the book and started reading. Zoro came inside, announcing that he'd spotted an island.

The book was instantly forgotten, and Nami and Usopp slacked.

"What's up with you guys?"

"Nothing..." they all sighed.

Gen snickered, but then she took a second look at the table and chocked on nothing. _'Robin ALREADY has a new book in her hands? Where the netherworld did she rip _that_ out of?'_

By the time they got to the island, the rain had stopped. They docked hidden on the side of the island, and because the cliff was so high they had to trapeze their way to the other side on the mast's crossbar. Zoro and Robin were left to watch over the ship, and Gen was wondering if she stayed behind because she was a well-known criminal or sipmly if she didn't want to go with the others.

Gen wandered the town, and after just an hour happened to see a little girl in a frilly pink dress and a bow in her hair. She was yelling at a boy shorter than she was, he was yelling back and clutching something against his chest. Gen looked around to see if their parents knew what they were doing, but when no one seemed to care much she walked briskly to them.

"I said I wanted it! Give it here, _now_!" the girl demanded.

"NO! It's _mine_! I got it from my nii-chan!"

Honestly speaking she didn't have a clue what she'd have to do, so she settled to the best option she knew and snatched the item of their quarrel from the boy and held it high in the air.

"What are you kids yelling here like that?"

"Don't call me a kid!" the girl crossed her arms. "Haaag!"

"Hey! That's my precious charm!" the boy whined and jumped futily.

"Be quiet. Okay, now tell me, from the beginning, what happened here."

"She/He started it!" they pointed at each other. Gen sighed.

"One of you is lying."

"She/He is!"

'_This is going to take time, ay?_' "I heard that your nii-chan made this for you. I believe that is true. ...by the way, what is this?" She looked at the piece of wood that had a carving of a smiling bear on it.

"It's a charm my nii-chan made before he left to the sea! It's going to make me brave as a bear!" he told her. There was pride in the words.

Gen turned to the girl, who was tapping her foot impatiently. "And your story?"

"I want that!"

She sweatdropped. "You can't take things that are others'! It's rude and it makes them cry."

"But I WANT IIIIIIT!" the girl stomped her leg. Gen acted quickly, handing the charm to the boy and telling him to run. Then she kneeled in front of the girl and held her by her shoulder.

"Look at me-"

"I WANT IIIIIT!"

"SHUT UP!"

"..."

"Better. Now scurry off and find your daddy, maybe he'll get you an ice cream or something," she started walking away.

"No! You have to buy me one, NOW!"

"What?_!_ No way! I don' wanna babysit ya, why can't ya go an' find yer parents?" she slipped into her accent.

The girl looked at her evilly. "You didn't give me the thing, so now you'll have to get me an ice cream! Or a tiara! Oooh, I love tiaras!" her eyes turned into sparkles.

"Wha'evar. Ya ain't comin' with me. Bye."

"NO! _**YOUMUSTBUYMEANICECREAMNOOOOW**_!"

"Good grief, stop SCREAMING! You stupid pampered brat. I'm not buying you one!" and she left running like a hurricane, with a shrill scream of 'ICE CREAAAAAAM!' in her wake.

* * *

><p>She managed to lose the kid, who fortunately had tired out before her, but she hadn't stopped to that. Gen went back to the ship and saw Zoro napping against a railing. Robin was sitting on one, reading a book.<p>

"Oh, you're back, Odd-chan."

_'Odd-chan...?'_ "Yeah. This city's boring, but there's going to be a fireworks show this night. Wanted to just tell you two that."

"Oh, that is great, Gloria-sama!"

She almost got a heartattack, when the demon, now a man, came out through the galley door.

"No wonder you were quiet. You stayed behind."

"I'm sorry, if you needed me and I couldn't be there, but I had to do something now that I finally recieved the last of my... ah, but you're not interested," the bishie bowed like a gentleman.

"No worries~!" Gen had hearts in her eyes. '_OMG I'm turning into Sanji! But OMG he's hot!'_

"Zzz... Zz-krhm hm- hmmh? Is it morning already?" Zoro asked sleepily.

"What woke you up?" Gen asked curiously.

"I don't know maybe- oh. It's _you_," he growled when he saw Greg.

"Heee, somebody's jelous, ay?" she smirked widely, tilting her head.

"Hell no. I don't just like that face."

"'Cos he's gorgeous?"

"That's way too creepy to be normal..." he jerked back when her face was upside down in front of his, her neck twisted unnaturally around like a corkscrew. She had opened her eyes as much as she could, only adding to the lunatic expression.

"I'm nooot nooormaaal~!"

"Anything but," Greg bowed again. "I shall now return to the rabbit, if you may?"

"Oh, well... bye then," she waved to him.

"...and STAY away..." she caught Zoro muttering darkly, and she had to giggle to it.

"So, are you two coming to the town to see the fireworks? There's going to be lots of explosives!" she hyped, looking at Robin and Zoro.

"That settles it," he stretched. "I'm not leaving you alone for a second. Otherwise someone is going to wake up without their heads."

"That is not possible: how can you wake up if you're missing a head?"

"The point is," he leaned into her face so close that she had to lean backwards. She could feel his warm breath on her when he whispered: "I'm not leaving you out of my sight."

He walked away, and she felt blood rush to her cheeks. She growled in her head._ 'He'll pay for that!'_

She left the boat after eating and went back to the town.

It happened while she was having tea at an outdoors cafe: the pain of someone kicking you in the shin.

"You! I want that ice cream!"

"Oh fudge not _you_ again!" she yelped and rubbed her leg.

"Of course it's me, Obelia von Ollienford! Von!" she made a snobby face.

"Go away, Ollivander," Gen sipped her tea.

"No! YOU OWE ME AN ICE CREAAAAAAAAAAM!"

"I got you, you know how to scream!"

"Excuse me, is there a problem?" the cafe's owner asked. Gen used her best actor skills, straightened her pose and adapted a royal aura.

"No, mister, this young lady is just stubbornly asking for a treat I feel no obligated to give her."

"Woah! That Lady is like a princess!" a random guy said.

"Thank you! I know I'm pretty!" Odelia flipped her golden curls.

"..."

"Lady! Can I offer you something?" the guy sweeped past the girl that looked horrified that someone else was getting attention.

"No thank you," she looked awkward. _'I should've just waited for Zoro...'_ "Excuse me now, if I could have my bill-"

"I'll pay it for you!"

"No, I will!"

"You won't have to pay me at all!" the cafe owner said. Gen shivered, and decided never to try and look 'royal' EVER again. She got up and started walking away... but the guys were still walking after her, so she had to run for the second time in the same day.

* * *

><p>"Pheew, did I lose them now...?" Gen looked around the corner and wiped her brow.<p>

"You... did."

"Hyaahg! Why won't you just leave me alone?" she groaned as she saw the frilly little cupcake of a girl, panting her small lungs out next to her.

"I... don't... like... you."

"THEN WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME?"

"Because you owe me an ICE CREAM!" she stomped on her toes.

"OW! Now listen, brat, I'm _not_ someone you should be hanging around, no, I'm the _last_ person you should be with!" Gen's patience was running thin.

"Why?"

"'Cos 'Mma-"

**Flashback**

"Old rules apply: no braking things, no fighting and for the love of god don't parade around telling that we're pirates!" Nami looked pointedly at Luffy, then after for a good measure at her.

"What? I wouldn't do that!"

**End**

"You're a...?" the girl held her hand behind her ear.

"...nothing. But listen, I'm bad company. Sheet, I should've never go between you two..." she facepalmed.

Odelia was looking out of the alley, deep in thought. "Hey... why'd all those guys wanted to gave you things? You're not cute at all."

Gen ignored the jab in her feminine pride. "I don't need to be cute to get attention. I didn't even want attention..."

"I'm cute, and daddy gives me everything I want," she was clearly in her own little world. "And if I ask things from the shop owners, they give me whatever I want to have. The boy didn't want to give me that pretty piece of wood... so why...?"

Gen sighed and got up. She walked to the girl and held her hand to her to grab it. "Come, let's walk a bit. Let's find some nice spot and have a talk."

To her surprie Odelia accepted her hand and they walked silently throught the city before it started raining and they had to rush to shelter. She whined about her dress getting wet, but she still sat on a bench under a big umbrella. They had a good view of the park from there. Gen squeezed water out of her hair.

"What did you want to talk about?" Odelia asked.

"Are you an only child?"

"Yes."

"And your daddy gives you all you want?"

"Yes. I don't see where this is going," she frowned.

"Has your daddy ever hugged you? Given a kiss? Smiled, said warm words?" she asked gently.

"...sometimes he smiles when he sees me."

Gen sighed. "Thought so. Your daddy... does he love you?"

"Of course he loves me!" she snapped. "He gives me all I want!"

"That's not true," Gen shifted. Playing psychiatrist to a bratty little kid was hard, and she had to be careful if she didn't want to cause any more damage. "He... does he have lots of work?"

"Yes, he's very busy. He's a businessman, and he's many times away to talk with the marines."

'_Marines? Fudge._' "I see. You know, that you can't replace love with things."

"I _am_ loved," she argued weakly.

"Listen here, Odelia, world works many times like a mirror: if you're nice to someone, they'll be nice to you, but always keep in mind that not all people are nice. I can see that you are."

"I made a girl cry yesterday..." she looked at her shoes. "I took her book... I'm not a nice girl. I'm a bad girl!" her last words were choked.

"No no no, you're not a BAD girl, you're just misguided and pampered. You're not a bad girl, you're just a jerk," Gen soothed her by petting her head.

"I'm not a jerk!" Odelia scowled.

"You are! You take other children's toys and precious things just because you think you can have everything. How would you like it if someone else took your things?" the demigoddess frowned.

"I... wouldn't like that."

"See? And would you fell bad?"

"...yes."

Gen smiled and blocked Odelia's vision with her hand, making the kid yelp. "Stop moping! That doesn't suit such a cute little girl like you!" Odelia blushed from the compliment.

"T-Thank you..."

"A kind smile is much more cuter than 'IwannaIwannaIwanna', ya get me drift?"

"Haha, yes! But..."

"What?"

"_Why_ did those men want to buy you your tea?" she tilted her head. In Gen's mind that registered way too close to the question 'where do babies come from?' and it made her slightly uncomfortable. Trying to cough it off she shifted again. Her leg was starting to go numb.

"I... don't really know. It was either because I tried to get rid of that big guy who your crying called in-"

"_I wasn't crying!_"

"-with my charm or they honestly thought that I was pretty, which would say something about the local quality in women..." she said the last part under her breath. "Or... they wanted to... yeah, no, that's all."

Odelia narrowed her eyes. "They wanted what?"

"That's something you'll know only when you're older," Gen patted her head, and the girl shoved it off.

"I'm already seven!"

"Which is seven years too early," she said motherly.

They chatted lightly and talked about things in regular (_Gen learnt that Odelia's mother had died in child birth_). She skillfully avoided the subject of what she did for her living or in what kind of group she was with.

In some point, she imagined she'd heard her name being called, and she realized it wasn't just in her head. Someone _was_ calling her, and that someone must've been soaked to the bone as it was still raining.

"Gloooriaaaa!" she saw a tall figure in the curtain of rain, and she finally placed a name to him too: Zoro.

"I'm heeeereeee!" she answered. He looked around confusedly, before going walking to the left from her angle. "NOT THAT WAY!"

"Who's he?" Odelia asked, frowning at him.

"Oh, him? He's a special breed of a marimo. They live off of large amounts of sake and good food, and if they're not lifting weights the size of a baby whale, they're busy getting lost or going through a complicated photosynthesis-"

"Hey! I CAN hear you, you know?"

"That's the point," she grinned at him. He stepped inside the small sanctuary, making it suddenly much more cramped.

"Who's she?"

"Odelia-chan, this is Marimo, Marimo, Odelia-chan. Now hop around a flower with you leg's roped to a horse!"

"..."

"What?" Odelia could only ask.

"Heeheehee...!"

"Your brain finally melted, huh?" Zoro looked at her blankly. Then she thought of something.

"Hey. You came to look for me."

"Yeah I did. Well, actually it was Robin's idea to go find you before you get killed by ants or something."

"...she really said that?"

"No, I said that."

Odelia was looking at him keenly from head to toe and Gen frowned when the girl's eyes settled to the three swords hanging on his hip and flicker with something that couldn't be good.

"No, Odelia. You can't."

"What? You don't know what I was thinking!" Gen looked at her and rised an eyebrow. "Okay _maybe_. But it's so pretty!"

The swordsman who had had his arm lazily over the wepons now wrapped around Wado's hilt either out of habit or suspicion.

"We talked about this. You can't have things that belong to other people. It makes them sad... Or dead," she added to the end with a shrug, but it made Odelia's eyes widen. Zoro let out a bark of laughter.

"That sure is true."

"_But_," Gen got up and stretched. "We'll be going now. Marimo can buy me dinner now that the cook's gone."

"Hey! Who said I'd buy you dinner?"

"I said that," she shot his earlier words back at him.

"It's still raining," he reminded her.

"No sheet, Sherlock, I wouldn't had noticed that myself. Could you tell me more obvious things, mr. detective?" she rolled her eyes.

"Any more sarcasm and it might come right out of your ears," Zoro scoffed.

"Hmmh... Excuse me, cloud shephard? Could you be so kind and make an exception?" she asked sweetly, looking at the clouds in the sky. For a moment, nothing happened and the other two gave a long look at her. Then when the sky cleared, they looked at her even more weirdly. "Thank you so much~!" she smiled, bowed and skipped away avoiding puddles as she went.

"She's a little..."

"I know."

In the end, Zoro didn't buy her dinner, so she didn't help him on their way back to the ship. She must say that it was interesting to follow him walking past the same restaurant for the third time, and she was starting to wonder if she should just drag him in to sate her hunger. Otherwise she would eat him. She also voiced her opinion on it louldy whining.

"Shut up already! We eat when we get back! Gah, this is like babysitting a kid!" he finally snapped, but it was ruined by a sneeze.

"Welcome to the club! Guess what I've been doing for the past two hours or so! Hm, and someone must be talking about you right now," Gen said. "Because idiots don't get colds."

"Then you shouldn't be worried," he said with a scowl. Then a slow, _evil_ smirk creeped up his face. It was really worrisome to see him smiling like that... and walking at her... "Ge~n, come here for a moment!"

"What the netherworld are... you... hey! Stay away! Don't!" to her horror she realized that he was still soaking wet from the previous rain, his shirt clinging to him and his hair dripping. The sun hadn't had time to dry him off, and now he spread his arms open 'invitingly'. She backed away.

"What? Gen doesn't want a hug? Well Zoro wants one!"

"Don't come here you wet rat! Marimo! I'll tell Sanji!"

"I... don't... _care_!"

* * *

><p>The day had been a frenzy, but after she'd stopped by the Merry to get changed into something dry (<em>Zoro pushed her in a fountain as a revenge because she bit him in the arm after he had caught her)<em> and ask Robin to come with them, they went to the town to see the fireworks. Gen was actually excited to see it, she had never been in a proper show.

"Are you looking forward to this night, Odd-chan?" Robin asked.

"Yup! I'm expecting lots of big bangs!" she demonstrated with her hands.

Robin smiled. "You seem happy."

"I am~! I can't be all adult and resposible all the time, sometimes one has to be a kid!"

"_When_ have you been responsible?" Zoro asked.

She took a mature face. "Almost all the time."

"Yeah right. Try to say that again when I can take your hair seriously."

"IT'S YOUR FAULT IT LOOKS LIKE THIS!" she kicked him in the shin. Her hair looked like it could've eaten the unfortunate enough to go close enough.

Zoro yelped and hopped around, holding his leg. Weird, seeing that he would unflinchingly try to cut off his legs but when she kicks him he screams like a "...little girl."

"WHAT?" Zoro shouted from behind the two of them.

"I said that out loud, huh?"

"Yes, you did," Robin confirmed it.

Gen observed the other woman. It was nice to walk with her (_even if Zoro was with them_) and they commented together on the city's architecture, gardens and such with the marimo putting in a grunt or two either to agree or disagree. She could tell that he was still wary of the ex-assassin. Zoro always rested his hand on the katana hilts, but it was usually relaxed, unlike nowdays. Still, the man wasn't just as tense as in the first two days after Robin had boarded the ship, so he trusted her not to stab him in his sleep anymore.

To Gen, she was already a friend. On how the things were in Robin's end, she didn't know. Ah, but she didn't even care, she still liked her. Like the archeologist, she was on the ship because she didn't have any other place to go, really.

They found the others soon, one by one except for Usopp and they all agreed that they'd go eat something as a group and then go see the fireworks later at the docks.  
>The island had put up a fest with different stands and games and COTTON CANDY that she and Chopper obsessed over. Sanji had bought a panda-mask and she had tried to look around to find the stand, but hadn't seen one. Chopper had a decorative blue ball with white polka dots hanging from his antler, and somehow a blue fan had found it's way to Luffy's sash on his backside. Greg had been making the bag's equivalent of glaring at the people who looked at her funnily.<p>

"Woah, look! They started!" Luffy pointed as the first firework shot to the sky, lighting it up. She stared in wonder how the big flowers bloomed in the night in many different colors. The sounds were awesome too!

Sanji's hand snaked on Nami's shoulder and she slapped it away without even looking.

"BOOOM! MUAHAHAHAHAHAA~!" Gloria threw her arms in the air.

"Boom! Boom!" Chopper laughed too, trying to sound evil. "They sure are pretty..."

"Hey, where's Usopp?"

"Who cares?"

"I saw him with the fireworks maker's daughter some time around noon," Sanji remembered.

"What? He got himself a girlfriend or something? Wasn't Kaya enough?" Zoro asked indifferently.

"Shitface, she was seven or something," the cook bristled.

"We had a run-in with some kid too," Zoro said. "Or at least she did."

"Don't be hard on Odelia-chan. She had never had real parent's love, just lots of toys and stuff. Her dad is a businessman working with the marines."

"Marines?" they chorused in surprise and Nami hit her in the head.

"Ow!"

"You dumbass! What if she'd found out?"

"She didn't, don't worry!"

Speak of the devil, she saw the small girl next to a man in a black suit and a suitcase. His hair was graying, and there was a scar over his nose. She assumed that he was her father. There was no emotion on his face, and his eyes were a little glaced over.

Gen almost wanted to call out to her, but saw it better not to. She settled to just look at her own little family. "Yeah... that's it," she decided.

"What?" Luffy asked confusedly and recieved a content smile.

"That's what you all are," and she leaned into the boy, who collapsed on the ground by her influence and dropped all his meat.

"Noo! The food!" the cried out in panic.

"Gen, what are we?" Chopper asked curiously.

"You... you're my family."

There was a round of happy hums and smiles. Luffy flung his arm around her shoulders, but went weak again. She sweatdropped. "Why do you do that if you just keep falling down?"

"Because I want to! Uurkh... A story! Tonight!"

"Don't touch me if you just get weak," she said flatly.

"Can_ I_ still touch you?" Sanji said hopefully.

"No. Pum!" she shot him with her finger as a gun.

"Ah! A shot of love! I've been mortally fallen!"

The show ended and everyone apploused and cheered, but there was this whistle-like voice that they could hear, and a small, _very_ small puff of sparks sparked in the direction of the island.

"What was that tiny firework for?" Nami asked.

"Dunno."

Not long after that there was a bigger 'fwhiiiii~' and something BIG shot to the sky. Now Gen remembered this filler too...

...and the big rocket exploded.

Firstly, it made an **epic** bang, and it kept on crackling. She could feel the shockwave, and the air smelt plesantly like gunpowder. The rocket rained down like a golden shower, and she gaped at it in admiration.

For a moment all the audience was quiet, but then the people cheered and clapped, lifting up drinks and hats. Luffy had sparkles in his eyes.

"AWESOME!"

"OMG I think I'm in love!" Gen grinned. "Did you hear that? The BOOM!"

They went back to the ship. The log pose would only set in the morning, so they'd have to settle for the night at the island's waters. They were all filled with festival food and tired from the exciting day. Usopp returned some time after, with a bag full of gunpowder and a big grin on his face. He would've told Chopper about his day, but the little guy was already asleep. They still agreed that someone had to take the night watch because of Gen's observation earlier, but no one was up to it. Orderly it was Sanji's turn, and he accepted it like a man. Saying that coffee would keep him awake he made a pot and sat in the galley, waiting for it to brew.

Gen took a shower and went into her room, but when she layed in the bed only in her underware, she felt lonely. Oh how she just wanted to crawl in a pile with the boys, she could've even bared with the mad-driving snoring. So, she drew on her night gown she'd bought but never used and tiptoed to the boys' room door. At there, she hesitated, but then when she'd almost turn to go away the door creacked open like it had a mind of it's own. _'Well... maybe...'_ she blushed and pushed the door ajar.

Snores greeted her. Usopp's leg was sticking out of his hammoc straight up with his toes wriggling strangely. Luffy was laying on his stomach with all his limbs over the edges, and Chopper was sleeping like a baby. Her eyes stopped at Zoro. His snores melted in the hushed cacophony in the room.

She looked at her options. There was Sanji's hammoc, hanging empty, but she knew that he'd have to come down and sleep eventually, and netherworld if he found her curled in his bed. Fudge no.

Next to someone...? Not the marimo, he was sprawling like ooze on the sofa and he was strong enough to push her off of it in his sleep. Not Usopp, but she couldn't crawl in with the devil's fruit users' either.

She sighed. She'd have to settle with Sanji's hammoc. Maybe he'll sleep next to Zoro and she'd get an awesome picture later? No, that'd be impossible. She couldn't see to draw in this dark (_yeah, like THAT'S the only problem..._). But wait, who had the next watch? Sanji could sleep in their bed! Hahaa, now she wouldn't have a bad consious later-

"Are you going to just stand there? Don't keep me awake," Zoro's drowsy voice almost made her jump out of her skins.

"Damn you, don't speak so suddenly! Okay... I'm sleeping here tonight, by the way."

"Hmmmhh... that's a big sword you have there..."

_'Wait, he's sleeptalking? And that... that sounded so SO wrong!'_ her face was in danger of splitting in two.

"Zzz... the great captain USOPP! ..zzz..."

_'Sheet, don't tell me that ALL of them-'_

"I'll kick your ass! Food monster!" Luffy fell slack after the outburst. It had been a domino effect in the room after Zoro, and suddenly they all were talking random stuff. Besides these three and their sleeptalking Chopper was mumbling in his sleep incoherently and listing latin names for flowers... or some other things, she didn't now latin.

Poor guy, doctorine must've been a hard teacher.

Gen went in Sanji's hammoc and found that sleeping in one wasn't really that fancy. It was teetery, and she had to lay in one place so that she wouldn't fall from it. How did the others make it look so easy?

"Zz... zz... no... flaming dinosaurs!" Zoro muttered.

_'Yup... I don't feel lonely at all anymore.'_


	31. A memorial to a friend, another filler

*twirly eyed*

Gloria: Snoara is a little out of it right now, she's not... well.

Snoara: I'm not sick! My tummy just aches... but that could be also the school food I just ate.

Gloria: You actually ate that crap?_!_ You suicidal?_!_

Snoara: Language, young girl. And you can't say that you haven't done stupid things.

*_crash*_

Snoara: ...

Gloria: ...it's the third years. If this goes on they're going to brake everything-

*CRASH*

?_?_?: NOOO! THE COFFEEMAKER! DIE YOU ***** ***** *****!

* * *

><p>They were out of food. <em>Again.<em>

The morning had been a little weird, as the guys found her in their room. Sanji was extatic to know that she had been sleeping in his bed, and he had rolled himself in the still warm hammock. Zoro had insulted him like always and they were in each other's throats in a second. Since Nami was no where to be seen, Gen worked as the referee and kicked them both out and to another day in the Grand Line.

Apparently, Luffy had gotten hungry over the night and snuck into the kitchen. How on earth was he able to get past Sanji was a total mystery, but her suspicion was that he was too tired after all and fallen asleep on the job or just been too sluggish to notice him. Either way, the only thing in the fridge now was the light. Luffy got chewed hardcore since they just left an island and to reach the next one would take several days.

To their boredom, Usopp, Chopper and Luffy were shooting the cannon, blowing up rocks that were sticking out of the water randomly in the middle of the sea. ...why were there rocks in the middle of the sea?

Gen was drawing again. This time it was from the dream - or rather a nightmare - she'd seen last night. There was a young man, chained from his ankle to a rock. What was pecuilar in him was that he had birdlike characteristics: wings, tail, legs. His skin was covered in light brown fuzz, the same color as his wings. His inner thighs, stomach and face were free of it, and his black hair was wild and unruly. He had a look of defeat in his once kind amber eyes, while he still tried to struggle free of his chackle.

It was all in vain, he would never be freed.

Then, the damn marines. The cannonplay had probably gotten their attention, but the idiots were either too lazy or too hungry to care, especially when all the cannonballs _missed_ their target by a mile. How an earth could someone catch any pirates with that aim? No wonder they always had problems!

The marines pursued them until they entered more treacherous waters with hard currents, strong whirlpools and rocks, and their bigger ships were useless in that kind of area.

The weather cleared, and the marines were gone! Horaay!

"This is going wrong!" Greg whined.

"What is?"

"There should be an island already!"

"An island?" she rised her eyebrow in doubt.

"Yes, don't you remember? If it's going to be fillers from the anime, wouldn't it mean that all of them would be played through?" the demon was puzzled.

"Hey, I'm not the big and mighty bishie-boy from Atlantis. I don' know a jack. What filler should be next?"

"The goat man."

"...the goat man? GOATS? I LOVE goats! They eat everything they can bite through and they have that satanic look in their eyes..." she dreamt. "And they're cuuuuute! I wanna goat!"

"You don't have any idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

"Nope."

Greg sighed and started telling her of Zenni the lonely pirate of his secret island. She understood why it was 'secret', as it was so difficult to approach.

Usopp yelled from the crow's nest that he'd seen an island.

"Oh..." Greg said stupidly.

"Sure. But thanks, now I know what to expect. Throw a warning though, if things are going to turn rowdy, okay?" Gen grinned.

"Yes, M'Lady-sama!" Greg stood his back as straight as a bunny can stand and bowed from the middle. Gen sighed and flicked the bunny on it's butt. It was funny how he yelped.

* * *

><p>The island was just a normal island with normal greenery and views. Gen was looking around with her eyes darting towards every smallest cracks and rustles.<p>

"What are you doing?" Nami asked with a sweatdrop.

"Shh! I'm huntin' goats!"

"Goats? Please don't say that you're going to take one?"

"I wasn't thinking that!" she denied.

"Liar," Usopp, Zoro and Luffy said all in unision.

"We're not taking goats," Nami said with finality.

They saw a wide path and started following it, climbing up some cliffs as well. After some time of just plain forest, Robin voiced her thoughts about the island being uninhabitet.

"Ba-ha-ha-haa!"

"Kyaaa! A goat!" Gen's eyes turned into hearts.

The thing was adorable, big soft-looking ears and big black eyes. They all stopped in surprise.

"It's a goat!" Chopper smiled.

"**MEAT!**" Sanji, Usopp and Luffy exclaimed with a fire of hunger, and before Gen had time to do anything the three dashed after the baby goat that lead them to an opening with one big tree growing from the middle of it. _'If this isn't suspicious I'll eat my shoe.'_

"That's where it begins," Greg said silently.

Nami cut their path. "Now hold on a minute! Even if you're hungry you can't eat that cute little goat!"

"'Ear 'ear!"

"Ba-ha-haa."

Zoro tensed and clicked the katana free of the scabbard. "Looks like your cute little goat's friends have us surrounded."

"Eh?"

"Oh doodles..." The goats were a lot bigger than the first one, and they also looked a lot more vicious: heads bowed down and ready to act. ...but they're so cute!

"It's a trap!" Chopper said. "He lured us into a trap!"

"No choice, I guess," Zoro drew out the katana when the goats started running at them.

"Don't kill them, Zoro! They're not bad, I know they're not!" the reindeer pleaded, and Zoro got pushed away. Sanji already had a herd of his own, and when Usopp tried to shoot a tabasco star at them, they just kicked it aside... and into Luffy's face.

Gen didn't want to fight with the goats. They were cute, yes, but she knew she couldn't fight them without having to kill them. The goats were staring at her and slowly walking at her.

She sighed and sat down against the tree. "I am _not_ goin' to be a part o' this."

"Ba-ha-ha-haa!"

"Go away. I like goats, but I don't feel like fighting animals today."

"Ba-ha-ha-ha-ha-haa!"

"No. Now shoo, go away!"

"_BAH_!"

"HYAAA!"

"LEAVE HER ALONE YOU STUPID STEW-INGREDIENT!" Sanji yelled, but he was occupied as well. Gen just ran around, dodging the flying goats.

Chopper was rounded up by some more goats. He asked them why had they lured the pirates into a trap. He found out that they were ORDERED to do so.  
>When the fighting didn't cease, he roared STOOOP! and turned into his human form.<p>

All the goats froze with their eyes big. Gen was reminded of Tennessee goats, a breed of these animals that when scared fall down because their feet lock.

...not the point.

Then an old fart fell off the tree.

He had a gray bush of hair that reminded her of some monkey and two thin braids hanging from the sides. He had an old captain's jacket and green one-strapped overalls with a striped sweater. He was kinda scrawny, and he had an abacus in his yellow sash.

"M-MONSTER!"

"Eek, an old filthy goat-man," Gen rolled her eyes.

Luffy summarised what they all were thinking: "Some weird dude fell outta the tree."

"Chopper, is this the guy who ordered the goats to attack us?" Nami asked.

"Well?"

"Me-he-hee."

"They said he is!" Chopper turned back to small and cuddly, and the old man was biting his nails in fright.

"..."

"He probably thought we were going to attack him," Zoro said.

"Don't worry, we just need some water and food," Sanji assured him.

"I can't trust the word of a pirate!" the guy pointed at them.

"Really..." Gen sighed a little saddened. "When they hear 'pirates', they always think the worst..."

"That's the life of a pirate," Luffy nodded to her. For a second he looked mature. The goat-man had now proceeded to telling them that he was 'flat broke'.

"No offense, but you don't look like someone with a lot of money," Usopp said.

"You filthy pirates! Even so, I will remain a man! You can go ahead and boil and roast me!" he crossed his arms.

"Oh reeeeally?" Sanji cracked his knuckles. "I'm a cook. Boiling and roasting are what I'm best at."

"Wait! Wait! It was just a joke! You devils! Villains! Murderers!" he threw stones at them before diving into a bush and getting tangled into the branches. They watched the man struggle for a while, before Zoro shrugged, walked over to the old man and cut him free.

That wasn't the best thing to do, because he fainted.

Ah, wait, Choppie said that his heart just stopped...

"EH?"

They all took a step away from the swordsman.

"Zoro!"

"Demon!"

"How horrible!"

"Marimo."

"Meeh!"

"NO! Wait...! I didn't-!"

"Big effin' deal, the old fart died. Le's go back," Gen said. She already disliked this man... deeply.

They all, except for Chopper who was doing first aid to the man, turned at her slowly.

"What? He's an old, prejudiced coot and once we get him to his house he's goin' ta live. **Fer a while...**" she added omniously with a dark shadow on her face, making several people in the hearing distance shiver.

* * *

><p>The second Zenni woke up he put the young pirates into work. Zoro esaped it by going into the forest to gather food, and Gen just rudely slipped away to explore the lush island. After half an hour or so she came across a calm, clearwatered lake that reflected the surrounding scenery from it's surface like a giantic, distorting mirror, and she sorely regretted that she'd left her bag to the house with others.<p>

The lake brought her mind back to the past, and she went through all those happy memories with Chiselle and Brian at the big lake. Before Chiselle had the Trout, she'd had a smaller boat called C-Gull. It was small and quick and while the girls sat in it Brian was hanging from a rope on the back of it, standing on a surf board.

Ah, what a lovely summer that was, pity that it had been both the first and the last time Brian had done that. She guessed that two weeks in a hospital after crashing into a tree was a good reason.

Gen had considered something for some time now: she'd have to keep a memorial of some sort for Chiselle. she didn't know if she was alive or not, but the fact that she'd never see her again was still there. Maybe it would rest her heart at ease, and maybe she would be ready to talk about it if someone asked her and was interested?

"'Trees have dropped their leaves, clouds their waters; all this burden is killing me... Distance is covering your way, tears your memory, all this beauty is killing me...'" she sang alone as she gathered fistsized stones into a pile.

"'Oh, do you care, I still feel for you, so aware, what should be lost is there... I fear I will never, never find anyone, I know my gratest pain is yet to come...'"

She picked different flowers that she could find: a bunch of white, sweet-scented ones, yellow, red, blue, and even some green flowers.

"'Safely away from the world, in a dream, timeless domain... A child, dreamy eyed, mother's mirror, father's pride...'"

Gen set the flowers on the pile of stones, took them away and remade it again until she was happy with it.

"'I wish I could come back to you, once again feel the rain falling inside me, cleaning all that I've become... My home is far but the rest lies so close... with my long lost love under the black rose. You told I had the eyes of a wolf, search them and find the beauty of the beast...'"

Finding a rather sturdy branch she secured it on the top of the pile, tying a vine around it.

"'A saint blessed me, drank me deeply, spitting out the misery in me... still a sinner rapes a 1000 saints, sharing the same hell with me...'"

She stepped back and looked over the little flower arrangement. Yosh, it was good. If she'd had a candle or a lantern, she would've put it there to top it all.

"'Sanest choise in this insane world... beware the beast but enjoy the feast he offers.'"

"So that's how it is?" Marimo's voice startled her and made her fall from the tree stump she was balancing on.

"Ow ow ow ow... what are you doing here? And how did you find me?" she asked, when the first shock wore off.

"I was walking around here and heard you. I thought I'd gotten back to the house by now..." he glared at the forest as if it had offended him somehow.

"You're lost," she said bluntly.

"No I'm not! It's this stupid forest's fault!"

She had to laugh at his pouty expression. He noticed the avarage pile of rocks and flowers on the ground and rised his eyebrow. "What's that?"

"It's a memorial," she said silently.

"Ah. Sorry... who died?" he plucked a stone from the ground and put it on the pile. _'Heh, honoring someone he never even knew...'_

She held a pause, thinking if she should share with him. If there ever was someone that would understand death it was him, or possibly Luffy. ...or any of the crew for that matter. Gen bit her lip, and Zoro saw it as a sign to drop it.

"Hmm, nevermind. Let's go back to the others, I found some food," he started walking back the path he'd come here.

"I can tell you, if you want to hear," she said quietly, still gazing over the lake with her eyes tinting to a shade of green. He turned around to look at her.

"Gloria, if you don't want to-"

"No!" Gen interrupted him. "Don't give me options or I'll never be able to tell you."

He grinned and hummed. "Okay then: tell me."

As they walked, she told him about Chiselle. She told him everything she remembered about her, being mindful of things that didn't exist in this dimension. He listened wordlessly, and she had to time after time to look and make sure that we really WAS following her and not walking the other way with her back turned.

She sweatdropped, when Zoro wasn't there after the sixth time.

Once she found him, she grabbed one end of the white katana to keep him near.

"You stupid idiot, how can anyone be that retarded with directions?" she scolded him after she found him after ten minutes. "You find my greatest friend in all existance that boring?"

"I said I was sorry! It's not my fault! I really thought you had turned from there!"

"TURN TO WHERE?_!_ THERE WAS ONLY _FOREST_ IN THAT DIRECTION!_!_"

"Hey, stop yelling in my ear! It's not _my_ fault that every where I turn looks the same," he defended himself. "You were saying something about some guy named Timothy...?" he changed the subject back to where they left.

"Yup. He was a major pain in the butt, both to me and Chis. He was a bully, and liked her. Once in some party he got drunk and started gettin' out of hand." He grumbled, and she could hear the frown in it. "Fortunately Brian was there to stop 'im before he could do more damage..." her mind drifted.

"By what you've told, I take it that you and Chiselle weren't really that popular?"

"No, we weren't. It's kinda my fault, since some really weird stuff happened always 'round me, an' Chis was always with me so they started disliking her too. It's really amazing how cruel kids can be," she said.

"You sound cool about it."

"All's past, don' linger in it or ya'll jus' be miserable. Bury your feelin's fer later. Tha's wha' I do."

"That's not healthy!" he exclaimed.

"How're ya gonna stop me?" she gave a sad little smirk over her shoulder.

He looked at her searchingly, before grinning at her. "If not me, then it's him..."

"Huh?"

"Nevermind. Just get us outta here."

"You admit that you suck at directions?" she asked and leered at him mischiviously.

"Never!"

"Okay then, lead the way, o mighty Roronoa Zoro," she mocked a bow and let him in front of her. "But if we get lost you gimme somethin' nice."

"Cheh..."

They walked for a long time, and she was starting to go numb in the head, just automatically following Zoro around. Besides being utterly bored, she was getting irritated.

"..."

"We are _not lost_, so don't give me that look!"

"Don't try to lie to me, mule."

"_Mule_?"

"Yes, you're a mule. A bastard child of a horse and a donkey. Or llama, I don't remember which it was, but you get it."

He grumbled and grit his teeth. This was very funny to her, as they waded through a huge bush.

"Shit! Which way is north? Which way's south? Oi... Snowbrain, where'd you disappear?" he parted the vegetation to find her. "Oh, there you are. You're so short that I couldn't see you."

"Oh ha ha. Who was the one who said that straying from the path would make a wonderful shortcut?" she crossed her arms.

"Stupid fish..." He pushed through the bush and she stayed close to him in the opening he created while moving. Then he stopped abruptly. "What? That's..."

"What's what?" she pushed him aside and looked at what they had found. "Ah, it's a ship."

"It looks like a pirate ship," he rounded it.

"Mmhm. And by the flag it belongs to the old fart," she scratched her chin. "Let's go back, it's almost night already. I lead."

"No freakin' way. I can handle this."

"Fine!" she surrended. "I'll just go on my own and you go get so lost you can't find your own pants!"

She got to the camp a **_lot_** before he did. It was long to the night, before Zoro returned, sweaty and a fuller sac of food with him. By then the chores of the day were almost finished with Usopp fixing the roof and the girls making a bed out of hay. Sanji was preparing something to eat, with Luffy helping. Gen felt better after talking about her childhood friend.

"Finally made it back. You guys still at it?" he stopped and regarded the scene.

"That old goat keeps finding chore after chore for us to do!" Usopp's eye twitched.

"I'm all worn out," Nami sighed. Luffy whined about his hunger and Zoro dropped the bag of fruit in front of him.

"Yo, Zoro, ya're netherworldly late."

"Shove it, Snowbrain." Gen hadn't told about the pirate ship to the others, and left the task to Zoro. They came to the same conclusion that it had to be 'the old crackpot' as Sanji so gracefully called him and Nami got the idea that there was something going on.

"On top of the mountain, right? Let's go~!"

"Don't run!"

"Wait, it takes a really long time to get there!" Zoro tried to stop them. Gen giggled. It wasn't far away at all, and he noticed the same thing when they arrived at the ship.

"It's kind of unsettling," Sanji said after they had just watched it in silence.

"Like a ghost ship upon the mountain."

"If ya ask me, it looks like a coffin."

"Robin. Gloria. Don't say stuff like that," Usopp quivered. Small green lights started lighting up around the ship, hovering in the air eerily. "HUAAAA! WHAT ARE THOSE? DON'T EAT ME! I'M TOO YOUNG!" the sniper lost it and jumped behind Luffy.

"They're just fireflies," Nami said. The fireflies brought Ace to Gen's mind. One of his attacks was named after them. While the others looked around, she chased the small insects. Nami also told them of her suspicion that the man was an ex-pirate.

"A pirate?" they all asked, except for Gen.

"Honestly..." she facepalmed. "He's got a pirate jacket, pirate flag and a greedy nature! Of course he's a pirate! ...but then again I could be wrong."

"I bet he was in a shipwreck and washed ashore on this island. And, to escape the island, he started building a pirate ship."

"But a former pirate going around hating pirates? That doesn't make any sense!" Usopp was doubtious.

"That's just a camouflage, so we wouldn't get wind of his hidden treasure! I though he was suspicious since I first laid eyes on his possessions. That was a pretty nice collection in his house if you ask me."

They kept on taking about it back and forth, Usopp and Nami. Then Robin made the observation that the ship was resting in a place with no way to the sea. "If it was for escaping, why build it on the mountain?"

"Why, Nami?" they all chorused, with Sanji's added -san at the end, but she didn't have an answer.

When they returned to the house, Chopper took his kit and went to check on the old man. Gen layed on the ground, yawning widely. She wanted to go to sleep! Gen denied of sleep was a grumpy Gen!

Usopp whined, Luffy whined, Zoro shook him by his red vest for eating all the food, etc. until Chopper came back. They had decided to go back to the Merry and leave, but the doctor couldn't leave him.

"There will be an end."

"Huh?"

"End?"

"The old man's heart didn't stop just because he was frightened. He's sick."

"An end? You mean..." Nami left the sentence hanging.

"I'm sure!" Chopper looked seriously worried. "He has less than three days to live!"

"What?"

"Three days?"

"SHUT UP ALREADY! I'll give you all **three _seconds_** if you don't lemme sleep 'lready!" a shoe was thrown at them, hitting Luffy in the back of his head.

* * *

><p>The next day they tried to be nice to the pirate and made a big breakfast to him. Sanji really put his best into it, and Gen not wanting her fould mood to ruin everything, climbed into a tree to wait. She wanted to get off of this island, back to open sea, away from here.<p>

The guy was really doubtful at first, inspecting the food for poison or such, but in the end they had fun feeding the man. He also gave a scare for almost choking on a piece of food, and she just sweatdropped at their reactions. _'If I grow old I'm going to be twice that annoying.'_

She wasn't the only who thought this was a bit fishy, if she ready Zoro's face right. His eyebrow twitched, as Zenni just kept on eating like a glutton._ 'He sure has appetite for a dead man...'_

They also brought up the ship on the top of the mountain and offered to finish it for him. He was just as bossy as yesterday, but she just put up with it. She didn't know a jack about building anything, but was still very keen on trying it.

She was denied.

"Why can't I help out? I'm bored!"

"No is no, Snowbrain."

"A lady like you shouldn't tire yourself with work like this!" Sanji cooed from his place.

"But but buuuut!"

"M'Lady! Please sit back and let the boys do their work," Greg said.

"AAAH! A TALKING BAG!" the old fart's eyes bugged out.

"Hey! Give some respect! In my eyes you're just another brat!" he shook himself.

"_How_ old are you?" Gen asked.

"Classified."

"Lame."

Nami offered the old pirate a chair and Robin a massage.

"By the way, why'd you build this ship on top of the mountain, Jii-san?" Sanji asked. He was havin a cig-brake from work.

"Ahh, it's not a ship," he smiled.

"It's not a ship?" Luffy looked around confusedly.

"Gimme a brake! If this isn't a ship, what is it?" Usopp asked.

"It's my..." he closed his eyes and opened them. "...coffin!*****"

"Whoo I was right! Pay up!" Gen cheered.

"There weren't any bets going around..." Usopp sweatdropped.

"Coffin?"

"Yeah, it's my grave."

"I see, so it's the Goat Ossan's grave," Luffy put his hands together in a prayer.

"Don't pray for him now! That's bad luck!"

"It's too early!" Sanji said with a dry expression, leaning to the windowsill.

"It's too early to have one made!" Chopper looked like he could cry any minute now.

"...from the earth we are born, through life we walk; in the end we all will fall..." Gen muttered. "This island-" she gasped when a strong feeling washed over her. She noticed that she was suddenly laying on her back on the ground, looking at the sky. 'What the...?'

Nami looked thoughtful, and whe the man looked at her she looked like she'd been caught with her hand in a cookie jar.

"What are you so jumpy about? Living alone on an island, there's nothing wrong with building your own coffin! Since I'm going to die eventually," he smiled warmly.

"I guess a coffin on top of a mountain isn't that strange," Luffy said.

"But why is your coffin a pirate ship?" Sanji inquired.

The man sighed and leaned onwards in the chair, scaring the crap out of everyone, but then Nami said that he was just sleeping and they all sighed in relief.

_Several days later..._

Gen was drawing a picture of two cute goat children. Chopper had said that they were twins. Sanji had made cheese from the goats' milk (that was heavenly, btw). The old fart was eating it while playing chess with Nami and owning her in it. Robin liked feeding the goats, and Luffy, Zoro and Usopp had gone out to get food. Their laugh exceeded them as they returned.

"Great catch today!" Luffy smiled. "Sanji! Make some great dishes for the Goat Ossan again!"

"Yeah, leave it to me!" Sanji rolled his sleeves. Three big fish and a big basket of food! Gen attacked the fruit basket and started digging it, only to get lifted from her feet away from it.

"Hey! Let go!"

"Aaa! Marimo what are you doing! Don't treat a lady like that!"

"Jii-san! If there's anything you want us to do, we'll do it!" Usopp gave a thumbs up.

"No matter when I die, I'll be happy. it's like paradise. Paradise..."

"Don't say that!" Luffy, Sanji and Usopp looked teary._ 'Oh for the love of all unholy...!'_

"Even if it's short..."

"...don't give up on your life!"

And the three proceeded to weep... "As long as you have your life~!"

"Oi, isn't something funny here?" Zoro crouched next to them.

"What is?" Usopp listened him.

"He was only supposed to live three more days, right?"

"Yeah, only three more days!" Sanji sniffled and Luffy echoed his words.

"That's too soon!" Usopp made them all cry again.

"Yeah, but three days already passed a few days ago."

That made them all get their scrambled brain back. "Oh yeah..."

"Then how can he be over there looking prefectly healthy?" Usopp wondered.

"He seems even _better_ than before," Sanji admitted, looking at the old coot who asked seconds for the cheese.

Chopper came out from the house with a small glass jar of yellow balls. "Jii-san, here's today's medicine. Be sure to take it."

"I don't need that. It spoils the taste of my meal. Here, checkmate!"

"Ahhh! Not again!" Nami cried out in frustration.

"You said he was only gonna live three more days," Zoro said to Chopper, who was walking at the boys.

"From the looks of him, he's gonna be fine for another thirty years," Sanji said.

"No, I don't think so. But if it's a generous mistake, that's fine, isn't it?"

"That's not the problem! If that's the case, I'm getting off this island no matter what anyone says!"

"Yeah, we don't have time to stay here forever comforting an old man!" Sanji got up. They all stood.

"I want to continue having adventures at sea," Luffy had his hand on his head.

"Then it's settled. Nami, we're setting sail!" Zoro said.

"Can you wait a little more?" Nami asked.

"How long are you going to keep playing? Enough with the chess!" Usopp said.

"Uh, I can't quit," she said nervously. "I've lost every game and now the ship's his!"

Zenni gave a victory sign.

"**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?_!_**" they all yelled. Gen too, because she hadn't expected this.

"Nami what the netherworld? I thought Luffy was our very own idiot, but you too?"

"WHAT KIND OF PIRATE GIVES UP THEIR SHIP?" Usopp was livid.

"I'll get it back! Just wait!"

"Checkmate."

"Kyaaaaaa!"

"_STOP ALREADY!_"

"If you want your ship back, you'll have to earn it back by working on this island," Zenni said and counted from his abacus. "It'll probably take you about ten years to work it off. How's that for profit?" he laughed.

"Nami..."

"Nami-swan..."

"I'm sorry. I though if I beat him, I could ask him where his treasure is..." the navigator collapsed on the ground in defeat.

_("Robin... if you would?" Gen sighed._

_"Very well, Odd-chan.")_

"You're _still_ talking about that?" Usopp's vein was bulging on his temple. "If it comes to this, let's leave that old man here and bolt. That's the only way."

"I'm not going," Luffy anounced.

"What are you talking about, Luffy? Good thing Zoro figured it out. We could've been working for that old coot for the rest of our lives!"

"You guys should've figured it out too!"

"We won't have any adventures in a place like this, Luffy," Sanji tried to reason him. "Let's go!"

"No."

"Luffy!"

"A bet is sort of like a promise, right? Then I don't want to break our promise," he was firm.

"This is no time to be showing off! Zoro, what about you?"

"The captain is the one who decides."

"Luffy!" Usopp pleaded.

"No means no."

"Checkmate," Robin declared. There was a lone arm at the table with Chopper and Zenni, and he looked like he'd been cornered. "Seems like we can have our ship back."

"Well, Ojii-chan?" Nami asked. They gathered around the empty seat.

"I lost!"

"Whohoo!"

"I knew I could count on you, onee-sama!" Nami purred to Robin.

"You didn't really have a plan, did you...?" Gen asked blankly.

"How's that for profit?" Sanji, Usopp and Luffy grinned at the old fart.

"Not bad I guess..." he cackled and threw his hands in the air. "I've lived a long life, but I've never mets such delightful pirates! You guys are the best! It's time for a party!"

"Whoohooo!"

_'Ding ding ding, that was the secret word! Time to get the fudge out of here!'_ her eye twitched.

Sanji made awesome food, and the big fire lighted the whole little yard.

It seemed that Nami had changed tactics, now trying to get Zenni drunk.

Something had been nagging at Gen ever since the chess match: The chessboard. There was something fishy about it. Even if she couldn't remember stuff so well, some things were opening up the more things happened.

"Ojii-chan, you must be a great pirate," Nami flattered him and poured him some more. "You sure know how to drink!"

"Nami-chan, calling me a pirate?"

"If you weren't, you wouldn't have these fabulous cups," she pointed at the one in Zenni's hands.

"They certainly seem like treasure," Robin commented.

"Nami, you're trying to get him drunk so he'll tell you where the treasure is," Usopp laughed.

"Don't just blurt it out!" Nami sushed him.

"Goat Ossan, do you really have a treasure?" Luffy asked bluntly and shoved a piece of meat in his mouth using two forks.

"I said NOT to blurt it out! There's a procedure to this."

"My treasure is..." they all looked at him intently. "...those who have kept me company since the day I washed ashore here. The island goats."

"What a noble sentiment!" Luffu teared up.

"Just kidding! Gahaha!"

"..."

"..."

"Don't joke around and just tell us!" Nami said impatiantly.

"Then here is as blunt as I can be: I was a man who sailed the Grand Line with the greatest of pirates..."

"I knew it!"

"...and lent them money."

"Lent them money?" Luffy parroted.

"Yeah, Money Lender Zenni they called me. Not a pirate."

"You're not?" Nami asked. Gen could almost hear how her dreams went down the drainer.

"Too bad for you, Nami," Usopp smiled.

"But you had some guts to go lending money to pirates, Jii-san," Sanji grinned.

"How come?" Luffy looked at Usopp for an explanation.

"Well duh. Do you think normal pirates are gonna pay back what they borrow? You'd be putting your life in danger."

"I think I owe money to my brother... or then it was that he owes me... oh no, I can't remember anymore which way it was..." Gen sighed and drooped her head.

"That's right. They tried to shirk their loans time after time. Those shitty pirates broke promises as easily as skipping breakfast."

"So you really hate pirates."

"If I didn't stand up to them, I'd have never made any profit!"

Gen had gotten enough of this money talk, and left after telling Chopper that she was going to go for a walk. Since they were obviously leaving soon, she wanted to go visit Chiselle's memorial.

* * *

><p>*Whoa, I really only guessed! I was writing the chapter while watching this and I didn't know for sure if the 'ship' was a coffin! o.o<p>

The song was from **Nightwish** and the name is **Beauty of the beast**.

x_x ~¤

It took another forever to finish this... please don't hate me that it's a filler. There were originally at least **13 **filler episodes, and I wanted to make one myself! So... *hides to write*


	32. Goddamn ugly bracelet, filler on a reef

I'm bleeding mentally. It took so many days... and two of them were wasted because mom took the computer away TT-TT (_My eye is hurting... and I don't know why_)  
>Struggling with my swedish homework and I think I'm getting sick. I could keep on whining for many lines, but it's not interesting. I'm not making more fillers than the Zenni-stuff, but I'm adding something of my own to the story instead. I'll probably get to the Skypiea arc in the next chapter~ <strong>So please be patient!<strong> I know how annoying fillers can be.

Gloria: WHEEEE!

Snoara: Huh?

Gloria: Nothing...

* * *

><p>In the end Gloria spent the whole night sleeping at the lake. She was woken up by ghastly whispers, but she didn't see anyone. <em>'Creepy...'<em>

Half asleep and hungry she slothed back to the hut, only to find it empty. There was still leftovers from yesterday night laying around, so she munched on some fish and fruit.

_Chew, chew, chew, chew, chew, chew, clink, chew-_

"Hmm?" she turned to look behind her where the small metallic noise had come from. She kept on chewing, and took another bite from the food.

There was a confused pause as the unfamiliar men in white and blue stared at the girl with black shirt and baggy, blue jeans.

_Chew, chew, chew, chew- gulp._

"Ah, sorry, did you want some too?" she offered him the rest of her fish.

"Um- eh- huh? No! We're here to arrest you, pirate scum!" he rised his sword that had previously been pointing to the ground.

"Why?" she tilted her head.

"Because you're a pirate, and a criminal! You have to be brought to justice!"

"Why?"

"Because pirates are bad. They rob and pillage and murder innocent people-"

"Why?"

"Because pirates don't have morals and they're evil."

"Why?"

"I don't know! Stop speaking already!"

"...why?" she couldn't help the smirk.

"Corpral!" the man who was about to gag her looked at the men coming up the path that lead to the shore. They had Usopp on the edgy end of a sword.

"G-Gen! Save me!"

"Sry. Can't."

"That's right you can't, we have wepons," one of the men said.

"No, I was going to say that I haven't finished by breakfast," she gestured at her half eaten piece of fish.

"Oi, oi, oi! How can you always be so calm like that whenever we get into these situations? Because you 'know a lot'?" Usopp made air quotes.

"Dunno if ya noticed, bu' I'm not really 'wake 'ere yet," she pointed at her head.

"Get up!" she was poked with a gun aimed at her, and when her brain proceeded with the order she did. The marines walked them down to the beach, with Usopp holding his hands up ridiculously.

"Lu-Lu-Lu-Lu-Luffy!"

"Mooorniiiing fellas!" Gen waved cheerily.

"Usopp! Gen!"

"Guys~!" Usopp wailed.

"Stand down! One false move and they die!" Corprolar said.

"Shit, he already had men on land..." Zoro growled.

"Good work, corporal," a man on a big ship said. 'Oh wow, how'd I missed the marine ships? Ah well.' He looked weasel-y, with his thin red hair (_or at least red is close enough_) with a big mouth and narrow eyes. He had shoulder tassels as a mark of his title.

"Throw down your wepons, or else!" corporal commanded and Zoro's katana's fell with a dull clink.

"Usopp!"

"Damn..."

"Guys, just run! They plan on killing us either way!"

"Hey! Am I invisible or something?" Gen asked. She was getting to the second state of wakening, the pissed offness. "I demand chocolate!"

"Keep your mouths shut!" he pressed the sword closer to Usopp's neck, and Gen was suddenly very aware of the gun digging into her shoudlerblades. Still...

"Why?"

"Sir, permission to shoot her?" Corporal asked from mr. Weasel.

"You cowards!" Luffy didn't look happy.

"The captain isn't even here yet, and it's already over. Corporal!" the weasel-man rised his hand and the marine soldiers cocked their guns at the crew, holding Usopp and Gen behind the line.

"As I thought," Zoro grumbled.

"That's cheating!" Chopper disapproved of them.

"Bullets wont hurt me!"

"But they will hurt _us_!" Nami reminded the captain. Weasel laughed.

"Along with Zenni, I'll take the Strawhat pirates' heads! Now die!" he went to give the order to the men to shoot, but then they were all distracted by a tiny ship hurtling down the path in the side of the cliff. Gen saw this a good chance to kick the guy holding the gun on her in the family jewels.

"What? A pirate ship coming down from the mountain top?"

"Yeah Weasel, we all were blind," Gen snorted.

"ZENNI PIRATES, FULL CHARGE!"

"Jii-san!"

The ship crashed through young trees and emerged from the treeline, barreling at the people standing there. The marines, Usopp and Gen all had to dodge the ship as it rushed to the water, sprinkling water all around.

"Alright, Ossan!" Luffy cheered for him.

"Oi, oi, don't overdo it."

"His heart's probably stopped by now," Zoro said.

"Hey, how can you say a thing like that?" Nami frowned.

"Guhah!" Zoro was tackled from behind by a blur of white. "Get... offa me...!"

"Hi! Didya miss meh?"

"No. Off."

"Jii-san! Are you alright?" Chopper yelled. They could see him standing on his ship's deck, gazing at the sea. Then looked back to the shore.

"I've really become a pirate! That's right! This is no longer a coffin! It's a proper pirate ship, The Zenni! Ain't that right?" and there was a chorus of 'ba-ha-haa's and 'meeh's after the peptalk to the crew of... goats.

"Way to go, Ossan!" Luffy jumped up and down.

"Don't encourage him! He's sick!" Nami chastsied him.

"WOOO! GO, ZENNI! GIMME A Z, GIMME AN E, GIMME AN N-!" Gen was making a spontanious coreograph, disrupted by a solid punch to the forehead.

"What's this about, Money Lender Zenni? Isn't your job taking money from pirates?" the marine weasel asked.

"I stopped being a money lender ages ago! Now I'm pirate Zenni!" he laughed.

"IN YO FACE, WEASEL!" Gen laughed wildly.

"DON'T LAUGH AT THE MARINES, YOU OLD FART!"

"Jii-san! Watch out, he's after your treasure!"

"Oh? So now besides catching pirates, the marines are taking up part-time treasure hunting?" Zenni asked slyly. "How diligent of them!"

"Nami, bring the ship around," Zoro ordered.

"Right, everyone follow me!" she ran away. Sanji fumed something about ordering her around, but Gen grabbed the back of his jacket after running after Nami.

"Sergeant Minche! The Strawhats are up to something! Call captain Moore's fleet for backup!" Corporal yelled behind them. '_Ah, Minche. Minche... Wenche... Weasche... Weasel! Yes, his name is Weasel! Oh wait...'_

"SHUT UP!"

BUM They all stopped to look behind, where Weasel had shot right in front of Corporal.

"Didn't I say I'd give you a share of the treasure? You understand, right?"

Gen felt her anger rise. 'Corruption... must be cleansed...'

"Let's see..." Zenni started tapping the abacus and counting something. "So for a part-time job, you'd kill your subordinate. You must make a lot of money, mr. Sergeant."

"Grrrh, you decrepit old man, don't think you'll get out of this alive!"

"SHUT UP, KID!" Zenni snapped, making the marine step back. "You've got some balls trying to steal a pirate's treasure! Take it if you can! Hahahahaha!"

"Well said, Ossan!" Luffy had grabbed the ship from it's aft with both outstreched hands. "Show him how pirates fight!"

...aaand he moved the Zenni right next to the big marine vessel with a big crash. The power behind it made both of the ships swilvel sideways to a cliff.

"Yosh!"

"YOU DUMBASS!"

"If you're a pirate, then you won't mind being killed by the marines!" sergeant Weasel yelled.

Then Zoro thought of something a bit worrying: "Hey, does that old man have any wepons?"

"Eh?"

"He's got his goats?" Gen tilted her head.

"I don't care if you're marines! I'll show you my tenth-dan abacus skills! CHARGE!"

"He _is_ using the goats!" Gen whooped as the animals moved in for the invasion.

"An abacus and... the goats..."

"What? He's in trouble!" Luffy flung his arms to the ships far away. It didn't go exactly like planned, because after the cannonball the marine cut off the rope that Luffy had been holding onto, making the rubbery idiot fall in the water. Zoro didn't hesitate to start swimming towards his captain.

Gen sighed. "Idiots, all of 'em." She walked to the water and made a graceful dive. Somehow she should've expected that Zoro would start swimming the _other way_. She saw him from under the water, but let it be. She wouldn't have to bother her mind with some lost marimo-lamb. '_Genny had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb, Genny had a little lamb his hair as green as moss~'_

The goats were owning the marines, the crew got the Merry going and Gen climbed up the side of the big ship. She stopped to look behind and marvelled how fast she'd crossed the distance. Then she remembered Luffy and why she'd come here in the first place.

The problem was, that she didn't see him anywhere. He was probably at the bottom already.

**"Luuuffffffyyyy where are you, you dummy?"** Gen called him, turning around in a slow piruet. **"Ah, there you are!"**

"Blugrblugrblugr..." he didn't look good.

**"Ya're in a pinch, ay? I'll give ya a hand,"** she grabbed his arm and kicked off from the bottom, dragging the dead weight up to the surface. He coughed violently when they broke the surface, and Gen emptyed her lungs from the water before taking air in.

"Th-thanks... I thought I'd die..."

"Well you're lucky. Dunno about the marimo though," she pointed at the young man swimming their way.

"Oh, you found the ass already."

"Yup. What happened to you? You've got a big lump in your head," she pointed out.

"Don't ask," he grit his teeth.

"You haul him on the deck," she shoved the captain to the first mate, who flung him on his shoulder like a wet rag and started climbing up. He stopped to look at her.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Naa, I saw som'thin' shiny at the bottom," she pointed down to the water. "See'ya!"

She dove to the place where she'd saved Luffy from before, and started orderly looking for the little glint she'd spotted. Earlier she'd had more important stuff to do, and she'd

given up on the Mysterious Shiny Object.

**"Not shiny... not shiny... slimy- eww, why'd I have to go and touch that stuff? Ew ew ew ew..."** she talked to herself. She rather liked how her voice was warped by the water.

**"Looking for something, sweetheart?"**

**"Oh hi mom,"** she didn't jump this time, it was becomingh a habit that Herka was there always. Well... Herka = sea, sea = Herka and so on. **"Yeah, I saw something shiny here."**

**"Really?"** the seaserpent swam lazily around her.

**"Really. How's all the others?"** she asked, referring to the the pirates. Under her gaze the goddess turned a little see-through, her face towards the surface.

**"They're ready to leave in a moment. Moore's fleet has challenged Luffy. You should go before they leave without you,"** she turned back to solid and looked at her.

**"What did you just do?"** Gen asked and pointed at her mother.

**"Hm? Oh, that. It's a little too complicated to tell to you in a haste. I'll tell you if I remember and in a better time. Hey, is this it?"** Herka raised something from the sand. Gen paddled closer and saw a thick, golden wristband laden with jewels.

**"Yeah, I guess. Ugh..."**

**"It's a bit..."**

**"Yeah. Maybe Nami would like it. Ahh, what a disappointment."**

**"It's expensive,"** Herka said, and Gen ignored how she said 'it is' instead of 'it looks'. The serpent pressed the ugly object in her hand before ushering her to go on.

**"I bet they forgot about me,"** she said slightly irritated. **"People tend to forget me easily."**

**"Hurry up, there they go, towards that graveyard of ships!"**

**"Oh great... and the marines are after them... I'm never going to survive that!"**

**"Don't worry,"** Herka scooped her up in her arms.** "Hold on tight, I'm taking you there!"**

It was a blur, that's how fast she swam, even with her in her arms. They broke the surface and she was suddenly thrown high in the air before she made a painful crash landing on the deck. Hmm, more painful to Zoro than her, perhaps...

"Get... off... me...!"

"Woops, sorry~!"

"You don't sound sorry at all!"

"Yeah, love ya too," she got up and missed the look Zoro had on his face. The deck was flooding with water, and she remembered the bracelet in her hand again. "'Ey Nami, I thought that you'd like to have this, since we really didn' get much outta tha' island in the end."

_ZOOM, *snatch*_

"You're welcome..." she sweatdropped as the fiend rejoiced. "Oh? Robin, what happened?" she noticed that the woman had a big cool-pack on her head... if that's the proper word for it. Zoro had one like that on his head too.

"Oh, the abacus attacked me," her smile was a little strained. "By the way, Doctor-san, truthfully, what do you think about the old man's condition?"

The little reindeer looked worried and sad. "That medicine can only prevent the attacks. It won't cure him. On top of that, his heart was weak from the start, and he's fairly shouldn't operate a ship, let alone become a pirate."

"What are you talking about?" Luffy appeared from the mikan grove. "If the Ossan wants to be a pirate, let him be. And, if he goes out to sea, he might find a cure for the disease."

"You think so?"

"Don't worry so much, that old man won't die so easily. Even though he's weak, he's pretty gutsy," he was laying on his side, head propped on a hand and looking at the sky with the weirdest smile she'd ever seen before.

"That's right, Chopper! We'll see him again!"

He looked at Luffy and smiled a little, his mind now more at ease. "Yeah, we will."

Gen didn't have the heart to remind him that death comes to everyone in one point.

"'Ey Chopper, take a look at the big oaf, I think he's broken his brain or something."

"Huh?" Both 'the oaf' and Chopper looked at her.

"What do you mean broken?"

"Zoro's hurt?"

"Hmm-m, look at that dopey smile, dreamy eyes... are you high?" she went up close to his face, and he backed away with an unmanly squeek. Chopper popped next to them, and grabbed the swordsman's head to his hooves, looking directly him in the eye.

"Hmm... it could be a concussion..."

"I'm fine!" he pushed the reindeer away.

"Your face is a little red. Do you have a fever?" Gen asked, putting Chopper into another fit.

Zoro glared at her over Chopper's shoulder. She did look honestly concerned, which made his stomach flutter, but then it melted into one of her usual evil little smirks.

"YOU'RE DOING THIS ON PURPOSE!"

"Me? I'm just worried for our only marimo!" she grinned even wider.

"Let me at her!"

"Argh! Frenzied marimo on the free!" she escaped him.

* * *

><p>Later that night when Zoro layed in his hammock the only thing he could think of was the evil girl on board that didn't even belong to the crew. He wondered if he should push her to join, or maybe push Luffy to it. But damn, that wouldn't be right, Luffy was the captain, he should make these kinds of decicions on his own.<p>

Gloria was in their room again. Ero-cook was thrilled, of course, and Luffy didn't let them go to sleep before she told the young ones a story, spiced up by him with some action scenes woven into it. He hadn't really listened to it well, but it was basically about a girl that fell into sleep for hundred years. Thorns that turn into roses? Ridiculous.

Still... one of the reasons why he hadn't been able to consentrate on the story itself was that he'd stared at the storyteller.

There! He admitted it! He had stared at her! He was a lost case, but DAMNIT if he ever became like that shitty cook, cooing over someone just because they had a skirt on. Besides, Gen wouldn't appreciate it. She wasn't a girl who could be fooled with meaningless words... but if he had a cookie now...

He chuckled, and the small noise felt suddenly very loud in the quiet room. The girl mumbled something and flopped on her back, one arm resting on the cool floor.

"Hmmmh... my sweet, sweet... death... rotting rubberboats..."

"Huh?"

"Ahooooy...!" Luffy cheered in his sleep, recieving an answer from Usopp.

_Oh crap..._

_(A few days later)_

She was standing in the Merry's little bathroom, in front of the mirror, and scowling in confusion. She had been going to take a shower, but now she was glaring at her reflection, because there was something fundamentally wrong wrong with it. She just couldn't put her finger on it, and the faulty picture in the mirror scowled back just as hard as she did.

Gen brought one hand on her chest and stretched the right brastrap before letting go of it with a snap. After some more heated staring she dropped the shirt she was still holding and unhooked the clasp behind her back, sliding the garment on the floor on top of the shirt. She turned, flexed her arms above her head and frowned even deeper if possible. She put a finger under the waistline of the beltless jeans and tried to strech it out with no success. _'No, I'm not just seeing things.'_

There was a sharp knocking on the locked door. "Hurry up in there! I need to shower too!" Gen put the bra back on and opened the door just so that her head poked out.

"Nami?"

"Yes?" she blinked. She had a towel and a fresh set of clothes over her arm.

"Could you give your honest opinion on something? As, another female being?"

The navigator looked at her questionably. "Sure...?"

"Have I gotten fat?"

"Fat? Let me in," Nami pushed the door open without waiting for an answer and closed it with a _*click*_ before turning to Gen. "So there _is_ a woman in that scrambled head of yours! Concerned about your weight... No, you're not fat. Wait, did someone say something funny to you?" she placed her hands on her hips. Gen turned back to the mirror.

"Well... uh... it's just that I've lately noticed... that... my bra is a little... I don't know, restricting? And it's not just my bra," she said reluctantly and scowled at the situation again. The demigoddess yelped when Nami grabbed the back of her bra and pulled it so she could see what size it was, and started poking her back when she let go of it. She then twirled the girl around with a professional grip to stare at her and 'hmm' to herself.

"Stop doing that!" Gen felt a little shy, even when it was just Nami.

"Don't whine. Yes, the thing on you is way too small. You'll have to get new ones once we get to the next island," she gave her final analyze.

"I _have_ gotten fat! Damn, I have to stop snacking between meals," she groaned. _'But Sanji's snacks are just sinfully good~!'_ Nami held her from the shoulder and at the arm's length, looking her up and down. "Nami stop cheking me out."

"Idiot," she slapped her gently on the forehead. "You're nowhere near fat, but you do have gained some on those skinny arms of yours. I think it's only healthy, now you're starting to look like a real woman!"

"HEY!"

"Don't 'hey' me. Let me have my shower now," the red-head pushed her out of the bathroom. After five whole confused seconds she let out another 'hey!'

"Did you just steal my turn?" she asked accusingly. For an answer she got the sound of the shower going on. "HEY! AT LEAST GIVE ME BACK MY SHIRT!"

Later during the breakfast she just poked her food angrily abd Nami kicked her under the table. "Stop looking like the food offended you, you're the one playing with it."

"Shut up," she grumbled.

"Gen-chwan, is there something wrong with the food?" Sanji asked worriedly.

"Uh, no..."

"She's just insecure because she's grown boobs," Nami said casually, making Gen flush red like a tomato.

"_NAMI__!_!"

"Nami-swan is so beautiful when blunt~!"

"Your weight has gone up? That's good," Chopper smiled.

"...I feel so big..." Gen's head thunked to the table next to her plate.

"That's because your boobs ARE-"

"STOP SAYING 'BOOBS'!" Gen cried out.

"It must be Cook-san's food," Robin said.

"Yes! I am guilty of pouring all my love to your food, my angels! My beautiful, beautiful angels! I am with that taking always care of your health and your heavenly figures~!" He went into the 'love-love mode'.

Gen turned slowly at him, a murderous aura starting to emit from her like a big suffocating cloud...

Zoro clapped his nakama/rival to the back. "If I were you, I'd run already."

"RUN, SANJI, RUN!" Luffy and Usopp said desperately with tears in their eyes.

"**Saaaanjiiii...**"

"Hai, Gen-chwan?"

_(A few fatal moments later)_

"I'M SORRYY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME~!"

"..."

"GEEEEEN-CHWAAAAAAN!"

"You're being evil, Gloria-sama," the rabbit sweatdropped.

"..."

"PLEASE DON'T STOP TALKING~!" Sanji wailed. Chopper was treating him after the girl was done with him. She'd seen it best solution to stop singing, and then stretched the sentence to not talking to him and then further to not talking at anyone. Chopper had timidly confessed that he had been part of it. Gen had just patted his head, patted, until he layed limp on the deck, the little devil's fruit user.

"Stay still, Sanji! You're going to rip a stich! And you shouldn't move so much with that arm of yours!" the doctor chastised the patient.

"Gen! That was mean!" Even Luffy said. "How can he cook if his arm is broken?"

"..."

"I'd have to go hungry! Sanji! Food!"

_'How can he stay so slim with that appetite...?'_ Gen gloomed.

"We just got out of the table, shitty bastard!"

"She didn't _brake_ it, the shoulder was just dislocated," Chopper corrected. Zoro had helped him fix the arm, and now it was in a light sling. Besides the arm and the two wounds that needed a couple of stitches, the cook had suffered minor burns, and _that_ had nothing to do with fire.

"..." Gen had her armscrossed and eyes closed. Now if ever she really missed her Mp3.

"Your vein is still bulging," Usopp pointed out. Gen directed a glare from ar him and he didn't need words to understand the message.

"Gahhh! Sweet, sweet life... I fare thee well!" the sniper fell on the deck like a possum. She tried not to giggle, and thought that maybe he'd done it on purpose to lift her mood.

"Gen-chwaan! Please don't be angry! I'll... I'll make you a chocolate cake? Or cookies? A drink?" he snivelled on his hands and knees. She narrowed her eyes. _'THAT'S EXACTLY HOW WE GOT TO THIS!'_ she fumed inside her head.

"It seems that Odd-chan doesn't appreciate your gifts right now," Robin said from her foldable lawn chair. She looked like she always looked like, with the book in her hands. Gen gave her a thumbs up for the correct answer.

"Wow, she understands her wordless speech!" Greg admired.

"Thank you, Demon-san," the archeologist smiled.

"Everyone, be alert!" Nami said, getting their attention in a second. "This part of the sea has lots of shallow places and the ship could easily get stuck on the reef."

"Reef?" Sanji's interest was piqued. "When there's a reef, there is fish!"

"Fish? Fish! That means... FOOD! Usopp!"

"Hai, Luffy?"

His voice turned low. "Get the gear."

"Yosh!"

Not a moment later the whole ship suddenly creacked, tilted and stopped into an awkward angle. Nami groaned.

"What happened? Why'd we stop?"

"Take the sails down at this instant!" the navigator yelled orders. "Zoro! Lower the anchor!"

"Hey! We're stuck!" Luffy noticed. "Nami, why are we stu-aaaaah!" the ship tilted some more. They all grabbed on to something so they wouldn't roll with the movement. Usopp wasn't that lucky and the fishing poles slid across the deck until they disappeared in the waves.

"This is exactly what I didn't want to happen! But, why should I be any surprised, it's always like this with this lot..." Nami muttered.

"What a beautiful reef, I wonder if there are clams with pearls?" Robin peeked over the railing. Gen looked too, and like Robin said, it was beautiful to watch. The water was clear, and she couldd see the hundreads of small colorful fish swimming in perfect harmony with each other. Orange, yellow with white and black stripes, a blue little shark with hot pink leopards spots- wait what?

Nami's eyes lit up with the word 'pearls'.

...a turtle, starfish, a manta ray, lots of pretty corals and sea anemones...

"How are we going to get off the reef?" Zoro asked.

"Once the high tide comes. Until that, we can't do anything but bolt down everything that moves. If we tried to let the wind pull us, the reef would just damage the hull."

"DAMAGE?" Usopp went into a rant about the ship and how Kaya had given it to them etc. etc.

They secured the ship and waited.

Luffy was hanging on the railing, watching the fish circle the corals. He was sad that the fishing poles were lost, but Usopp was already making new ones.

Chopper was just as excited as Luffy. It seemed that he'd made friends with the turtle she'd seen earlier _(no normal sea turtle had that nasty looking BARBS at their shells!)._ Nami was dreaming about the pearls and Sanji, the chivalrious fool, had promised her to go scuba dive for them, even with only one arm.

Gen was way ahead of them, waring the swimsuit and ready to jump off the side of the ship when the marimo grabbed her arm.

"Whoa, whoa, use the rope! You don't know for certain how deep the water is."

She raised an eyebrow, and he let go of her as if her skin would've burnt him. _'Oh really? What are you, my babysitter?'_ Still, she took the rope and slid down to the water, which she found surprisingly tropical and warm. With a happy little smile, she sunk to the sea and filled her lungs.

The world below the surface was so much more radiant than looked from above. All the colors... take yellow for example: it wasn't yellow, it was hundreds of different shades of gold, sunset, dandelions, birch leaves in the autumn... Not to even start with how many different colors of BLUE the place had to offer, and she even saw some colors she didn't have names to.

_'I could die a happy walnut...'_

There was another splash and she saw Sanji with a mask and flippers in his feet start paddling around. His arm was tightly strapped to his chest to her satisfaction. When he noticed her there seemed to be heart-shaped bubbles floating from him.

Her eye twitched.

The water was disrupted again when poor little Usopp joined them. They heard him distinctly curse whoever it was to dump him in, and soon a pair of flippers started sinking slowly next to him. Gen caught them before the current could take them.

"You dropped these," she appeared next to him, holding the flippers up.

"Damn that money-hungry witch..." he grumbled and took the flippers with her still giggling.

"And remember to bring me lots of pearls!" Nami quipped from the deck cheerily with a drink in her hand. "You too, Gen!"

"N-!" _'Oh, right, I'm not supposed to talk,'_ she remembered. After a small pause... "D'OH!"

"What?"

"I wasn't supposed to talk... and I talked to Usopp..."

"It's not the end of the world. Go get me those pearls!" a bag hit the water.

"Huh? Me too?" she pointed at herself.

"Yes, you too."

"I'll help!" Luffy said, and got hit by Nami.

"Are you braindead? You can't swim!"

"Oh, right. Then, good luck!" he waved.

"Screw you!" she disappeared under the water.

Sanji was already looking through the reef, picking up clams and either putting them back or putting them in a bag of his own. Occasionally he had to go up to the surface for a refill of air or to unload the bag. Usopp poked her arm, and when she turned to look at him he raised an eyebrow at her. She tilted her head, what did he want to say? Then he pointed to the surface and waved around his face, then hers.

**"Sorry, I don't get what you're saying."**

His eyes bulged out and a stream of bubbles escaped his mouth. He had to scamper up, and she followed him.

"*_cough, sputter_* WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?_!_"

She spit the water out before asking infuriatingly innocently: "What was what? You are being vague~"

"Snowbrain, don't freak him out too much," Zoro said from the deck. He was leaning onto the railing quite comfortably, one hand on the rope.

"You're not a normal human, are you...?" Usopp quivered and pointed at her. She blinked, and then gave a superior smirk.

"That... is correct!"

"What ARE you?"

"Nihihihi, I ain't tellin'!" she gave the victory sign and backflipped away. Sanji was going back to the ship with a bag full of something, and she continued on her own explorations with a huge school of fish tailing her around. They were starting to be a hinder, she couldn't see where she was going. "...there's a fish in my swimsuit..." she sweatdropped and swatted a fish from her face.

_SPLASH_

A shirtless figure slid right next to her, making her twirl around slowly due the water's resistance.

**"Hi Marimo!"** she chirped, and he waved at her in response. With long, strong strikes he swam past her in a random direction. _'He'll get lost on his own,'_ she mused and followed him with the train of fish around her. **"What am I, a moving reef?"**

Zoro had to breathe, so he went up to the surface every once and a while, but she stayed near him. He didn't look like he was doing anything in particular, but then he stopped to hover and picked up something small from the sand. When the cloud he'd stirred dispersed, he approached her and held her hand palmside up. She looked at him and met his gorgeous smile, before he kicked off from the bottom to have another dose of oxygen. Gen was left watching him in a slight confusion _(and a flutter in her chest area)_, before she opened her hand and inspected the surprise gift.

It was a perfect little sea shell. The base color was a golden brown and like the shark it had pink dots on it. But, unlike on the shark, they were a gentle shade, and each of them had a ring of white around them that faded between the two main colors. The inside of it was layered the same as pearls.

_'Zoro... gave me this...'_ she gasped, turned red and squeeled. _'Zoro gave me a gift~!'_

All too shortly her privat little party was ruined when the fishies swam away in fright. A feeling of foreboding came over her, she only had to see the wide unfriendly jaws before she swam for it. She didn't get too far when something pushed her upwards. The Merry wasn't far off, and she saw the swordsman climbing up the side of it.

"HEEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPPPP!"

She heard them calling her name before she fell back to the water. Somehow this was very, very familiar, as her world turned into blur of water, bubbles and blood.

* * *

><p>You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to come up with synonyms to words 'surface', 'reef', 'sea' and 'water'...<p>

Over and out. *_Puts on the earphones and bobs her head to the music_*


	33. St Breeze and corpserobbers WHAT?

I'm sick and mom hid the computer AGAIN! This time I didn't even know why! She's just evil sometimes. Sun shines, everyone's out, and I have the whole house to myself~! Someone left the freezer's door open for the night and we had to cook and eat all the food in it, and now I'm full of ice cream and other yummy stuff. Gloria swares a lot in this chapter...

Gloria: On to the story, shorty.

* * *

><p>She shook off the disorientation and used the monster's confusion to slip in a small cave in the corals and rocks. She manipulated some water for a test before creating a snakelike vine that coiled next to her in the cramped area, brushing against her shins. It was hard to keep the two waters seperate, but she didn't have much of a choise, as the scent of her blood drew the monster to her hiding spot.<p>

It rammed against the corals, making everything shake and part of the cave to crumble away. _'No hesitation,_' she took a steadying breath before flinging the vine at the huge toothy muzzle.

It yelped and backed off in surprise, and she finally had a better view of the creature. **"What the netherworld?_!_"**

It was a crocodile. Well, _sorta_. If you didn't count the jaws full of sharkteeth, the steel gray skin full of short blunt spikes and the black fur that grew on it's neck like a scraggly mane. Instead of two eyes, it had four, each directed at her with an orange gleam. It also had the tail of a shark with a small triangle back fin, and it's feet resembled cat paws.

**"Again, what the _netherworld_?_!_"**

While she was supified at the mismatched creature it decided that she wasn't so dangerous and swam at her again. Although she wanted to just hide in the hole again, she knew that it would've been just plain idiocy. Instead, she gathered the water up like before (she had lost focus while staring at the monster) and made it strike like a snake would.

**"Woohooo, take that, uglygator!"** she taunted when it yowled.

She aimed at it's eyes, making it back off from the range, but she was starting to have a problem with concentrating on the attack. Her head was starting to ache._ 'Where's the cavalry?'_ she groaned inwardly.

The beast growled and lunged at her. Gen yelped and dodged it as best as she could in the water. While passing her by, it opened it's massive jaws and...

...grabbed her hair, intending to dive deeper and make the water pressure crush her.

**"YOU SON OF A-!"**

* * *

><p>Zoro hadn't been needed after all. He had swam to the ship, too embarassed to meet her after he realized what he'd done (<em>it was just a spur of the moment, but he didn't regret it<em>), just to hear a big splash and an obnoxious yell of 'help!'. Yes, it had been Gloria, and she had been in trouble.

Not a new thing.

He had grabbed his swords and rushed to where the monstrosity had appeared, but when he'd finally got to there he only met a pissed off girl, soothing her hair and cursing more colorfully than he'd ever heard her sware. The monster was belly-up against the reef with small fish circling around it, but it wasn't dead. She had marely confisticated it with two thick vines across it's chest in an X, it's tail and limbs wriggling helplessly. There were several bumps on his head, too.

With a satisfied smirk, he sheathed his swords and tapped her on the shoulder to singal her of his precense.

* * *

><p>When the two had returned to the ship, Gen still grumbling under her breath, Nami had informed that the tide was growing higher. No one wanted to stay in the place for any longer with the monsters lurking around and their ship stuck on the reef.<p>

"Gen-chwan! I'm sorry that I couldn't be more of help! Would you like to have a drink?" he bowed and had several tall glasses on a tray. Sanji was happy that she wasn't playing mute anymore, but she still declined it rudely, and he twirled to snivel at Nami's feet.

"Please, don't go there anymore!" Chopper pleaded her. He had treated her wounds earlier, one in the head that bled quite profously and some scratches and bruises.

"I have to! It's really important!"

"What can be so important that you have to go back?" the reindeer asked worriedly. She stopped and looked at him seriously.

"A seashell."

"A... seashell?"

"Yes. A seashell, from now on called The Seashell."

"Don't go there anymore!" he snapped at her. But, alas, he was no match to her and her godly stubborness.

"I'm touched by your worry, Doctor-sama, but I absolutely have to find it," she stroked his ego like a cat and made him purr.

"SHUT UP you bastard~! I'm not happy at all~!"

"Give it up, Snowbrain. You won't find it if you dropped it in there," Zoro said and yawned from next to the mast. Gen walked at him and kicked him to the shoulder.

"Ow! What the hell?"

"_You_ gave it to me, and netherworld if I'm goin' ta leave it be'ind!"

"...it's that important?" he scratched the back of his neck and looked at the deck somewhere under her feet.

"Of course it is," she said with a softer tone.

"Stop the syrup, lovebirds, you're attracting ants," Nami knocked Gen on the forehead. "It's gone and that's that. We have to leave a bit before the tide is at it's highest so there's as much as water between the ship and the corals as possible."

"We're not leaving yet," Luffy interjected. Gen looked at him: that face left no room for argument.

"But Luffy-!" Nami protested.

"It's a seashell that Zoro gave her."

And that was the end of that.

The poor little navigator hung her head in defeat as Gen stared greatfully at the boy. he in turn grinned and and she couldn't miss the feeling it left behind. The first and the closest thing that came to her mind was 'calculating little bastard'. Luffy was the biggest idiot she'd ever met, but then at the right moments he'd show his true colors and you notice that that you've lost the game long ago.

"I'll be back! How much time do I have?" Gen looked at Nami while holding onto one of the ropes so she wouldn't fall prematurely. The ship had righted itself already, but was not ready to sail yet.

"Half an hour, 40 minutes at most."

"Ay! I'll try not to be late," and she was off.

"Well?" Nami turned to the others with her hadns on her hips.

"Well what?" Usopp tilted his head.

"Go help her, or it'll take eternity to find it!"

"Oh yeah, right!" Luffy said. "I should go help her!"

"MORON!" _BONK_ "How short is your memory?" Nami's eye twitched in irritation.

"I can't help either," Chopper's lip quivered.

"Don't worry. Zoro and Usopp can go," Nami grinned and petted the doctor.

"ExcusemewhatwhoWHAT?" the sniper asked nervously. "Suddenly I've been hit with a can't-go-swimming-with-sea-monsters-lurking-around-itus..."

"You useless..." Sanji muttered. "I can go too. I can swim with one arm. Ahh, it irks me that this brute could make her happy like that! Gen-chwan! And Nami-swan, Robin-chwan! My three beautiful flowers, complimenting each other in harmony, together in a lovely boquet!"

"And you're the shit they have to put up with."

"WHAT WAS THAT?_!_"

"Cut it out. Good, now that it's settled, Zoro, Sanji and Usopp will-"

_SPLASH_

"Found it~!"

"SO FAST!_!_" Usopp's eyes bugged out.

Gen climbed up and shook herself like a dog, her hair falling wildly all around her face, back and shoulders.

"Hahaha! You look like a wet ghost!" Luffy laughed and pointed at her. She raised her arms and wiggled her fingers, making a ghastly 'boo-oo-oo-oo' noise.

"Is this the the seashell?" Robiin asked, pointing at the item in one of the girl's hands. She flipped her hair back from her face and nodded with a beaming smile. Gen handed it to the older woman who took it and 'hmm'ed.

"Hey, that's kinda neat," Usopp commented.

"Not a complete catastrophe for a marimo."

"I wanna see too!" Chopper jumped up and down, and Robin gave it to him. Luffy looked at it over the reindeer's shoulder.

"Ken-san has found a true treasure indeed. That is a rare shell and would possibly fetch quite the high prize in the right circles."

Nami's eyes turned into berris. "How much, exactly?"

"I'm not turning it into money!" Gen took back her treasure and pressed it against her chest possessively.

"By the size of it... about 30-40 000 B."

"_ROBIN!_"

"THAT MUCH?_!_"

_WHACK_

"Get a grip of yourself, fiend!" Gen had a tickmark on her head. "Let's just get out of here before we're stuck for another day."

"Ehh... you're right," Nami shrugged and started ordering people around.

Soon they sailed away from the reef and the sunken volcano _(as Robin had explained, there had once been a humongous volcano here, but when it sunk it only left the ring of corals that had started growing around it. Nowdays it was more like a cresent, when one of the sides had collapsed on it's own. Why they didn't just sail around it was explained that it would've taken way too much time and effort, because the sea on both ends of the barrier of reef rested in a neverresting stormzone.)_

Everyone were doing their own things, and food was going to be ready soon. Zoro was sitting cross-legged on the main deck of the Merry. She tiptoed to him and crouched next to him before whispering in his ear:

"Zoro?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you. It's lovely."

* * *

><p>It was the early hours of the day, and she was wide awake. She'd woken up 4 in the morning to an unexpected boost of inspiration to draw, but now that it was spent she layed in her bed - a girl just can't sleep in the same room with guys every night - and talked with Greg.<p>

"Why did that monster try to omnomnom me? Another rogue?"

"Even I don't know everything. It was a crocodile-"

"I think it was an alligator, though. A hairy one."

"Alligator then. There are many breeds of those reptiles and most of them are rogues, but I don't know of any breed like that."

"It had four eyes," she shivered. "So... _orange_. Really takes the consept 'four-eyes' on a new level, but I doubt that any four-eyes is that mean."

"You're rambling, Gloria-sama," Greg sweatdropped.

"Ah, sorry."

"Hmm... it could've been a demon too."

"What? Another assassin?"

"No, at least I don't think so," the bunny one arm under it's chin and the other supported the elbow. "It could've been a wild demon, or a void demon."

"...a what?" she asked.

"Wild demons are mostly unintelligent and primitive in nature, compareable to animals. Void demons are a foe from the ancient world's time," he explained. "They were once minions of a genderless god of Nothing. The first gods made an alliance to bring down the common enemy, and that was a _loooooooooong_ time ago. The void demons are just as bright as the wild demons."

"Oh," she said dumbly. Greg chuckled.

"It's demon history, and it goes far more further back in time than any human history. We have a good library, I could see if I got a copy for you," he suggested.

She sat up and made the bunny fall on her lap from her stomach. "Yes please!"

"Then I will, Gloria-sama! Oh, but... hmm..."

"What?"

"I may have to find one that's been written in human language."

"Haha, that could be useful!"

The Seashell sat on her table in a low bowl of sand with a few smooth stones, each a different color.

It had been Sanji's watch that night, and nothing could've prepared her to what she saw when she stepped silently to the deck.

Sanji was _training_.

He was out of his suit and _only in a pair of gray sweatpants_. Both in his arms and in his legs he had black, thick... things, and she was sure that they were weights. He didn't have shoes on, but his feet were wrapped in bandage. And damn, he didn't look too bad!

She hid behind a corner and stared at him with her mouth open, giddy that she'd spied him doing something like this, something so... OOC.

When his rutine with the kicks, windmills and the last stretches was done, he sighed and wiped his face, also sweeping his hair back.

_'HIS EYEBROWS! HIS EYEBROWS...!*****'_ she tried to muffle out her snicker, but it still made a sound and Sanji turned to look who was up in this time of the morning. He spotted her and bid her a good morning.

"You too... haha... I didn't know you trained... _hehehe_...!"

"Ah, I do try to train at least once a week to take care of my beautiful angels. May I make you something small before breakfast?"

"Sanji..."

"I know, and I'm really sorry for that. I didn't know you would mind it."

"Hmm, it was Chopper who requested it... so I can't be angry at you either. Just, don't do it anymore ok?"

"I won't~! And don't worry, I always made your snacks and drinks a little more nutritious," he said and... glowed. That's the only word for it really.

"Hmm, thank you," she smiled back.

In the afternoon, the story caught up with their life.

Gen was laying on the deck, reading one of the books brought from Alabasta (_it was Robin's_). "Nami, will the next island we're going to have snow?" Luffy asked.

"You want snow again?"

"The record in Alubarna said it was an autumn island," Robin said.

"Autumn! I like autumn too!"

_Clack_

_Clack clack_

"Hey! Who's throwing pieces of wood on me?_!_"

"Is it raining?" Zoro asked, pausing in the training.

"It's not rain... is it hail?"

_Wait... oh FUDGE...!_

"No, something's falling from... huh?"

"Falling from the sky...!"

"A galleon?_!_" Nami gasped. Usopp and Chopper were wordless from the shock.

"It's raining ships today... Nami you forgot to tell us that in the weather," Gen joked, but in reality she was shaking in her pants. Even when she knew that they'd survive with just a scare. The wreckage hit the water and created a massive wave, making the tiny Going Merry rock violently.

"WAAAAAAAH!_!_"

"EVERYONE GRAB A HOLD OF SOMETHING!" Zoro yelled over the noise.

Over the cacophony she heard Nami asking 'why?' and Usopp coming up with the idea that this was just a nightmare. He got Chopper convinced too.

"Oi! There's still stuff coming down! Be careful!" Sanji shouted.

"Turn around! Turn around!" Nami ordered.

"That won't work in these waves!" Zoro pointed out.

"Luffy! We have to protect the ship, it can't take anymore in it's condition!" Sanji grit his teeth. The rubberband was wrapped around the main mast, and he was distrackted by Usopp who was praying.

"...slowly raise your head and open your eyes... see, it's just a peaceful morning..." he opened his eyes and came face to face with a raggy skeleton.

"AAAAAAAAAH! A SKELETON!"

"Idiot! Don't throw it here!"

"KYAAAA! THERE'S SOMETHING SWIMMING IN MY SHIRT!" Gen screamed.

"MARIMO?_!_" Sanji assumed and glared at the man.

"..."

"I'LL SLICE YOU INTO ONE OF THOSE FANCY DESSERTS YOU DISH AROUND!"

_'Hmm... what would happen if no one interrupted their fights? Would they just kill each other or start talking deep things? Or passionatley confess their love for each other?'_ She giggled at her own naughty thoughts.

"SHUT UP! It's no time to fool around! There's still stuff coming down!" Nami punched some sense into the two of them.

When the danger was over and the ship was making sad bubbling sounds, Gen leaned to the railing and watched forlornly how it sunk to it's final resting place.

"You can furl your sails now, my friend..."

"Why'd a ship fall all the suddenly?" Luffy wondered, looking high to the sky. Usopp and Chopper were hugging each other with white eyes.

"Too weird..." Sanji muttered.

"There's nothing there."

"Aah!"

"What's wrong, Nami-san?"

She was looking at the log pose with horror. "It's broken! The log pose is pointing _up_!"

"No, it's not that," Robin said. "And island with a stronger magnetic field is causing the needle to point towards a new log. And, since the needle is pointing up-"

"Skypiea," Gen said. "The island in the sky."

"AN ISLAND IN THE SKY?_!_"

"What's that?"

"Can an island really float?" Luffy asked excitedly.

"Did that ship and the skeleton really fall from there?"

"There's nothing that looks like an island.

"No... it's more like a floating sea," Robin said, her eyes on the whitehaired girl who still had her back to them.

"Sea?"

"That's even more confusing."

"WAAAAAAH~!" the idiot trio was impressed. Luffy started yelling, and a pair of hands sprouted from his shoulders and muffled him.

"It's impossible for a ship to go up, captain," Sanji reminded him.

"To tell you the truth, I've never seen a sky island, I don't know much about them..."

"That's right! It's impossible! Floating islands and seas! The log pose is just broken, that's it!"

_'If... I told them about the knock up stream, would the boys avoid the beating...? Hnn, I can't do that now, can I... It'd change too many things to control anymore,'_ Gen was deep in thought.

"...-chan? Miss Odd-chan?"

"He? Oh, Robin. Hmmm, what did you want to ask?" she returned to the present.

"You said earlier 'Skypiea'. Could you tell me what you meant with that?"

Gen saw the boys running on the floating leftovers of the ship, and they were carrying something with them back to their own.

She grinned and looked back at the archeologist, a glint in her eye and a little enigmatic smile on her lips. She put a finger in front of them. "_Shh_. It's supposed to a big adventure. Luffs don' like it if I tell in advance."

"I see," she smiled back to her.

"...but I don't really like how they're toiling on her..." she frowned darkly.

"Excuse me?"

"I don't like that Luffy and Usopp are running around that poor old ship. Even she should be able to keep her dignity after death."

Robin had found a wooden coffin and gathered their dead visitor into it. Nami couldn't understand _why_ was there a coffin on their ship and now Robin was reconstrucking the skull of the fairly fragile skeleton, piece by piece.

Chopper wasn't taking it good either. "She opened the casket. What's she doing?"

"Will you get anything out of that?" Zoro asked doubtfully.

"Don't know."

"You have seriously some nasty hobbies!"

"Seeing a beautiful body next to a deceased one is a quaint sight in itself," Sanji was croutched next to the casket.

"I wonder what's in his pockets," Gen said randomly and played with her necklace.

"Hey, where's Luffy?" Zoro noticed.

"They went back to the ship," Gen bristled.

"That's a really dark aura you have..." Nami said blankly.

Robin placed the skull on the deck. "There." It was full of holes. "These here are artificial."

"So this guy got run through by something and died?"

"Look into his pockets!"

"No, this is the result of medical treatment. Trepanation, don't you think, Doctor-san?" Robin caressed the bone.

"Yeah, to remove brain tumours, they used to drill holes in the skull. But that's an archaic practice!"

"They used to make holes in people's skulls when they were 'possessed' by 'evil spirits'. I don't know how that helps, but it takes out the excess brain pressure. Mah, but I'm not a doctor nor a historian, so I might be wrong too," she waved her hand.

"You're not completely wrong," Robin said."At least 200 years have passed since he died. He was in early 30's. During his voyage, he collapsed and died from illness. His teeth are still intact unlike the rest of his skull. They must've been covered with tar. This custom was pecuilar to a specific region of South Blue. Considering the flow of histroy, that ship must have been used for exploring." She picked up a book from next to her. "Was that there all this time...?" Gen asked Zoro, who just shrugged.

"Ah, here," she said after flipping the pages. "St. Breeze from the Kingdom of Breeze in South Blue, it set sail 208 years ago."

"It's the same ship from the sky!"

"Yep, it has the same sail."

"This ship must've been up there dor about 200 years..."

Gloria sighed sadly and turned to the ship again. _'Were you lonely? Your crew dead, but only you sailing above the clouds and looking for a way back to where you once came...?'_ "Oh poor baby..."

"Are you crying over a 200 years old skeleton?" Zoro made her jump a little.

"I'm not crying."

"You were going to, admit it."

"I was not," she sighed. She wasn't in a mood to argue now.

There were shouts at the quickly sinking wreck and Usopp had to save Luffy from drowning.

"Hey everyone! Look what I got! I found something really cool!" he opened an old peace of paper, that proved to be a map.

"A map of a sky island?"

"Skypiea?"

"See? See?"

"So there is an island- wait a minute here..." Nami turned slowly at Gen. Robin was already looking at the girl, and so the others were drawn to her too.

"Ah, I see. There _is_ and island in the sky," Usopp nodded.

"One day I'm going to tell you a lie, and then laugh my butt off when you're all confused."

The boys cheered and started dancing with Choppie on their shoulders.

"Don't celebrate so early, who knows what kind of messed up things her head makes," (_"HEY!"_) Nami said. "And the map could be a fake."

The boys' faces fell and she could see all happiness, joy and dreams drain off of them.

"No, I was wrong, it does exist!" Nami sweatdropped. "It exists, but... Luffy! I don't know how to get there!"

"You're the navigator! Figure it out!" The two were bickering.

"Hey hey hey, don't hurt the ship!" Usopp told them.

"There are things I can and can't do!"

"But I wanna go up to the sky island!"

"She's so cute when she's mad..." Sanji sighed and sounded like a lovesick puppy.

_SMACK_

"This isn't getting us anywhere. In any case, we can't possibly continue on like this. What we need now is exactly what Robin said, information. If that giant ship really was in the sky, then there must be a way for our ship to get there too. Gen?"

"Not tellin'."

"You know something!" Nami pointed at her accusingly. Gen just looked the other way, climbed to the mikan-grove and disappeared between the trees.

"Well then, we need to get onto that ship and pull out any documents or records left," Nami continued with her initial plan.

"But the ship's completely sunk now."

"If it's sunk, we'll just salvage it!"

"YOSHA!"

"YOU CAN'T USE THOSE!" Zoro yelled when he saw the fishing equipment that Luffy and Usopp were holding. Chopper asked Robin what salvaging was.

Gen in the other hand had frozen on spot and returned to the edge of the grove.

She was seeing red. "_**NO FUCKIN' WAY IN ANY SEVEN HELLS!**_"

"Huh? Why not?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Why? Is there going to be some big danger?"

"No! You-! _You-!_ How can you think even **think** about it? It's the same as _corpserobbing_!" she screamed. "If you want something I can go down there and look around a bit, but I'm not allowing it to be brought up to the surface anymore! Hasn't she suffered enough?" her voice cracked to the end.

"Oh, so it was for the ship..." she heard Zoro mutter.

"We wouldn't need those documents, if you just opened that box of knowledge of yours!" Nami shouted back.

"IT WOULDN'T HELP! There's NOTHING on that ship!"

"Gloria-sama..."

"Eh, Greg?" the demon was in his human form.

"Let them do it, I know how you feel. I share that opinion, but you can't change how it rolls."

"Greg..."

"Gloria-sama... do you want a hug?"

"Yeah..." she sobbed cutely.

"NOT FROM YOU!" Zoro and Sanji yelled.

* * *

><p>Usopp was quick with his diving suits for Sanji, Luffy and Zoro. Gen didn't need one at all, and Greg offered to accompany her to the sea (<em>to the the chagrin of Sanji and Zoro<em>). Luffy's suit consisted of two barrels whereas the two others had only one. Robin had told her that they couldn't salvage it anyway and Gen had just apologized and rubbed her neck in ebarassement.

"I'm sorry I freaked out~."

"No worries, Gen-chwan! You're too cute!"

"Yeah yeah..."

"Hahaha, not bad at all, just one thing... Are you sure this is going to work?" Luffy sweatdropped. Zoro had nothing to say possibly out of humiliation, but Sanji was still gushing to Nami.

"Don't worry! My work is as good as perfection!" Usopp had his arms crossed and nose pointed up to the air.

"And if worse comes to worst, I'll just get you to the surface!"

"I don't find the thought of you being the last resort being comforting at all."

"Shut up, Marimo, or I'll sic something nasty on you."

"I will protect you, Gloria-sama."

"Thank you, Gregory~!"

"It's up to you now," Nami said.

Behind them a huge fish caught a flying lizard with an audible _*crunch*_.

"..."

"Well... good luck..."

They plunged to the water after Gen who had jumped in before them. Greg gave a twofingered military salute before stepping backwards from the railing, being the last one to join them.

**"Hey, this place is full of critters!"** Gen saw the seasnakes.

**"Critters...?"** Greg looked at her.

Gen couldn't hear what was said up in the surface, but she heard her companions' replies.

"This is Luffy, there sure are many monsters down here! Over!"

"It's a seasnake nest down here!"

"Sanji here. _Whoah_! They're looking at us!"

**"Of course they are! The wonderful Gloria-sama is here! Fear not, they will not harm us."**

**"They're on our side?"**

**"Yes, Gloria-sama."**

**"Haa, a relief!"**

"'On our side'?" Zoro asked.

**"Yeah. Hey!"** a huge muzzle nudged her. She petted it back and it started purring. _'I didn't know that snakes could purr.'_

"Oi! Leave her alone!" Sanji had a tickmark.

"Don't worry! Aaaaw, who's a good boy~?"

"Stop playing with it," Zoro said flatly.

"Well excuse me if you feel threatened by a seasnake. Heheh, no compensation can cure _that_ difference in size!" she was now upside down in front of the swordsman, who blushed heavily and started stuttering. Sanji let out a hyena-like laughter.

"Watch it, Marimo might just destroy your barrel," Gen wagged her finger to him. She let go of the snake that slithered away.

"Yeah, _watch it_, dartbrow."

**"But you do have a nice laugh, you know, free an' all."**

"Gen-chwan~!"

"Someone's being talketive today."

"Nihihihi, you both like her!" Luffy giggled. "Ah, but I like her too!"

**"Hey!"** Greg barked.

After she made sure that the boys knew exactly what would happen if they treated the ship poorly they spread out to explore it. Greg followed her to the figurehead that was still intact, surprisingly. She hugged it carefully, sliding her hand over the brittled scales of St. Breeze. They crumpled just from a touch.

She sighed.

**"This ship has already been escorted to the other side,"** Greg said. **"So this is now only an empty shell."**

**"Still. A body is an empty shell of a human, but you don't go groping that after death, do you? ...do you?"**

**"No, seas no! M'Lady...!"** he look scandalized. **"I have a cousin who does that, but no!"**

**"Good. Come on, let's find those bastards."**

They went inside from a broken wall, keeping in mind that everything could poof just from a touch.

Greg pulled her suddenly behind a pillar. **"Shh, there's someone here..."**

**"Must be that monkey's men."**

**"I'll take them out for you,"** he bowed before doing it. Then they faced another problem: the guys had to be returned to the surface. Greg took care of that too, grabbing the unconcious men and dragging them up to the surface. The girl decided to go look for Luffy and the others, and they all had gathered in a room around something that Zoro was poking.

**"What'cha got 'ere?"** she asked, and they moved over to show a chest. They gave room for Zoro, who broke the lock with a tip of a harpoon. The chest was empty, except for a lone feather that Zoro picked up. Now Gen noticed the octopus on his head too.

The whole ship rumbled, pieces of wood swirling around them. Big black iron claws intruded the ship.

"What the hell?_!_" Luffy yelled in surprise.

**"Don't be so loud!"** Gen said. **"The others up there will be in a big trouble if we're heard!"**

"Okay. But seriously, what the hell?"

**"It's a salvaging crew of pirates... how _dare_ they?"** she growled in anger.

A really rude sound came from the claw that had pierced the room, starting to make a big bubble of air. They felt the ship beginning to raise.  
>They heard noises coming from outside, some calling for help and some just incoherent expressions of pain. Soon Greg appeared to them. "I took care of the rest of the men."<p>

**"Thank you... ah, hey...!"** the air that was starting to push the water away was making her feel like one feels in a room slowly filling with water.

"Don't fear, just make sure you don't have water in when you take a breath, Gloria-sama."

"Look! We can take off the barrels now."

"They sure pumped in a lot of air. Who's trying to lift the ship?"

Gen squeezed water from her hair and clothes.

"Could something have happened to Nami-swan and Robin-chwan? I tried to contact them many times but didn't get a response!" Sanji was worried.

_CRASH_

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" Masira came through a wall. He really did look like a monkey, with a pair of... pair of... are those headphones? "Who's trying to muscle in my turf?"

"Ah, a monkey," Luffy stated.

"Do I really look that monkeyed over?" he smiled with pink dusting over the bridge of his nose.

"Yup, just like a monkey."

"What kind of conversation is that?" Zoro sweatdropped.

"Who are you?" Sanji asked, but the monkey ignored them, looking straight at Gen.

"What a pretty woman! Do you think I'm handsome?"

She gave him the coldest glare she could muster. "_I despise people like you_."

"So cold!" his eyes bugged out.

"Mellorine~!"

Masira sat down and started talking with Luffy, who told him that they were a piratecrew from the East Blue.

"G-Gloria-sama?"

"Yes?"

"There's... something underneath us..."

"Hmm?"

It appeared that the boys had found stuff after all that time hadn't destroyed, and Masira - for the lack of better term - went ape shit on them. The demon protected Gen from the rampage, being a shield between her and the flying splinters.

"Don't worry, I will get you to safety, M'Lady," the demon said, and her heart melted at his handsome face. Her eyes turned into hearts. Greg had wrapped the cape around the two of them and holding her in his arms. _Strong_ arms at that...

"Yes, Greg! Do whatever you want to me~!"

"OI, OI, OI!" Sanji and Zoro had sharp teeth and tickmarks on them.

"Are turtles our friends?"

"Some are, some aren't."

"STRAWHAT! YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE ME!"

The room broke down, not being able to take any more of the abuse and they were all at the mercy of the water again. She saw Zoro and Sanji take Luffy who turned useless in the water.

Suddenly her insides felt like they were on fire. She couldn't breathe!

"Gloria-sama? Are you- Gloria-sama!"

She couldn't inhale because she felt like she had no room in her lungs but couldn't exhale either, because it felt like pins and needles. So she blacked out, waking up on the Merry's deck, gulping in the precious _whatever_ it was she could supply her system with.

"She's breathing!"

"Finally... I was worried!" a furry face sighed in relief.

"Wha' 'appen'd?"

"Your mortal and immortal sides went into conflict, but now it's fine," Gregory whispered in her ear. "In other words you almost drowned."

"Oh great... That's a feeling I never want to feel again." She pushed herself up, even when her arms felt too weak. Then she noticed that it was dark. "Hm? How long was I out?"

"Five minutes. It's not night if that's what you thought."

No it wasn't. The sky was darkened, and the men on Masira's ship were shouting in fright. Masira the monkey was standing on the railing of the Merry.

"B-B-B-BOSS!"

"What is it?"

They all turned to look at the mist laden horizon... and saw giagantic silhouets of people, with wings and spears. All the pirates on both ships looked a little blue in the face.

"**MONSTERS!**"

She'd never seen a ship move that fast.

* * *

><p><strong>*<strong> Note that Gen hasn't read past the Gray Terminal, so she hasn't seen Sanji's other eyebrow. _(**P.S.** When you look in Alabasta arc when 'Mr. Prince' talked with Crocodile while the others were in the cage, the den den mushi's cheeks have swirls on them in a way that Sanji's eyebrows are!_)


	34. Welcome to Tortuga

I have to correct what I said earlier: Gen does know about the timeskip (as it showed in some of the earlier chapters... with Sanji?) and what happens on it, but she doesn't know about that onward and the Fishman island... so sorry for being an idiot...

Gloria: Yes, yes you are.

Snoara: -_-'

* * *

><p>"It's been a really weird day," Sanji lit a cigar and took a long drag.<p>

"A galleon fell from the sky..." Zoro said.

"The log pose keeps pointing up..." Nami her knees drawn in her chest.

"Some weird monkey comes and recovers a sunken ship..." Usopp was half dead.

"I almost drowned," Gen said in annoyance._ 'That's so lame to a daughter of the sea.'_

"A giant turtle ate the ship," Chopper rested against the mast.

"The night fell in the middle of the day..." even Robin looked a little shaken up.

"And giant monsters a hundred times bigger than regular giants showed up!" Luffy was aghast.

"That sure was scary," Masiro nodded.

"...why's that still here?" Gen pointed a thumb at him.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" The monster trio kicked him out.

"Gloria-sama, I'm afraid I have to go back to the palace now," Greg looked dead tired. "This has taken a chunk out of my energy. I'll look for the book too."

"Aa, sure. See ya! Sanji, can I have something _light_ to drink?" Gen asked the cook and gave him a heartwarming smile. She deliberately emphasized the word 'light'.

"HAI~! What about you, Nami-swan? Robin-chwan, would you like to have some coffee~?"

"Sure!"

"Yes please, Cook-san."

"But man, those monsters were huge..." Usopp and Chopper were leaning against the rail and staring out to the sea.

"Yeah. I hope we never see them again."

"You know what, Chopper?"

"Hmm?"

"If I get serious, even those kinds of enemies are nothing to me."

"REALLY?_!_"

"In the past, I had once defeated ten of them!"

"10?_!_ That's a lot!"

"Wiener-face! Stop filling his head with that trash. You don't even know the truth behind those giants," Gen headbutted him, making his face slam to the wood.

"Ow ow ow ow!"

"You know what those monsters were?" Chopper asked her. She was almost distracted by his huge, moist eyes.

"Yup."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Will you tell?"

"Nope."

"Mouu!" the reindeer was disappointed. _'Don't... crack... to ultimate cuteness...!'_ she struggled.

"Hey! Did you already forgot why you went underwater for?" Nami was a little ticked off. "All you brought back was trash! And nothing about how we can get to the sky!"

"There was nothing else in it!"

"Yeah, that's true, Nami-san," Sanji confirmed it.

"I told you so..."

_WHACK_

"That ship had been obviously attacked. Either that or there was some sort of dissagreement that caused them to turn on each other," Sanji continued.

"If that's so, then information is even more cruical. Don't you get it? If we went into the sky right now, whatever happened on that sunken ship could happen to us too!" Nami said. "The info we have can mean life and death! Look at this stuff! Rusted swords? Cooking pots? And a live octopus?_!_" she stomped on the ancient stuff on the deck. "What I _need_ are things like a diary or sea charts, not this junk!"

"Ahhhh!" Zoro and Sanji looked like the witch'd destroyed their sandcastle.

"Don't tease the octo! It's Zoro's pet!"

"It's not my pet!"

"But it hung to you all the way from the bottom of the ocean! You take responsibility!"

"What responsibility? It's an octopus!" he threw his hands in the air.

"...and what's that, Luffy?" Nami asked from the captain who was walking around in a rusty old knight's armor.

"Armor, to protect me from harm."

_(2.0 seconds later)_

"The armor is smashed to bits!" Zoro's eyes bugged out.

"Nami-swan, I brought back a beautiful shell for you," The cook spouted hearts and offered the pretty, shiny things... Focus, Gloria!

"I don't want it, you idiot!" she climbed the steps up to the upper deck where Robin was sitting on the railing.

"Oi oi, Sanji, can't you just let it go?" Usopp asked.

"But she's such a cutie!"

Gen blinked, he really looked young right there, blushing in embarassement and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Marimo, am I cute?" Gen asked him.

"No."

"Bastard."

"You too."

Luffy saw the octopus. "Hey! Let's make takoyaki!"

"If I'd been anything else than a human when you guys picked me up you'd probably turned me into something edible," Gen sweatdropped. "By the way, thanks for it."

"Nihihi~ no problem! Ah! Gen! Join us!"

"Okay."

"REALLY?"

"Nnnnnnope. I need more convincing."

"About what?"

"That you're really a capable captain."

He frowned. "I am!"

"Then prove it," she shoved her face into his and stared deep into his dark eyes.

"'Jaya'... It must be their headquarters," Nami got an eternal pose from Robin. Crafty girl, she had to admit.

_'Jaya? ...doodles.'_

"Jaya? Are we going there?"

"SHOULDN'T THAT BE FOR YOU TO DECIDE?_!_"

*_facepalm_* "Luffy we just talked about you proving your captaincy to me- is that the octopus?_!_" her eyes bugged out. He had a plate of takoyaki in his hands...

"OOOKAY, TURN TOWARDS JAYA FULL SPEED!" he yelled. "To~ Jaya~ full~ speed~ turn!"

"..."

"Nami, which direction is that?" he then asked.

"To the starboard."

"Chopper, a hand here."

"Ok."

"TO JAYA, FULL SPEED AHEAD!"

"You turned the octopus into food!" Gen pouted. Then Usopp realized that if they went to Jaya, the log would log onto the island instead of the sky island.

"Won't the record be overwritten when we're there?"

"STOP MOVING TOWARDS JAYA!" Luffy made an X with his hands. "Hey Nami! What's going on here?_!_"

"Going to Jaya was your decicion, right?"

"Oh yeah... But I didn't think that would happen!" Luffy realized.

"It's your fault for not thinking!" Nami dumped all the fault on him. "That's how the log pose has always been."

"I don't care! Take me to there!"

_'Is it just me, or is this... cute?'_ Gen tilted her head. She was the only one who declined the takoyaki, saying that people shouldn't eat pets.

"Oh yeah, that's right. Yosh! I'm the captain, so I decide our course! And I wanna go to the sky island!"

"Okay, wise guy, how?" Nami had her arms crossed.

"We should ask someone," Usopp suggested.

"Yeah, let's go ask someone," Luffy nodded.

"Then how about Jaya?" Nami said with a tone you explain a kid something very simple.

"Yosh! Hard turn to Jaya!" Luffy ordered.

"WE JUST WENT BACK TO SQUARE ONE!" Usopp hit him upside the head.

"The record wont set that quickly. How about we leave before that happens?" Robin suggested.

"Then it's settled," the three idiots munched on the takoyaki.

"It'll depend on luck then," Nami said.

"Luck is always on our side!" Gen announced. Luffy started ordering his men letting out occasion 'arrrh!'s and Sanji served the takoyaki ment for the girls.

"Here, Gen-chwan," he set the plate in front of her. "I hope it's to your liking~!"

"I can't eat it," she said bluntly.

"Huh? Why? You have eaten octopus before."

"...I have? No, that's not the point. The octopus was Zoro's secret lover and you turned it into food!"

Sanji's grin almost split his face in two as he looked at the swordsman with his hand on his hairy chin.

"I'm going to murder you in your sleep."

* * *

><p>They had kept their eye on the horizon, but the first sign of Jaya was three dead birds falling on the deck.<p>

"Ooh, I don't like this," Gen was sitting and fidgeting restlessly on the stairs. She'd brought the bag with her even when Greg was still 'out'. Chopper freaked out and Luffy...

"Oh! BBQ material!"

The shots had come from the direction they were sailing into.

"Shooting from an island we can't even see yet? Chopper that's impossible," Nami told him.

"But I was watching them!" Chopper argued.

"Hahahah, if that's true, with what kind of eye sight, using what kind of gun, and what kind of technique does that shooter have? They propably got hit before and just happened to fall down right now," even Usopp laughed. Luffy in the backgrounds just presented the seagulls to Sanji. The only ones concerned were Chopper and Gloria, and the little doctor turned to her when he couldn't get support from his fellow crewmembers.

She pulled her hair over her face like a curtain. "Sorry, we're closed. Come back another time."

Gen concealed her worry and anxiety from the doctor behind her cheery tone and playfulness, but she couldn't help the cold sphere of hatred from growing towards the port they were headed to. _'We have already been noticed.'_

It took another half an hour before the island came to view. From afar the town looked like a pleasant resort, but the closer they got the more they could see that it was not. Big pirateships in a row lilled in the port and the folk loitering around the docks brought her way too lively back to her very first adventure with the Strawhats. Plus side from that time was that she'd aquaired her trusty vest.

"Usopp, think!" Nami told the sniper who had been the first to say it out loud. "How can a pirate ship openly dock in public place?"

"Hahah! That's right!" he wiped his brow.

"Welcome..." Gen said darkly, as a scream of bloody murder echoed from the town. "...to Tortuga."

"Tortuga? That's the town's name?"

"No, I can't remember this place's name. Though the two of 'em 're both pirate towns."

"A PIRATE TOWN?_!_" Nami and Usopp screamed.

"Whoo! This is going to be exciting!" Luffy grinned.

"It won't. This is a dark port..." she murmured omniously.

Yet they still steered the ship in. As Nami, Usopp and Chopper quivered behind the railing trying to hide, Luffy and Zoro stepped out.

"Seems like there are all kinds of people here," Luffy laughed.

"Looks to me like a fun city," the swordsman caressed the katana on his hip.

"This isn't good," Nami's eyebrows knit together. "It's against the law of nature that they wouldn't cause some kind of trouble."

"Yeah, this city's got bad vibes, there's enough trouble as it is..."

"In that case, I won't let them enter the city!" Nami jumped on the rail and ran after them. Sanji almost followed her, but Usopp and Chopper didn't let go of their only protection.

Gen saw this a chance to slip away and streach her legs, like Robin, who she had seen smoothly walking away into the town.

Knowing that asking anything about the sky was meaningless with Robin on the move anyway and with this twon being what it was, she ended up just walking around and trying to stay alert... but failing.

What? All kinds of shiny things flinging around? Highly distracting!

...ooh, a butterfly! Ah, but that jerk shot it.

She proceeded to kick the man in the shin and escaped while he was still cradling it in pain.

Some were fighting like dogs, some were drinking like ducks and some guys eyed suspiciously everything that moved. Such a stressful life style, here it was the rule of the jungle.

The strongest wins. Or the one with the most twisted mind...

Her feet had lead her into a dusky bar with lots of shady men. The tables were full, some guy had a pair of really weird goggles on and another looked a lot like a lizard. The bartender didn't look friendly either, as he was rubbing a glass with a white rag, looking at her.

"Hey! Close the door, you're letting light in!" someone grumbled. A tad bit embarassed, she did so and walked to the bar and took a stool. Gen was earning looks. She did stand out from the otherwise dark room with her white hair since it almost glowed even from the slightest slivers of light that escaped from the sealed window. It made her feel self concious, and she tried to relax despite the athmosphere. Hadn't they seen a woman before? ...by the looks of the bar, no.

_'Okay, that's more than a little unsettling.'_

"What do you want?" the bartender asked rudely. He had a cigar hanging from the side of his mouth, and from the looks of it he didn't really didn't want strangers into his bar.

"A whiskey," she answered and dropped some berri on the counter.

How long do you think it took before someone sat 'discreetly' on the barstool on her left?

One sip of her drink.

"Haven't seen you around here before," he started the conversation. He had a blue bandana holding down his brown hair that fell down in uneven lops, as if his barber had been not-so-sober when doing his job. His white shirt under the lilac jacket was as dirty as the floor of the bar and he had a big rip in the light brown pants. He had black shoes, too. What was worst in him was that leery smile, while his small green eyes roamed on her, making her feel rather uncomfortable. If she'd had a purse, she'd slapped him in that ugly mug and ran.

"Tha's cos I 'aven' been 'ere b'fore," her accent pushed out.

"Well, I couldn't not notice you when you came in. What's your name?"

"I's rude not ta tell yer name first," she reminded and took another sip of her whiskey. He chuckled, and looked back at the table he'd come from. His friends were looking and whispering with each other.

"That's my crew over there," he nodded towards the table.

_'Didn't ask...'_

"I'm Danfort, Danny for short."

"...Erin." Gloria's survival guide rule #1: Never tell your real name to creepers.

"Erin. Cool, pretty name. Where're you from?"

"East Blue." _LIE._

"East? I'm a local. You know, Grand Line," he boasted. "Hey, wanna come hang around with us, sweet thing?"

_*Shivers*_

She gulped down the rest of her drink and turned to him properly, crossing her legs and wiping back her hair _(hoping that the smell wouldn't rub off on her...)._

"_'Sweet thing'?_" she said dangerously. The smile on him faltered. "I ain't no fudgin' 'SWEET THING' ta you. If ya can' get a hint, wha' can I say?" she sighed and shrugged her shoulders before leaning into his face. "Fuck. Off."

Tired of the place, she walked out, blinking from the sun that shone too brightly in her eyes. Seconds ago the door flung open again.

"Hey you! You think you can just walk away from an invitation? You tramp!" Danfort yelled. He had some other people behind him.

"Yeah, no one says no to the Danny pirates! So, you want to party with us?"

"No."

"She said no~!" they cried anime tears to her blunt response.

"Nhahaha... you don't know our customs, do you?" a big guy with a grey and red stripes drew a swords out. "Say no and die!"

"No. An' 'M no' dyin'."

"She said no again~!"

"Hey! She's walking away!"

"Yeah, a really sharp notice," she rolled her eyes. She said it loud enough that the pirates heard her. _'You idiot! Why are you pissing off pirates!_?_'_

There was a commotion going on behind her back, and before she could turn to see what was going on, Gen felt herself getting rammed to the ground. There was a hand on her neck, and it squeezed tightly. Instantly from the pair of dog ears and the muzzle she knew that he had eaten a devil's fruit. Inu inu no mi, model something or the other. Chaka in Alabasta, she remembered, had the jackal model.

"Rahaha! You will now be ripped in the maws of Danfort the Dog!" his words made his other crewmen laugh, howl and whistle for their captain.

Gen grinned, when the hand holding her down started trembling. He let out a confused 'huh?' and fell on his hands and knees - or all four paws. He was in his hybrid mode, she now noticed.

"W-what's going on? My strength...!"

"You figured it out, ay?" she grinned evilly and pushed him aside, pinching his ear. "Aww, look at da puppy! Isn't he... just so_ disgusting_?" she sneered. _'Ooh, I'm a bit evil today, aren't I?'_

"Captain!"

"Get up! Beat that hag to pulp!" his men tried to rouse him.

"No use~. Now, I wonder, what should I do with you?" she sat on his back. "If I let you go, you might come after me. That'd be trouble, and annoying. If I sweeped some floors with you? That bar over there looked like it needed a scrub. Or... should I just put you to sleep like every unwanted little poof?"

"You... bitch...!" he cursed and tried to get up weakly. "What... do you want...?"

"I want you to walk away and never lay your eyes on me. EVER. Tha' cool?"

"Grrrh...! Never!"

"All right then," she leaned back and slid her hands on his sides.

"W-what are you- _AAAAAH!_ YAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA STOP IT STOPIT- _EAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA_!"

She _tickled_ him.

Due him being weakened, he weren't able to push her away.

"She's tickling him!"

"How cruel!"

"Please! Stop this torture!"

"What say you?" she hissed in his ear. "Huh?"

"Alright! Alright!" he cried out throught tears.

"Promise?" she whispered.

"Promise! Just don't tickle me anymore!"

"Okay~!" she made 180 with her personality and smiled brightly. "Hope we never see again~!"

Getting of there quickly she didn't look behind, just disappeared before they could catch up with her. The fake cheeriness dropped and her face turned into an emotionless mask.

Gloria's survival guide #2: Never trust a pirate.

Her day was ruined already, so it could only have one direction to go. _Worse_.

She met _Blackbeard_.

The racket that was happening on the street drew her attention, and since it was in her way she stopped to see Zoro walking towards her, Nami and Luffy next to Blackbeard little ways further from her. The boys were roughed up, just like it should be and Nami's hair slightly tussled.

Gloria started walking towards the group of three after promptly deciding something. When she passed the swordsman he stopped and blinked at her determined and slightly pissed off expression, before taking a double take. She didn't notice it, her eyes boring holes to the man.

"Ah? Gen? Weren't you back at the ship?" Nami asked before gagging. "Dear god you reek! Where have you been? ...Gen?"

The demigoddess walked right to the man and regarded him before giving a small, cold smirk.

"One day..."

"'One day'?"

"One day, you will make the biggest mistake of your life, and then... **I will kill you.**"

"Zehahaha!" the laugh made her stomach knot uncomfortably. "You're a gutsy weird girl! And I just met you too! What's your name?"

Shooting a dirty glare at him, she walked briskly away, past Zoro, and straight to the Merry.

* * *

><p>Usopp, Chopper and Sanji were all worried when they returned bloody and battered. For some reason Nami was keeping a good distance from her. After a good, cleansing shower she was freshed and in a better mood, but when she got up to the deck, she saw that someone else was now on the foul. The navigator looked like a demon, and not in the same mind as Greg.<p>

"THAT WAS THE PAST, DON'T BRING IT UP! IF YOU DO I'LL BEAT YOU TO DEATH!"

"Hey, what's going on?"

"...that woman's damn scary..." Zoro looked like a whipped boy, and she really had to restrain from tackling him into the deck when she spied his pout.

Oh what the heck, she earned it!

"Marimo~!"

"Aaargh!"

"Oh, did you guys discover any clues about the sky island?" Chopper asked innocently enough to have sparkly effects.

"_**'Sky island'...?**_"

"Nami, don't make Choppie cry," Gen said. She was laying on Zoro's unmovingback with her arms wrapped around the torso.

"You know this could count as harassement..." he groaned.

"I don't care anymore, jeez... 'Sky island', when I mentioned it, everyne in the bar laughed at me... IS EVERYTHING I SAY ALWAYS SO FUNNY? IS IT BECAUSE I SAID IT? WHAT DID I DO THAT IT WAS SO FUNNY?"

Usopp faked a death with one of his ketchup stars and Chopper went into his huge puffy defense point.

_("Were you in a bar, Snowbrain? You smell like cheap whiskey."_

_"...you have a good sense on these things, don't you?"_

_"Answer me."_

_"Yeah I was."_

_"Why?"_

_"Dunno, can' rememb'r. But some dirty pirate wanted to 'get to know' me."_

_"WHAT?_!_")_

"Sounds like a big fight started, did something happen?" Robin appeared. She had bought new clothes to herself. She had a new purple leatherjacket as well as pants and a cowboy hat... all in purple.

"Robin-chwan! You're back! Would you like to eat or take a bath first?" Sanji greeted the archeologist.

"Where was she?" Luffy asked.

"I was buying clothes, and I also tried to find out about the sky island along the way."

"IT WAS YOU! _YOU_ STARTED TELLING ME ABOUT THE SKY ISLAND!" Nami turned her rage at her. "IF IT DOESN'T EXIST, I'LL FEED YOU TO THE SHARKS! OR GEN!"

"I'm used as a way of punishment? I'm honored."

Chopper jumped away, unfortunatley the shio just wasn't that big. Gen had to release Zoro so he could go save him.

"Ah, you shouldn't anger her right now..." Usopp warned Robin. "Better yet, just stay away from her."

Robin handed Luffy a piece of paper, and to his delight it was a map. It was the map of the island itself, and it had Montblanc Cricet's house marked on it with an X.

"He was exiled because he kept talking about his dreams. We should be able to talk about similiar interests."

"Robin-nee..."

"Yes, Odd-chan?"

"Why purple?"

"Hmm? Something wrong with my clothes?" she blinked.

"Yes. It's so... so... you know."

"No, I don't," she looked honestly confused.

"Hmm, no, forget it. At least your shirt is white," she muttered the last part under her breath.

"What are you guys doing?" Usopp asked Zoro and Chopper. The latter layed panting in a puddle of water and the swordsman was wringing his shirt dry.

"I thought I was a goner!"

"Damn, you made me exert myself."

"Let's go 'round the island then," Gloria suggested, since Nami was still angry. They got the ship moving and Sanji brought the girls some nice, fresh fruit salad. It was a good way to wash out the taste of cheap whisky in her mouth. Robin had found a pack from the galley table when she'd gone inside earlier and brought it to her. It was an old, _huge_ book (_and heavy_) wrapped in brown cloth and tied up with a blue bow. On the cover was written Great History, and a grin streached on her face.

"He got it! He got the book for me!" she giggled and hugged it.

"What book is that?"

"Hmm? This? Ah, it's a book about demon history," she pretended she didn't notice the longing looks Robin was giving the tome and opened it, flipping through the pages. She saw colorful pictures of foreign creatures and events, The text was a little difficult to read with the letters a little deformed, but she guessed it was ok, taken that it was translated from... whatever language it was written first. Every now and then she saw someone's notes scribbled in a very _abstract_ script.

She almost gagged at the numbers of the centuries that danced along the pages._ 'THAT'S...! AT LEAST 10 000 YEARS BEFORE NOW!'_

"Where did you get it?" Robin hadn't left. Instead she even leaned a little closer.

"Greg got it for me. He thought it'd be good to know how the world works..." her words faded when her focus turned to the book. She knew Robin itched to read it.

"Can I...?"

"Yeah, I have nothing against it... whoa! There was a war between birds and reptiles! ...2000 years ago!"

Gen was looking throught the book. Some things were funny, most of them weren't. The whole book started with the incident with the god of Nothing. It didn't have any better name, and the illustration of it was very, very graphic and scary as hell. She suspected that someone younger, Chopper for example, would get nightmares from it. Nothing was a vague blob/cloud of darkness and it usually had a very grotesque mask with lots of little details (_like foam/blood coming out of it's mouth, eyes reflecting madness, big sharp teeth, ugly snout, three horns and lots of gray cysts that made her feel sick_).

The text said that the Great Four Gods made an alliance to fight Nothing and it's underlings off, finally being able to do that. Nothing was betrayed by it's own daughter, named Talvyo*****. She was labled as 'night', and the picture of her was a lot kinder than her... parent. She got pregnant to the god of flame and gave birth to the Moon. Nothing fell, it's minions scattered around the world and the alliance was broken because of some petty arguments about sharing. Gen found out that all the gods/goddesses were greedy and wanted to rule everything they could get their hands on. Anyway, that concluded every one of the gods to hate each other and the world fell into a mini chaos. Then they got briefed by this mysterious character called 'the Judge' that didn't have any kind of picture of him. The Judge was a referee of some kind between the gods and they did everything the Judge told them to do (_or not to do_). The book also said something about two mortal kings and queens, but she wasn't that interested in their affairs.

The first god of sea was a male. There was a picture of a bluehaired man: 'Secret Glint of Scales His skin, Dolphinus from the Feet. His Eyes as Deep as Wisdom and Soul, Fine and Noble His Nature' as the book said. Gen raised her eyebrow and couldn't help but turn back to the first page and look for the publishing date. All the parts of the book had been written in different eras, and when she looked the later writings started to be more coherent.

There was a good two chapters of Herka, too, but it didn't say anything about what she'd 'broken'. Then her eyes caught a piece with her name on it.

'She was the most perfect little unperfect thing, born from a mortal Man and the immortal Goddess' and a long chapter just to describe her plump little human hands and white hair and blue eyes and so on... 'Such a perfect little being, I cannot believe that she is not a true Goddess,' _ouch_ 'but I will still give my life for her if need be. She is the First of My Lady-'

She flipped to the end of the chapter and found a familiar signature: 'Sir. Aecorius VI, RG.'

_'No, Greg is seventh. This must've been his father... What does RG stand for...?'_

_Oh._

Then she realized; if she gave the book for Robin to read, she'd find out immediately what she was. There even was a cute little picture of Herka with a small bundle in her arms, and underneath read 'Lady Herka and Lady Gloria.'

"I was Gloria from the very beginning..." she said out loud and smiled fondly, hugging the book.

"~~~!"

She felt herself getting shoved right back to the real world. Luffy, Sanji, Usopp and Chopper were all at the front of the ship and gazing at the horizon.  
>That's not what drew her out of her mind, though.<p>

"~~~!"

"Hey... did you just now hear that?" she put her hand behind her ear.

"Huh?" Usopp mimiced her. "I don't hear anything."

"~~~!"

"There it was again!" she put the book down and hurried to them.

"You are hearing things."

"No I'm not! Can't you hear it...?" she tilted her head to catch the next wierd sound.

"Her hearing is very good, so I guess she's hearing the men on that ship."

"What ship?" she asked.

"That over there," Usopp gave her the binoculars. He and Chopper were hiding behind Sanji, who looked immensly bored.

It was the monkey-moron no. 2.

"We just set sail and we're already encountering something strange..." Luffy said. "But they're not the same guys from before, Usopp."

"Well, we can't say if that's a good or a bad thing yet," Sanji puffed out smoke.

"Anyhow, we really did see them!" Usopp said. "Right?"

"Yeah, that salvage guy really does live on this island! I saw them come back!" Chopper grit his teeth.

"Well, it doesn't bother me if we meet them again," Luffy said.

"It bothers _me_..." Gen muttered.

"Why?" the captain turned to look at her.

"I didn't mean that to be answered, you know?"

"Ah. I see."

"Hey you! _Yeah_ you! Stop chatting over there!" the monkey captain yelled. His ship had a huge tree growing on it, and it had the figurehead of an orangutan. The captain looked like one, too. "Dang, my heart was all pitter-patter wonderin' who you were," he lazied on a wooden chair. He had a long hair and a curly beard, long arms and a big bulky torso _(saying it short, he was fat_).

"You have a weird face!" Luffy piped out. "What species are you?"

"I'm human, you numbskull!"

"You jerks! You mean you haven't heard of the Big Boss of the Shojo Pirates, the king of underwater exploration, Shojo-sama?" his crew yelled.

"Don't you go making Big Boss mad!"

"Why are you all dressed like Teletubbies?" Gen tilted her head.

"What's a Teletubbie?" Chopper asked.

"O-Oh, forget that!" she waved her hand a little.

"Nevermind, nevermind," Shojo raised his hand. "You seem to be pirates. Have you heard? Crocodile's seat in the shichibukai is empty now. If they judge by real strength, that seat should be mine! I am all pitter-patter just waiting."

"Ah? You want to join the shichibukai?" Luffy asked him.

"I know you're wondering why me? I'll tell you something special about me. Ever since I was born, I have never had a hair cut. That's 25 years without haircut! Surprised?"

"You're an idiot."

"What? That surprised me!" His men started growling again, and he quieted them down once more.

"Your answer's got my heart all pitter-patter. Remember this, pass through the tunnel of my fury, and you shall find a sea of red blood," his face darkened.

Gen chuckled. "The ocean of blood, and I am the siren that sings the deadly lullaby... Ah, such sweet, sweet words be your guide to the pain..."

"Gen, you're scary sometimes..." Usopp sweatdropped.

"How was that scary?" Gen raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, anyway, we've got somewhere we gotta go. So move already," Luffy said.

"YOU INSOLENT FOOL! this part of the sea is my territory! If you want to pass, you have to pay the toll!"

"The territory thing again, he talks like Masira!" Usopp noticed.

"Did Masira say that too?" Luffy asked.

"What? Masira? What happened to Masira?" Shojo inquired.

"Huh? Oh, we kicked him, but-"

"YOU KICKED HIM?_!_ HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO MY BROTHER!"

"Eh? Hey wait a minute, we kicked him, but he's still ali-" Luffy tried.

"I WILL AVENGE HIM!"

"Oh great, Luffy, ya got 'im all riled up now," Gen rolled her eyes. "You dumbass."

"Sound wave! Wail of destruction! Aahhh~~~~~~~~~**~~~~~!**"

"It's that voice again!" Gen realized. It was the same, yes, but the texture of it was different from before. It was destroying his own ship...

"What are those guys doing?" Sanji asked.

"No idea... But he's an idiot. He's braking his own ship," Luffy replied.

"My...! Ears...!" Gen gasped and tried to cover them with her hands.

"What are you guys doing? Stop staring and hurry up! Let's get out of here!"

"HAI, NAMI-SWAAAN!"

"Oh, Nami's not a devil anymore."

_Crickkk..._

A piece from the deck tore off. Usopp turned to look. "H-Hold on! Oi! The sound waves are reaching the ship!"

The poor little Merry creacked and cracked, Shojo's voice was physically pushing it on the waves.

"If we stay here, the ship will be in pieces! It's already in a bad shape!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Gen screamed, fell to the deck and squirmed in pain.

"Full speed ahead! Get out of the range of the sound!" Nami ordered.

The further they got the lesser the pain was. She was still whimpering with her hands on her ears as if to make sure her brain didn't pour out of them in scrambles.

_'Damn, that HURT! Owwee, even thinking is painful...'_

"Hey, are you okay?" Chopper asked quietly, worry in his brown eyes. "You had it bad, huh?" She nodded. "I felt it too, my hearing is pretty good, but your's is even better. If you feel dizzy come tell me immediately."

He walked away to make sure no one else was hurt. Sanji had a small cut on his cheek where a flying splinter had graced him, but nothing more serious. Nami had a headache. After his tour, he went to help Usopp, who was cursing the orangutan to the lowest levels of netherworld.

"I've never seen her in such a bad shape. Time for a new one?" Zoro asked, hammering the patches on the mast back to their places. The voice had loosened almost all of them.

"I DIDN'T ASK FOR YOUR OPINION, ASSHOLE!" Usopp screetched. Gen winced. He started ranting about the ship's origins.

"I wanna diee..." Gen moaned.

"We know, Usopp, but complaining isn't going to do anything," Luffy said. He was fixing one side of the ship. "The Going Merry is an important nakama to us. So, let's work hard and fix her ourselves."

"Luffy... you're such a..!" Tears brimmed to Usopp's eyes.

_CRACK_

"Oops."

"...BASTARD! ARE YOU TRYING TO FIX HER OR DESTROY HER?_!_" he went livid.

"Well, I really wanna fix her..."

_CRASH_

"Ah, I did it again."

"LUF-! GGGhhhhhhiiii...!"

"...better."

"You're going to neuter him!" Chopper's eyes bulged out.

"His fault for yelling..." she whispered. "Ungh, my head. Choppie, wanna go get me somethin' magical?"

"Uh... I'll be back. Please don't do any permanent damage to him..."

Usopp was going through various interesting colors.

* * *

><p>* Talvyo=talviyö=winternight<p>

...truth be told I got this ready two days ago. But _shhh_, you didn't just read that.


	35. Cricetty

Truly... I hate my mom. SHE TOOK AWAY THE COMPUTER! *rages on* and that's why I'm late from my schedule. I'm reduced to write at school, and that's not fun at all! *sulk* And this chapter is short too...

Thanks for all the reviews, they've made me feel better~ **270!**

* * *

><p>"That's one<em> huuuge.<em>.. piece of plywood."

They had arrived to the destination. As she remembered, the house had a colorful borad picture of a castle in front of his house. This was proved when they steered the ship to the shore.

"Ah! It's a board!" Luffy asked.

"What?" Usopp's jaw dropped comically.

"He only has half of a house. The rest is just makeshift," Zoro said.

"So the man's a cheapstake," Sanji shook his head.

"What kind of dreams was he talking about that got him kicked out of town?" Nami asked, turning to Robin.

"I don't know the details, but he talked about a large mountain of gold hidden here on Jaya island.

"GOLD?"

"You mean like pirate's treasure!"

"Well, I don't know about that."

"Gooold~! Dig, Chopper!" Nami ordered.

"Just dig and we'll find it?"

"Just living by himslef out here..." Sanji muttered.

"Hello! I'm coming in!" Luffy announced and opened the hut's door.

"HEY! DON'T JUST WALK IN THERE!" Usopp yelled.

As the boys went in the house, Gen turned back to the sea. The pounding headache had dulled out by Chopper's medicines and now she was just feeling a little light headed. Like... she could fly.

"Fly~ fly~ fly~ to the sky~ sky~ sky~ and when we come down~ down~ down~ we all will die~ die~ die~..."

"What are you singing...?" Zoro sweatdropped.

Nami found a book from a table outside. It was Liar Norland, the book about Cricet's ancestor.

"Ah? That brings back memories," Sanji sat down on one of the chairs that littered the lawn.

"You know about this book, Sanji-kun?" Nami asked. "But it says it's published in North Blue."

"Yeah, I was born in North blue. Didn't I tell you?"

"First time you said anything about it, I thought you were from the East Blue," Usopp had his hand on his hips. Nami told Chopper to stop digging, apparently not remembering that she was the one who'd told him to do it...

"That's where I grew up. This is a pretty famous story in North Blue. It's just a fairy tail for kids now, but I heard that this Norland guy was a real person."

Nami read it out loud. "...and so the pitiful liar... perished... without ever becoming a brave warrior of the sea."

"DON'T LOOK AT ME!" Usopp shouted. "AND DON'T ADD SUCH A PAINFUL SENTENCE!"

There was a surprised yell and a splash, and Luffy fell in the water since he was hanging so close to the edge.

"Luffy fell!" Nami noticed it.

"What are you doing?" Usopp was alredy running his way, but stopped in his tracks when a man the size of a closet climbed up from the sea.

"Who the hell are you? You got some guts entering my house without permission. This is my territory!" he stood in a stance.

Sanji told Usopp to go get Luffy before he drowned, but Gen was already on it. She came to think that maybe she should start wareing swimsuit under her own clothes...

When she got back to the surface, she layed Luffy on the bank so the two weren't in direct contact.

"There were bubbles coming from the water... *_cough_* when I looked in there was this chesnut, but it was really a guy and he pulled me in!" Luffy told exhausted.

"Dummy," Gen shook her head. The stone wall under the surface was surprisingly deep, much deeper than she had thought.

The guy with the weird chesnut-like thing on his head layed on the ground and writhed in pain.  
>It appeared that he had dysbarism, or in other words the decompression sickness.<p>

"Ah, you mean he's sick?" Luffy asked.

"Yes, it's various symptoms divers experience sometimes. It's not a long term illness and should pass," the doctor told them.

"Hmm..." Gen scruntched up her face when she looked at the man laying in his bed. He was a lot more muscled than she remembered, and he had a sturdy jaw with small blonde sideburns. He was shirtless and lacked shoes. There was a big tattoo on his left bicep.  
>Chopper explained the basics of the disease, but...<p>

"Ah, a mystery sickness," Luffy leaned out of the window.

"It was a lot more easier to understand before you explained it," Gen sweatdropped at his medical speech.

"He must've been diving every day... not letting the bubbles to dissolve properly.

"Why would he do this to himself?" Nami wondered.

"I don't know why... but it's very dangerous. In some cases it can be lethal."  
>Luffy and Nami helped him take care of the man, and Gen reached out two fingers to tug lightly on Zoro's bandana tied around his arm.<p>

"What?" he asked gruffly.

"I don't know."

"Ahaa... Then why'd you want my attention?" he raised his eyebrow. He had a band-aid on his left eyebrow.

"Because... no, I don't know," she looked away shyly.

"Spit it out, Snowbrain."

"Hmm... no," she fiddled with the ends of his bandana, not meeting his eyes. He found this horrifingly cute and felt his cheeks heaten up.

"Oi, oi, if you don't have anything to say, don't stand that close!" he pushed her forehead and leaned away himself.

"Yeah, Gen-chwan, don't stand that close to him, his idiocy might be contagious," Sanji pointed at him.

The door bursted open with two monkeys barging in. "OYASSAN, ARE YOU ALRIGHT!_?_"

Usopp and Chopper freaked out and started running around the room, screaming that they're out to get 'em.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"What did you do to our Oyassan?"

"What are you talking about?" Luffy asked. "We're taking care of the Ossan, so get lost."

"THEY WON'T LISTEN! THEY'RE BEASTS! EVERYONE, ESCAPE THROUGH THE WINDOW!" Usopp yelled.

"They're such great guys!" the monkeys cried.

"THEY LISTENED!_?_" Usopp and Chopper fell, and Gloria couldn't help her chuckle.

* * *

><p>The monkeys (<em>all three of them<em>) sat outside around the huge table. Zoro, the loyal first mate, was sitting next to the door outside with Usopp. The rest of the crew was inside tending to Cricet, and Gen was now sitting at where Luffy had previously fallen, soaking her feet in the cold water and daydreaming of giant marshmellows.

"Do you two live out here too?" Luffy asked.

"Actually, our Oyassan's home is also the headquarters of the 'united primate armed forces.'. Usually we just live on our ships," Masira told.

"This house is too small for us!"

"You two sure are big, but compared to the giants you're like ear wax to them," Luffy laughed.

"How can they get along so well?" Usopp wondered.

"They're all just simple minded monkeys," Zoro answered and yawned.

"Even so, you're so small and yet you sent this guy flying with a kick, impressive!" the orangutan clapped his brother on the shoulder.

"Really? You could do it too," Luffy said.

"Huh? Really?"

"Yup!"

"Luffy! He's awake!" Chopper called the captain. Shojo kicked his brother for a test (_sending him flying_) and Luffy went to see Cricet with the rest of the guys. Gen didn't really notice this, too busy drooling over the war between gummybears and chocolatechip cookies in her mind.

"SHOOJOOO!" Masira finally swam back to the shore.

"Whoo, he really is kickable!" Gen piped up.

"YOU KICKED ME! THAT MUST MEAN YOU'RE READY FOR WHAT I'M GOING TO DO!"

"Ooh, you're very good at finding excuses to piss me off, Masira! Don't test my fury!" the dry monkey gave a few shift right punches to the air. They started a wrestle match.

"Oh! Right!" Gen remembered again what Shojo had done. She walked to the two and stomped on Shojo's toes. In comparison Gen was very, very small.

"WHY'D YOU DO THAT?" Masira's eyes bugged out.

"Why you little-!"

"YOU DOOORK!" Gen stuck her toung out. "What the netherworld! You almost made my ears bleed with that soundwave!" she fumed.

"Oh, sorry for your ship," he apologized.

"Don't apologize to me about the ship! Tell HER you're sorry!" She pointed to the poor little Merry. "And apologize for every ship YOU've dragged up to the light after their deaths!" she pointed at Masira this time.

"We're sorry!" they grovelled before her lashing. She turned her back to them and crossed her arms. After two agonising minutes she gave them a calculating smile.

"I'll forget you... if I can play with that big sound thingy!"

"Wha! That's not a toy!" Shojo looked ticked.

"Okay then, I won't forgive you. Ever~!"

"What are you two doing?" Cricet asked with a sweatdrop.

"They're apologizing to me, Cricetty!" she beamed. "That big ugly monkey made my ears hurt!" she pouted.

"WHO'S UGLy?"

"You," all three of them said in unision.

Gen turned to the house, where she could hear the cheers of her friends.

"Oh! Right, Oyassan, how are you feeling now?"

"Top shape. That little tanuki is good."

"He's a reindeer..."

"Now, listen up. Do you like them?" he asked his monkey friends.

"Why are you asking?" Shojo tilted his head.

"They seem to want to go to the sky island."

"Yeah we do!"

"But... there's only one way to reach it."

"If they do it alone, they'll die for sure, Oyassan!" Masira said.

"Hoy..." Gen sweatdropped. "Just who's gonna die? ...and you're not listening to me, are ye?"

"Well then..." Cricet streched his arms. "Should we give them a hand?"

"Sure," the monkeys nodded determinetly.

Gen kicked Cricet in the shin.

"WHY'D YOU DO THAT_!_?" Masira and Shojo's eyes bugged out.

"Because you were ignoring me," she said as if that was a perfect excuse to kick people. She then turned a little more serious.

"Cricet-san. Do you know why Norland never found the island again?"

"It... sunk. Why?" he blinked. The people were piling out of the house, so her tone went lower.

"You're looking the wrong way, my closet-sized friend," she smiled. "It didn't sink."

"How would you know that?" Shojo asked.

"Nehehee~ not tellin'!" and she skipped away.

After Cricet and the monkeys talked for a while, the man gathered the young pirates together around the table to hear what he had to say.

"Listen carefully. I'll tell you all I know about the island. However, not everything I know can be proven true, it's up to you to decide whether to believe me or not."

"Yes, I believe you."

"Don't make decisions yet!" Usopp slapped Luffy for being stupid. Nami and Chopper were listening too, but Zoro was dead asleep somewhere behind them. It looked as if he'd fallen asleepd while sitting, with his arms and legs crossed and back hunched.

"Pssst!"

Where was Sanji? She didn't know nor particullary cared.

"PSSSST!" a pebble hit her head accurately.

"What?_!_" she whisper-yelled.

Gloria saw her dear mother hiding behind the bank, one hand next to her mouth in a whisper. Gen glanced at the others, but they were talking about the sudden 'nightfall' that they'd encountered (had something to do with a really dense cloud). She took the opportunity to crawl to the bank.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Oh, wanted to see you off before you go to the sky island."

"How nice of you."

"Don't give me that face, sweetie," the goddess waved her hand. "So, how'd you like the book?"

"I didn't have much time to read it, but I looked through the god of Nothing and the things about me. It's interesting, and I think Robin'll kill me if she can't read it..." she chuckled nervously. "Seriously."

"It's up to you if you want her to read it, you know her the best," Herka shrugged.

"By the way... isn't Knock-Up stream a little weird name for the geysir?" she pointed to a random direction in the sea.

"Hey, I didn't name it!" she sprayed water on her. "Blame the mortals! Ah... and one thing:" she went back to being serious, "in the sky, I can't help you."

"When have you ever helped me...?" she sweatdropped.

"I have helped you in ways you wouldn't know of, brat. Listen up! While you guys go cloud climbing, I can't be there to help you. You'll be in the sky god's territory, and we agreed that he'll send you his right hand demon to-"

"A babysitter?" she raised her eyebrow.

"More or less. Take care, my only child~!" she sniffed and sunk away.

"Yeah, bye," she muttered and got on her feet.

"...upward? We have never heard of that before," Nami was saying when she snuk back. 'Ah, the Knock-Up stream.'

"The reason behind that monstrous current... this is just a theory, because no one is dumb enough to rush into it to investigate. The theory is this: in the bottom of the sea, there are some big caves. The cold water flows into the caves and the earth heats it. The vapour that it creates makes a very powerful pressure, and the preassure makes an explosion," Cricet said.

"...so it's a giant geysir," Gen said flatly. The others stared at her. "What? Is there something in my face? Don't tell me you've never heard of geysirs? Nami?"

"I've heard about them... never seen one. You have?"

"Yeah, but not in the scale as the Knock-Up stream," she shrugged.

"Great! She's our mystery current master, then!" Luffy slapped her friendly on the back.

"What if...! No."

"Aww..."

Nami urged Cricet on. It proved to be a very dangerous thing if they failed, and the more he spoke the more unlikely it sounded that they'd get to Skypiea. "It's a big chance to take. If there's nothing on top, you will fall back down and everyone will become fish food. Even if you successfully enter the 'millennium cumulonimbus', if Sky Island doesn't exist, you will still crash down."

Usopp looked mighty pale and started blabbering. "I-In that case, we'll forget about the sky island! Hahaha~~! So unfortunate, Luffy. This can't be helped! Only the luckiest among the luckiest person can get up there!" "Don't worry, let's just go!" the boy smiled.

"'Don't worry'...? You mean you trust that kind of thing without proof? Just look at Merry's current condition! Like this it's impossible to withstand such giant disaster!" Usopp cried and pointed to the ship. She really was in a bad shape, but the figurehead hadn't lost it's gentle smile.

"True. But even if that ship was new, it can't still make it through the current," Cricet said.

"WHAT?_!_" Usopp looked offended, as the man started muttering something about speed, weight and force.

"The ship'll be blown into bits by the current... however, I can have Masira and Shojo help you solve this problem. You need to reinforce the ship's hardiness first, of course."

"Oooh! You can count on us!" the monkeys yelled from the house's window.

"Thanks for your help!" Luffy answered back and Nami and Usopp sweatdropped.

"Did you forget? We can't stay any longer than one day!" Nami reminded them. "After that the log pose will start pointing to the next island."

"Yeah! There's no time!" Usopp realized. "Hey Cricet! You can't predict the future so you won't know when the 'millennium cumulonimbus' will happen to be on top of the Knock-Up stream, right? It'll propably be a few more days, months, or even years, right?" he sounded hopeful.

"Usopp, I can tell what the future brings as well..." she sweatdropped.

"Shhhhh!"

"It'll probably be tomorrow at noon! We need to start preparing if you want to go!" "WHAT? IT'S NOT TOO LATE? DAMN!"

"If you don't really want to, go then don't go," Cricet said.

Something in Usopp snapped visibly. "You... YOU'RE LYING! Come to think of it, we only met you today! Yet you're being so nice to us, suspicious, isn't it? FURTHERMORE-!"

"Oi, Usopp!"

"SHUT UP, LUFFY! You say that the best opportunity to reach an uncertain location like sky island just happens to be TOMORROW? You even want to remodel our ship and help us sail there?"

_'Ahh, so it's the remodelling that's probing him?_' Gen thought.

"These things are too 'perfect'! What kind of sinister plan do you have hidden?"

"Usopp..." Gen called him in a bored manner.

"You are the descendant of that 'Norland'! You can't be trusted!"

"USOPP!" Gen grabbed his lips with a tickmark on her head. "Go cool your head a bit, will ya?" she said a little gentlerly. The monkeys and Sanji bursted from the house telling how food was ready. '_If those things touched my food I'd rather starve...'_

Cricet dragged on the cig that hung between his lips. "In Masira's territory, two days after the 'night fall' incident happens the 'millennium cumulonimbus' will appear in the sky to the south... Jusging from the calendar, the special current will also happen tomorrow, and this time it shall take place south of here. Even though I can't give 100% guarantee, tomorrow will very likely be a perfect chance." He started walking to the house. "I'm very happy to meet fearless idiots like you. Come on! Let's eat! Just enjoy my hospitality in my home for today... comrade!"

Usopp froze, and Luffy giggled. "Let's eat~! Usopp, hurry up!"

"Oh, hurry!"

"Chopper, go tell Robin that food's ready!"

"Okay."

Usopp collapsed on his knees and Nami sat down to the table to talk with him. Gen didn't know if she should go in and let Nami take care of it, or do something about it.

"It seems this is the best opportunity to try our best to reach the sky," the navigator said. "It'll end up depending on luck!"

"Nami... tell me the truth, am I a coward?" he sighed in depression.

"And an idiot to the boot... but I understand your feelings. Go and apologise to him."

Gen crouched next to the boy and put her hand to his shoulder for consolance and balance. "Don' worry, Usopp. The path to your dream is a little different from the rest of ours. Nami can map out the world while travelling it, and Luffy can become the King of the Pirates when he reaches the One Piece. Your goal is to beat down your own fear. The most difficult things in our lives is to change and become the person we want to from the person we are."

"Gen..." Nami and Usopp stared at her. "I didn't know you could be so deep."

She gave the victory sign. "I'm jus' tha' awesome."

"What about your dream?" Usopp asked. "'To make your own life' was what you said at the Reverse mountain, right?"

"Hmm... yeah. Now that I hear that it like this it sounds a lot more superficial than when I was thinking about it," she put her hand on her chin. "Really... I want to see how it all ends," she had a faraway look in her eyes.

"...and get the swordswinging green moron?" Nami smirked.

"Whah? N-No, that's not my goal!" she denied but flushed red. _'I... really don't HAVE big goals like them...'_

The dinner was more like a party, and the second she noticed it she snatched a bottle and a plate of food before scooting over to sit with Robin to the sidelines. She was reading Norland's logbook with a glass that looked suspiciously like the liquid she was pouring down her own throat.

It proved that the monkeys and Cricet really knew how to party. The old man was drunk and telling Nami to sit next to him. Sanji soon kicked his head. Zoro was race drinking with Shojo.

Robin was startled when Cricet's face suddenly shadowed the book, and she could've swore that the woman sweatdropped too.

"In the skull's right eye... I saw the gold."

"Gold?"

That was the secret word for all life turn still and eyes pin on the man again.

"The page that has tear drops on it, is Norland's last words... his sentence was carried out the day he was executed. I still don't understand what it means." he took a long gulp of rum. "The skull's right eye? Is that a city that was here before? Or is it hinting his death? It's all blank after that."

His speech was followed by different cheers of what to do and... just plain cheering.

When the brunt of the feast was over Cricet started telling more about the island and the logbook. He took out three golden bells (_Nami fell in love)_ and Robin told them about how they were usually used to weight gold.

"Ah, and also, the mysterious birds that make strange sounds... Masira!"

"Okay."

He revealed a pretty golden statue of a south bird.

"Whoah, there's more!"

"It's bigger than those bells!" Zoro marvelled.

"This is the last of them. Hahaha! 10 years and I only found these, really not worth it..."

"Wow... so pretty!"

"Damn, if I had enough time I'd draw that!" Gen sighed.

"What's that, a penguin?"

"'Bird' holding 'golden bell'... could this be the symbol of Jaya?" Sanji asked.

"Not sure. However... I believe that this is a part of some greater symbol. The bird are called 'south birds', they still exist on this island."

"Their chirping sound is weird, right?" Luffy asked. Nami was spouting hearts like Sanji and her eyes were glowing.

"Yes, like described in the diary."

"Speaking of which, ever since long ago, the sailors..." and Masira abruptly faded.

"DAMN IT!" Cricet yelled suddenly.

"What? What happened?"

"You have to go right now, to the forest south of here!" his voice held urgency. Gen got up and stretched her arms above her head. From the little sidestep she had to take she knew that the whiskey had done it's job.

"Huh? What are you saying? You stupid?" Luffy asked.

"You have to catch one of these birds right away!" Cricet pointed to the statue.

"What? Why?"

"What for?" Sanji tilted his head.

"The Knock-Up stream, it's directly south of here. How do you think you'll get there?"

"Just sail south," Luffy answered simply.

"Stupid-Luffy, the second we sail to the sea our sense of direction is decreased to Marimo-level," Gen pointed to the man, who just formed a tickmark on his head.

"Exactly!"

"Oh, that's right. Since our destination is not an island but a part of the sea, the log pose won't work!" Nami realized it too. "Then, what do we do to endure the direction?"

"That's why you need the bird! It's said that some animals contain some bio-compass enhancing their sense of direction," Cricet said, now a more calmed down than a minute ago. Gen and Luffy turned to look at Zoro again.

"So Zoro, you're worse than some animals!" he laughed.

"AND WHO ARE YOU TO TALK?"

"The south bird has the best sense of direction, no matter how far you move the bird, it'll always point to south. IN OTHER WORDS, YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT A BIRD LIKE THAT!"

"There goes the calmnes... and why'd that sound like commersials?" she wondered out loud. "But why are we still sitting here? Shouldn't we get goin'-?"

"You won't be able to even try getting onto sky island!"

"Oh, it continued..."

"EH~!_?_"

"How come you mention that just now?"

"It's way past midnight! And we have to still go to the forest?"

"Quit complaining, there's no time! The three of us will enhance your shitty ship now. Ah! Come to think of it, this wasn't really a time for party!"

"SHOULD'VE SAID THAT EARLIER!"

And that's how she found herself in the middle of a dark forest with a little net that would be better for catching butterflies. Usopp was clinging onto Sanji who didn't appreciate it much, and Chopper complained his too full stomach. Zoro just wanted to go back and drink. Gen wanted to go back and curl to sleep.

"*YAAAWWNN~!*"

"Don't yawn so big, you scare the bird away."

"Screw you, Wiener-face, I'm tired."

"Don't be!"

"How do you _not be_ tired when you're tired?"

"Stop shouting, the bird's going to notice us!" Nami shot them a silencing glare.

"But these things should be made in daylight..." the boy's eyes darted to every little crack.

"Don' worry, 'Sopp, if a monster comes we'll throw you to it and run."

"Gen!" he whined.

"Shut up!"

"Yes, ma'am."

"So... the only clues are the weird chirping sound and the look of that golden statue," Sanji summarized their knowledge.

"And that they're real bastards," Gen added.

"Is there really a bird like that? And 'strange chirping sound is too vague! How can you tell?"

"I've heard one."

"Cricet said we'll know when we enter the forest..." Sanji looked around.

"CHOH~~~!" came from the woods. It sounded like a bell.

"Ah, strange chirping sound!" They all said.

"That's it?" Nami sweatdropped.

"...and everyone's ignoring me..."

"I'm not ignoring you~! How could anyone ignore such a beauty that even in the dark blooms so magnificently~?" Sanji cooed.

"Sanji?"

"Hai, Gen-chwan~?"

"Shut up."

"Hai, Gen-chwan~!"

"Alright! Let's do it! We have four nets!"

"Three."

"Three...? Ah! Gen, you broke it!" Luffy's eyes bulged out.

"Sorry..." she giggled and dropped the pieces to the ground.

"So, three nets! We split in three groups!"

"Alright! Let's go! Punch that bird into flying bits!"

"No, it's 'catch', not 'punch'..."

They got into groups with Sanji going with Nami and Usopp. Gen wanted to go with Luffy and Chopper, saying that they were more interesting company to be with than Zoro and Robin. They also made her vow that she wouldn't do anything 'abnormally stupid' as Nami phrased it.

"Let's go, let's go, let's GOO~!"

"Don't yell!"

"Oh, yeah... haha, sorry!"

* * *

><p>As it proved out Luffy was more interested in the local insects. She had never seen so big beetles, but that could've just been the enviroment she'd grown up in.<p>

"Look, Chopper! It's an atlas!"

"Atlas?"  
>She couldn't follow their conversation, but she recognized the hercule beetle that they were talking about. She nudged one big (<em>UGLY!)<em> bug that was crawling lazily next to her. "I really don't get why you can like these... things."

"It's not a thing! It's a beetle!"

"Yeah yeah..."

"Choh~~~!"

"Hey! Isn't that the bird?" she pointed to the tucanlike south bird on a branch high up.

"Yeah! That's it!"

The chase was on.

After everything, she decided that south birds were evil little also helped that it dropped beehives on them... And the bees weren't the only ones after them. She also decided that praying mantises should be fried over a big campfire, tied to a stick. Or dipped in acid and served with radioactive goo.

Luffy pushed her down when the first tree fell, cut by a mantis.

"What the hell? What's wrong with this place?"

"I don' know, but I'm starting to dislike it very much."

"Aaaah! Run!"

"Choh~~~!"

"It's him!"

"What?"

"The bird is commanding them!"

"No sheet, Sherlock!"

"What's 'sherlock'?"

"NOT THE POINT! And that's not the only bird!" she could hear the harmonious sounds ringing around the forest.

_[After an unknown amount of time]_

They had regrouped after various other attacks from the wildlife. Gen was worried, she'd heard the familiar soundwave attack of Shoji's that had made her suffer earlier, but it had stopped abruptly. She grit her teeth.

_'Damn that Bellamy...'_

The south bird was laughing above them.

"It said 'did you catch anything? Dumbass!'..." Chopper translated.

"What!_?_ He showed up on purpose to say that? I'll shoot it down!"

A pair of hands plopped on the arrogant bird, caught it and slapped it unceremoniously down with a sad thud.

"Ah..."

"As long as I can see the target..." Robin shrugged.

"Good thing... we have to get back now. I think the douchebag from your bar, Luffy, showed up. I heard Shoji's wailing," Gen said with seriousness and looked towards the house.

"Ah! Diamondhead!" Luffy gasped and started running. Zoro picked up the sulking bird from it's feet and they followed their captain, who surprisingly didn't get lost this time.

_'But why did he have to drag us through every bush and branch?_' her eye twitched when they finally popped out of the forest. Gen was covered in dirt and there was something crawling in her hair. After some shrieking and some jumping around she was ready to see what had happened.

Sanji fished out one of the monkey brothers and Chopper helped him. Usopp freaked out for Merry, it's whole front had come off. She walked up to it and petted the figurehead that layed on the ground.

Luffy talked with Cricet, who was covered in blood and bruises. All he was thinking was enhancing the ship. He was in some shape, as he got up to sit.

"Luffy!" Nami called him. "The gold was taken!"

"Ha... ha... doesn't matter... things like that should just be forgotten! You guys..."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY 'THINGS LIKE THAT'!_?_ You spent 10 years, and even lost your health to find those

pieces! Isn't that right?" Usopp was outraged.

"Shut up... it doesn't matter. Listen, with the entire 'united primate armed forces' fixing and enhancing that ship isn't a problem... we can have it done by dawn. It won't hinder your schedule. You guys... I'll send you to the sky no matter-!"

"Cricety, shut-uppity." Gen dug her heel into his kidney.

"Hey, Luffy..." Zoro pointed a thumb at the smily face with an eye patch that was hastly drawn to one of the wooden pieces.

"That's Bellamy's symbol!" Nami recognized it.

"Want my help?"

"I can do it alone."

"NO WAY LUFFY! Quit fooling around! We have less than 3 hours before dawn!"

Cricet tried to go against the boy's idea. Zoro thrusted the hilt of his sword to him, saying that it would be the only way he could stop him from going.

Gen saw the angry fire in Luffy's eyes as he cracked his knuckles and promised to be back by dawn.

* * *

><p>There. I'm pissed off and in school. Saturday it's going to be a trip to the capital (third already in this month).<p> 


	36. Flyin' high

Yaaay! Mom gave the computer back! *_confetti*_ And it was a fun trip to the capital. This chapter is a tiny bit longer than my avarage and I put a small extra at the end since it was requested (_some time ago_). Whee, I'm excited about the sky island!

Gloria: The chapter is so cute I'd like to puke...

* * *

><p>They started on the ship's repairs... well, except for Gen. She was standing at the side, where Luffy had disappeared to. She had a small smile on her face.<p>

"What are you doing, Gen? Come on, help us a bit! We have so much to do!" Usopp whined.

"Ehh, you'll be fine," she waved him off before even looking at him.

"COME ON!"

"Hey... Zoro, why didn't you go?" Nami asked him.

"What's your problem? First it's 'don't fight', then it's 'fight!' and then you said that 'don't go' and now just 'why you didn't?'"

"Didn't they beat you the last time?"

"Beat me?" he put down the planks he was carrying. "Actually they just didn't want to be blocking our way? A fight that you feel sorry about afterwards is really painful."

"What? Are you an idiot?"

"You're annoying. Move aside, you'er getting in my way!"

"Hey hey hey! Marimo, how dare you treat Nami-swan like that!"

"Huh!_?_"

"You two, stop fighting," Gen said tiredly.

"What's gotten into her...?"

"I want to go to sleep."

"Then go."

"Can'. 'Avta wait fer 'im..." she slurred.

"...who? Luffy? He'll be okay."

"I know. I just wonder..." 'if he's captain enough right now...'

Three hours went, and they got the ship ready. Gen was still standing there like a statue, wind swaying her hair gently. Nami paced around and ranted about their captain. "He's already 46 minutes late! If this goes on we won't reach the Knock-Up stream in time!" It must be because he has to carry the heavy load of gold that he's late. With his brain-"

"He's coming," Gen announced. Her throat was a little hoarse.

"Really?" Chopper stood next to her with his hoof behind his ear, and not much later there was an obnoxious yell.

"HEE~~~EEY~~~!"

"It's that kid! Great! He's finally back!" Masira grinned.

"I did it~~!" he waved his hand. What... he had something in it...?

"Look at this! It's a hercules~!"

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING!_?_" Nami, Usopp and Zoro asked with their jaws dropped. Gen fell comically and didn't move from there.

_'I'm... never gonna join, huh...?'_

"AMAZING~!" Luffy's eyes sparkled at the Merry. Gen sweatdropped, she hadn't been exactly paying attention when it was fixed and enhanced, and now it looked like a giant chicken.

"I know a saying about chickens and flying..." She muttered and closed her eyes, snuggling the oh so soft earth.

"Everyone! Get redy to go!" Nami ordered.

"Means you too, Slowbrain."

"'Slowbrain'...?" Chopper muttered to himself, as if taking notes.

"Noooo...! I wanna sleep!"

"...hurry up and get on the ship, there's no time," Cricet said gruffly. The gold was laying in it's bag on the table in front of him. "You want to give up your chance to get to sky island for nothing? Fool!"

"Hm, thanks for the ship!" Luffy smiled ('he does that often', Gen thought).

"If you want to thank someone, thank them!" Cricet pointed to the monkey brother's that had boarded their own ships by now.

"Thanks guys! I'll give you the hercules!"

"Really? We can keep it? You're really great guy!"

"Yeah, leave the ugly nightmare behind..." Gen supported the decicion.

"Anyways, we don't have time. Get on the ship!"

"We'll lead you, so just follow us!" Masira and Shoji said.

"Luffy! Hurry!"

"Yeah yeah!" he took two steps towards the ship, stopped and returned to grab Gen from her pantleg, supposedly so he wouldn't turn into gomu gomu jelly.

"Aaaaargh! Luffy you're pulling my pants off!" Gen shrieked.

"Masira! Shojo! Don't mess things up! No matter what happens! Give your all for these guys!" Cricet yelled.

"Okay! Let's go!" Luffy jumped over the railing. Gloria made a painful landing on her butt.

"Ow!"

"Everyone! Set sail!"

"Alright!"

"Hai, Nami-swaaaaan~~! AH! Luffy, you bastard! Don't treat a lady like that!" Sanji added.

"Kid! We'll part here! There's one thing... one thing that is absolutely certain...!" Cricet stood on the shore right next to the ship. "It is that for 'golden city' amd 'sky island' there has never been anyone who could prove that they don't exist!"

Luffy nodded.

"Others might laugh at us, but that doesn't matter! THIS IS 'ROMANTIC'!"

Gen snickered. _'Can that be taken as a love confession...?'_

"It's 'romantic'?"

"Yup! For the gold... thanks! Don't crash, you guys!"

"Hehehehe!"

"There won't be crashing," Gen waved her hand.

"Really? Ah, relief!" Chopper wiped his brow.

"_...yet._"

"AAAAAAH! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIEEE!" Usopp and Chopper screamed. Nami bopped her on the head.

"BYE BYE!"

"Thanks for your hospitality, Cricet-san!"

"The city exists, for sure!"

"Boss! Don't fool around with your health again!"

"MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!"

They yelled things back and forth while the three ships sailed away, the big monkey-ships guarding the little chicken... sheep... ah hell, they did awesome job anyways. Gen was napping in the mikan grove, her hair making tendrils that curled around her figure and the trees. With one ear she was listening how Luffy bullied the south bird, trying to make it point other direction than south. Every time it sprang back, and it started chiming _(it couldn't be called chirping_) angrily. Chopper translated that the bird was going to point somewhere else and make them lost, but that failed when it couldn't hold it's head for more than five seconds. The idiot trio sure had fun... and the sound was pretty and relaxing.

"The way they ignore their surroundings, it makes my heart pitter-patter...!" Shojo shook his head.

"Oh well! You can't help it with this kind of thing!" Luffy waved at the monkey. "Just relax and go forward!"

"Such words from someone who caused the delay in the first place?" Sanji was sitting next to the fuming bird.

"What he said is right. Stressing for hours is pointless," Masira said.

"I see... alright, bastards, relax and full speed ahead!" Shojo ordered his men. Everyone relaxed visibly, and Gen rolled on her back like a cat, stretching her other hand upwards in a strecth.

"'Lax...!"

"Hyah~ the weather is so nice..."

"Wheee..."

"Is this really okay, oi?" Zoro sweatdropped.

"Oh, c'mon, ya green-bean. Yer 'oung! Take all ya ge' from life! 't'll be ov'r soon 'nyways..."

"That's _real_ reassuring..."

They were like that for three whole hours. Gen had her sleep, but she was abruptly jolted awake. It didn't come to her as what it was, but then she realized, the huge cloud was right there in front of them.

No... that wasn't it either. She rubbed her bare arm (_she was wearing a black T-shirt for once_) that had gone to goosebumps with no apparent reason. The weather was nice and warm, so...

She screamed bloody murder.

"LUUUUUUFFFFFFYYYYYYY YOU GODDAMN SHITTY IMBECILE!" she leaped out of the bush. "EEEWWEWEWEWEWEWEW!" she hugged herself and shook her head vigorously.

"What? You're being so loud," the boy looked at her in confusion.

"THERE WAS THE BIGGEST, UGLIEST, THE _MOST DISGUSTING_ BEETLE I'VE _EVER_ SEEN!_!_!"

"A BEETLE!_?_" his eyes shone and he went into the grove.

"Hey hey hey! Luffy, be careful! You break one twig and I'll have your head on a very expensive plate!" the navigator reminded him.

"Wuaaah, Zoro~! There was a yucky beetle~!" Gen bawled childlishly and walked to him.

"Gen-chwan! I shall lend all my strength to protect you from that- gah! Luffy! Throw that away!" the chef startled when the boy held the bug right in his face. "Damn, that _is_ ugly! Almost like Mari-"

"Woah, this looks really rare!"

"I DON'T CARE HOW RARE IT IS!" Gen screetched and hid behind Zoro, who sweatdropped and sighed.

"Luffy, don't be an ass."

"Yeah, Luffs!" she sat next to the mossball on the deck and leaned into his back. "Mnaah... now my napping time is ruined... I don't know how you do it, Marimo."

"Lots and LOTS of practice," he answered.

"You have to practice napping...?"

"On this ship, yes. Ah..."

"What?"

"There's dirt all over you," he picked a lock of her long, white hair and untangled a dry leaf from it. "See?"

"Ah- uh- aaa... yeah..." she turned her burning face away. _'WHYYYY! Why is he such a-!_?_'_

"Captain!" It's not good!" someone yelled from Masira's ship. "Night! Approaching from southwest! It's the cloud!"

"Really! What time is it?"

"Ten! An hour earlier than we expected!"

"This is bad! Shojo! Is everythinig ready!_?_"

"Scoopdivers!" Shojo boomed, "Dive, find the stream!"

Nami called out to everyone. She heard Shojo's wail _(and this time it didn't hurt)_, soon a man in a weird blue teletubbie suit popped on the surface.

The stream had been found.

They also found a sea king and a whirlpool.

"That's it! Turn the ship to 10 o'clock!" Masira told the Strawhats. "That's the sign for the explosion! Follow the whirlpool, don't back out!"

_'Oh... the water pulls in first, then releases... I should go find Greg-'_ huge waves rocked the ship violently and she stumbled on Zoro again. The sea had suddenly started boiling.

"Navigator-san! How's the log?" Robin asked Nami.

"It keeps pointing at that cloud!"

"The wind is perfect! The 'millennium cumulonimbus' is heading towards the center of the whirlpool!"

"It seems like we guessed correctly this time, brother!" Masira laughed.

"And the size is perfect, too!" Shojo answered.

"Can we get there!_?_" Luffy asked. He had to yell over the howling wind.

"Of course!" two ropes were shot to the ship from both of the bigger ships. "We'll take you to the track of the whirlpool!"

"And then? What do we do after that?"

"Follow the current right to the heart of it!"

"Oh my freakin' mom..." Gen gasped as she saw the size of the whirlpool when the waves suddenly all at the same time shifted like a curtain from the view. The two enourmous ships looked tiny compared to it.

"You never said we need to get sucked in!" Nami shouted. Chopper's eyes sparkled, and Sanji promised to keep the girls safe. Robin stated calmly that she had never seen such a huge whirlpool, but Usopp was freaking out big time.

"Forget it Usopp, somebody's already... hyper," Zoro just went with the situation. He was holding onto Gen so she wouldn't fall over (_on the deck or over the railing... which was a possibility)_.

"HERE I COME~~~~! SKY ISLAND~~~~!" Luffy yelled and bounced up and down. His cheers stopped when they all saw it.

"GRYAAAAAAH!" a huge sea king that looked like a water salamander with outer gills got sucked into it's doom.

Luffy watched calmly, Nami, Chopper and Usopp looked horrified. The monkeys let go of the rope so they could get away in time.

"Alright then! From now on, do your best with your own strength!"

"Yah, thanks for escorting us!" Luffy waved goodbye.

The three mentioned...

"AAAGH! Let us go! This is too terrifying! Let us go back, asshole! We'll die for sure!" - Usopp.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" - Chopper _(and the south bird looked panicky too)_.

"YOU NEVER MENTIONED THAT THE WHIRLPOOL WOULD BE THIS BIG! LIAR, LIAR!" - Nami.

And so on.

"That sky island is just a fantasy of a fantasy!" Usopp tried to reason Luffy.

"Fantasy of a fantasy, sounds about right.."

"Yes, Luffy! I think it's probably false, too!" Nami supported the thought of turning back.

"This 'island of the fantasy of a fantasy', if we miss the chance for a grand adventure like this, we will regret it for the rest of our lives for sure!" The boy had a huge grin on his face.

Nami and Usopp looked like they just heard their death sentence.

"Whoo... that's a long distance to fall..." Gen looked over the railing. Zoro's hand clamped on her wrist to pull her back from the edge. She could tell he wasn't scared of any of this, but she wondered if he was afraid for _her_.

"Hey, while you were doing the fruitless complaint..." he pointed to the whirlpool.

"Huh?"

"We are about to be swallowed by the giant whirlpool."

"Come, Nami-chwan! Lay on my chest!" Sanji suggested.

"Woooh!" Luffy looked excited.

"YAAAH! We're going to faaaallllllllll!" Chopper cried out.

...

...calmness came...

The sea just suddenly turned calm.

And Gen grinned.

"Ah?"

"WHAT_!_?_!_ Why'd it disappear?"

"Hey! What happened?"

"A whirlpool that huge, where'd it go?" they all asked. Even if it looked calm on the outside, Gen could still hear the sea's restlessness, right beneath the surface. Nami's eyes widened.

"WAAAAIT!" someone yelled. Gen's grin turned into a frown.

"Hey, Zoro..." Luffy called his first mate.

"Yeah?"

"That's..."

"_ZEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_ I finally caught you, Strawhat kiddo Luffy!" Blackbeard's ship looked like a big raft with a sail.

"He's from the Mock town..." Nami said.

"Who's that?" Sanji bit the butt of his cigarette.

"The world's biggest nightmare to come..." Gen said omniously with her eyes blazing like the sea moments ago. This didn't go past the Strawhats.

"We're here to take your 100 millions worth head! Surrender to us now!"

"My head?" Luffy was confused. Blackbeard muttered something to himself before rising up two little specks of paper.

"There's a bounty worth 100 million berri on your head! 60 million on the pirate hunter Zoro!"

"It's true! They have new bounties! Zoro! You've become a wanted pirate!" Usopp looked throught the binoculars. Sanji leaned to the boy.

"What!_?_ Hey, wait! And me? There's a bounty for me, too, right?"

"No."

"Look again! Carefully!"

"Still no."

Luffy cheered and Gen could almost see Zoro's pride swell.

"Heard that? 100 millions!"

"60 millions? I'm not satisfied."

"Liar, liar, pants on fire. You're smug of your first bounty," Gen poked him.

"Ohh? Is that jelousy I hear?"

"No, just wanted ta get ya back on the earth... sea... ship. You get my drift."

"Your accent came up, you _are_!"

"I'm not. I didn't do a thing, just calmed down a little spirit of rain. And almost got assassinated by a pair of demons..."

"100 millions..." Nami said out loud. "YOU TWO! DON'T BE SO COCKY!"

"STAY FOCUSED! THE KNOCK-UP STREAM IS COMING!" Shojo yelled.

"Prepare to- huh?" Blackbeard was surprised.

"Neehee~! Ya'll~ never~ catch~ uuus~!" Gen stuck out her toung.

"ALL MEMBERS! HOLD ON TO SOMETHING OR GO INSIDE!" Sanji ordered.

"Umm...?" Gen raised her hand.

"You too," a strong arm locked around her waist.

"If I didn't know you better I'd say you are doing this on purpose," Gen said flatly.

"What? I don't know what you're saying," Zoro said indifferently.

"YOU ARE!" Gen's eyes bulged out. "...but I don't mind."

"Oh..."

Those were their last words before the ship was shot up like a bullet. Blackbeard's ship was pushed aside and crushed into bits and pieces.

* * *

><p>"WOOOHOOOO!" Gen howled and threw her arms up as the ship's belly touched the waterpillar.<p>

"What's going on?_!_" Usopp asked in fright.

"The ship's sailing on the water stream!" Sanji complied.

"This is awesome!" Luffy yelled.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT!_?_"

Now that the ship was sideways, they all had to stand or lay on different surfaces and Luffy was hanging on Merry's head even when it had the wattle on it. Gen was with Zoro and Robin.

"FORWARD, MERRY~!"

"Oh... Oh _shit!_" Sanji said suddenly. "The ship's leaving the stream!"

"_**EH!**_"

"Doesn't look too good," Gen said cheerily.

"You're hopeless!" Usopp cried.

"If this goes on much longer we'll fall!"

"Even when you say that, what do you think we can do! Even holding onto the ship is difficult!"

"AH!" Chopper pointed to the huge sea king - that was falling past them. It looked dead already...

"It's that thing that got sucked into the whirlpool!"

"And we'll end up like that too if we won't do something soon!" Sanji said.

"Oi, oi, that might be true, but the thing's got all the force of that explosion behind it!" Zoro said. From their point of view, Sanji was above them. "It's too late for us to do anything!"

"So it's really nothing more than a disaster!" Rubble fell on them that that the stream had taken with it.

"AAAAH! STUFF'S FALLING ON US! IT'S FROM OTHER VICTIMS OF THE KNOCK-UP STREAM!" Chopper yelled.

"We're done for!" Usopp cried.

Gen squeecked when she had to dodge a whole barrel that broke on impact and spilt rum all over her.

"Oh eeew, now I smell like you!" she complained and he shot her a glare. "You know, you're getting very good at tolerating my insanity! Maybe I should pick it up by a notch?"

"Please don't."

"Boo you. But seriously, now I need a bath or som'thin'... I hate this stuff."

"...we're all gonna diiiiieeeee!"

"Usopp stop whining! It's gettin on my nerves!"

"If we do, we will be teared apart and mangled severly."

"GYAAAAAAAH!"

"Robin I personally love your comments but please keep it down for now..."

"LET THE SAILS DOWN!"

"Huh?" "This is sea! It's no mere stream! It's a sea current that is flowing veritaclly up!" Nami explained.

"Coming from below, there are water vapours from the explosion, it's an up drift! If our opponents are the wind and sea, we will sail on in their faces! After all, who's the navigator on this ship?"

"NAAAMIIIII-SWAAAAAAAN~! OF COOOOURSE~! Hey bastards! Do what she just told us to do!"

The sails fluttered open, and just before the ship lost all contact with the water wind picked them up and the fabrick tightened with a crack.

"WE'RE FLYING!"

Gen was stumped silent. Sanji praised Nami who was just happy that she'd done a good job. Zoro chuckled and in the spur of a moment Gen gave him a quick tight hug.

"Woaaa, to be really able to... to live! Oh NETHERWORLD YEAH, this is _life_!" she grinned.

"If we stay on this wind and stream, we'll definitely make it!"

"Hey, Nami! Are we going to be there soon? Sky island?" Luffy asked.

"If it exists, it should be behind that piece of cloud," she pointed onwards.

"On top of the cloud? I wonder what is up there...!" the boy said with a grin. He 'whoo'ed once more, before they entered the clouds.

They were suddenly surrounded by water. When they finally pierced the clouds and met again with air, the weird wings on the sides of the ship broke off. They all spluttered and coughed on the deck, Usopp unconsious, Nami and Chopper very disoriented.

"Damn... what the hell happened? Everyone okay?" Zoro asked, looking around. _'Ah, the good shephard of this motley crew...'_

"Oi, everyone! Take a look around!" Luffy said.

Clouds. And lots of them, all around.

"That's so... white."

"Ah, so this is how your head looks like inside..."

_WHACK_

"What is this place? It's _soooo_ white!"

"Clouds?" Chopper leaned over the rail with huge eyes.

"We're... on top of the clouds? But how is that even possible?"

"Of course we can sail! It's just clouds," Luffy said like it was a well known fact.

"No, that shouldn't be possible!" Zoro, Sanji and Chopper denied it.

"Actually... what I think is that the thick clouds make a bowl of some kind and that the water just gathers on it. How though the cloud keeps it's form is a mystery."  
>At the backrounds Chopper was reviving Usopp, who wasn't breathing.<p>

"I'll do CPR for Nami-swaaan!"

"Dumbass..."

"This is the 'sky ocean'!" Nami said. "But... the needle's still pointing up."

Usopp woke up and noticed where they were.

"Whoah! Where are we?"

"Usopp-kun!" Gen said with 'almighty voice'. "Your mortal time on earth has been come to an end!"

"I'M DEAD!_?_" his eyes bulged out.

"Of course!"

"No you're not. She's just screwing with you again."

"That wasn't funny!"

"But it's so funny to see what you do in these situations! It's psychedelic psychology!" Gen giggled.

"...what?"

"Now you're just being weird again," Zoro sighed.

"Maybe this is only the middle part of the cloud..." Robin said to Nami, who was still tapping the log pose.

"We need to go higher...? How...?" the reindeer wondered.

"Hmm... so it's not a bowl but a layered cream cake. Hm, Sanji! I'm hungry!"

"Hai, Gen-chwan! What would it be?"

"Cream cake! NO! _Chocolate cake!_ 'Cos I don' think that cream would whip properly in this altitude," she rambled on. "'N' strawberries... hehehe..."

The sniper suddenly shed the upper half of his overalls and posed on the rail. "Lesson one~! Captain Usopp will swim~!"

"Oh! Go, Go!"

"Oi, oi, oi, don't fool around. We know nothing about this sea yet!" Sanji reminded the idiots.

Gen remembered why it was unwise to jump in this sea one second after Usopp jumped off the side of the Merry. "NO! DON'T! THIS SEA...!"

"Huh? Is something wrong, Gen?" Luffy asked.

"Hey... even though we think of this as a 'sea'... will there really be a sea floor?" Robin asked. She sounded nervous.

"YOU MEAN-!_?_"

"It doesn't have one!" Gen said.

"Did that idiot fall off the cloud!_?_" Zoro asked. Luffy yelled his nakama's name and plunged his hand into the clouds.

"That's why I told him not to fool around!" Sanji groaned.

"Extend as far as you can!" Robin said urgently.

"But I can't see the bottom..." he cried.

"Don't worry, I'll handle that," she crossed her arms over her chest. "_Ojos Fleur!_"

They all stood in agitation and the two devil's fruit users were strained to find Usopp.

"I see him!" Robin said suddenly.

"Where?"

"_Veinte Fleur!_"

"Ah?" Luffy looked at Robin. Gen stifled a giggle at her thoughts that had landed in the very famous 'gutter'.

"Okay, pull him up!" she released her ability and relaxed.

"You got him? Yosh!" and Luffy started pulling the boy out.

"Is he heavy?" Chopper asked, when he looked like he was trying to fish out an elephant.

"I don't think so..." Robin said. The rest of the crew cheered for Luffy. His face was red from the effort, but then his hand came out of the white sea with Usopp in tow...

"Hey look! It's Zoro's mother in-law!" the white haired girl mused when a big, purple animal surfaced, bringing along a long fish with feathers as scales. Nami and Chopper screamed, but Zoro stepped up and cut the tentackle that tried to sink them. Sanji took care of the fishie with one hefty kick.

"Man... this place... sure takes the breath out of you..." Zoro and Luffy were both breathing heavily.

"Well isn't this a funky looking fish," Sanji commented with one of his feet on the fish's upper jaw. The teeth were lodged on the ship's edge.

"The octopus was like a balloon," Luffy commented.

"Yeah, but they were still animals. They were moving."

"Zoro, many things are able to move yet not all of them are animals," Gen sweatdropped. "Are you an idiot?"

"There are actually living things in the clouds," Nami mused.

"Looks like it's better to think of this place as a 'sea' rather than 'cloud'," Robin said.

"What is this flat snake?" Chopper asked.

"It's a flatfish, because it's flat."

"So this is a flatfish?"

Usopp's pants... wriggled. She REEEEALLY didn't want to think about it. He screamed and jumped up.

"For the love of... Usopp, what are you doing now...?"

"My overalls...! There's something in them!" he pulled out a blue fish and promptly fell on his side, muttering something about scary sky islands.

"Poor thing, this has been a long day for him," Gen said. "But I think the fish was even more traumatized than him..."

"Indeed," Robin nodded. She looked at the fish desperately flopping on the deck and picked it up. "Would you say this is a skyfish? The strange fish Norland mentioned in his Logbook. Since this sea has no bottom, they have evolved into various forms in order to survive." She didn't resist when Luffy grabbed it from her with excited face, but knowing the previous encounters with the seagulls and the octopus... _'If ships were compared to cars here, would that make the random animals roadkills?'_

"So some become flat, some become like balloons?" Zoro summed it up.

"Yes, all to make themselves lighter because the buoyant force here is much weaker than sea water," Robin explained. "Physics."

"Bleh, I hate physics... when my teacher was young the first fish crawled from the sea," she muttered.

"Teacher?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, I went to school. Really, where I come from we aren't given much choises on it. Do it or be left out of the society."

"Knowledge is true gold," she stated.

"I say, let the life educate us!"

Nami looked at Luffy carrying the fish away. "Their scales become like feathers, but the carnivore-is mouth is weird."

"I fried it..." Sanji lit a new cig.

"THIS IS YUMMY!" Luffy's eyes widened.

_'I thought so...'_ she sweatdropped.

"WE WEREN'T READY WITH IT YET!"

"Come on, Nami, have a taste," he gave the plate to her. '_Whoa, Luffy sharing food!_'

"Ah! It tastes really nice~!" She admitted.

"That's it! Sanji! Cook the big guy too!" Luffy said.

Gen's gears were moving fast: this was a sea... yet it really wasn't one. Would her powers work at all here?

She raised her hand above the clouds and concentrated.

...

...

...hnnn!

"OH CRAAAAAAAP!"

"What?"

"My-! My-! I can't! Noooo!" she fell dramatically on her knees. _(A spotlight was directed at her mysteriously from somewhere...)_

"My cute Gen-chwan! What is it?" Sanji kneeled next to her. The two suddenly held each other in an embrace, his one hand on her lower back and other holding her hands between them.

_("...")_

Gen's hand flew on her forehead and she leaned back a little. "I'm... I'm...! I'm doomed! My heart says 'yes!' yet I cannot do it! Surely, I will die! Fade, until only a shadow is left of me!"

"No! My delicate flower! I will not allow this! Stay beside me, for I cannot live without. My heart... my soul... beats only-!"

"What the HELL are you two doing?" Nami asked flatlyly. Her eyebrow was twitching in annoyance, and Zoro...

"**_WHY YOU LITTLE-!_**"

The girl flopped on the ground with her eyes closed.

"Gen-chwan!" Sanji's and Zoro's eyes bulged out.

"Not really," she opened her eyes and sat up. "But I think my powers won't work here. I'll be even more useless than usually, so please take care of me~!" she gave the victory sign.

_"STOP FOOLING AROUND!"_

"Where's sky island?" Chopper was looking at the horizon with the binoculars. "Oh! A ship... Hey everyone! There's a ship and... a person?" he grew very silent and yelped, dropping the item in his hands.

"What is it, Chopper?" Sanji asked.

"A ship? A ship is over there!"

"No...! Um, there WAS a ship, but... it's not there anymore!" he fretted.

"What do you mean?"

"There's a bull charging right at us on a square cloud!" he squeecked.

"Calm it, we can't understand what you're saying."

"Somethin' jus' 'ploded," Gen was shading her eyes and looking at the direction she saw the black smoke rising from the otherwise white world.

"The hell..? Huh?" They saw something come their way. "Someone's coming!" Sanji warned them.

"And he's riding on the clouds!"

The person had a weird mask on. They all could see him better when he jumped on the deck, announcing that they all had to die.

"Oh goody, I didn't like my life after all," hail to sarcasm.

"He want's a fight..." Sanji growled.

"He's got guts," Zoro took out his sword.

"Huh? What?"

The guy took the three of them out in mere seconds before jumping high in the air and... aiming a bazooka or something at them.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" another weird guy appeared, riding a PINK bird and holding a lance. The two met in the air, and the guy who wanted to blow them apart was blown away himself.

"What! Who is it this time?" Nami asked.

"Ooh, I am-" "Pi!" "-the knight of the sky!" He sure filled the role, with an armor and all. "Is he gone now...?" he wondered out loud, looking back at the clouds. Gen walked up to him with narrowed eyes. Shudders ran down her back.

"The knight of the sky, eh? Nice to meet you," she stuck her hand to him with a small smile tugging on her lips. "I'm the daughter of the ocean."

He grabbed her hand and looked at her searchingly. "Nice to meet you too, daughter of the ocean. Your guard sent a message to you," he found a sealed envelope somewhere from his armor and handed it to her. "But how did you...?"

"Dunno. Th' name picked a nerve," she shrugged.

"What is going on, who was that guy?" Nami asked. "Also, you three are so useless! Three on one and you still lost!"

They didn't say anything to defend themselves.

"Thank you for saving us," Chopper bowed.

"Don't mention it, it couldn't be helped. This is a service.

"Tsk. This is so frustrating," Sanji huffed.

"It's like my body... won't move as I command!" Luffy was laying on the deck, panting.

"That's becuase the oxygen is scarce here," Robin told.

"Ahh, you are after all from the blue sea," the knight said.

"What's that? ...and who are you?" Nami asked.

"I would be the 'knight of the sky'. All living under the cloud are citizens of the blue seas. You do come from the blue sea?"

"Yeah yeah..." Gen muttered halfheartedly, sitting down and looking at the letter finally. It had a wax seal with a picture of a hawk on it, but no names. She cracked it open and pulled out a crispy white paper:

Fair Young Lady

You may not remember me, the last I saw You  
><span>was so long ago (in Human Years). His Highness<span>  
><span>has from Her Holiness' request assigned me as<span>  
><span>Your guard, and I am honored to meet You, and<span>  
><span>we shall, at the Angel Beach.<span>

Take care until then.  
><span>-Sir. Altur Terentun<span>

''His highness'? 'Her holiness'? Does that mean Herka and... whatever his name is -god of sky?'

She yelped when the paper randomly combusted and turned into ashes before her eyes. "Okay...?"

The knight continued on telling them how the air was thinner this up in the sky, and that average blue sea people wouldn't be able to stand it. Of course, Luffy and Zoro had to fake it that they were already better.

"Hey, how'd that guy from earlier walked on the sea?" Chopper asked.

"This level... wait a minute, you probably have a lot questions right now, but first things first, I need to talk business with you. I would be a freelance mercenary. This is a very dangerous part of the sea."

"...and why is he staring at me again?" Gen asked with a tickmark.

"Those who do know not the battle of the sky, you will be easy targets for the guerillas or the Skyfish. Each whistle will cost you 50 million in extol, then I will save you!"

"..." there was an awkward silence.

"What is he talking about?" Luffy asked.

"Oh! Quite acting like a fool... the price is very cheap already! If I keep lowering, I won't be able to earn even 1 extol! I would need living expenses too!"

"That's why I'm asking you what extols are and what is the whistling thing?" Sanji asked.

"No way... you guys..." the knight was stupified. "Didn't come here throught the top of high waist? Then you must've been to one or two islands, right?"

"I told you I don't know what you're-"

"Hold it Luffs," Gen interrupted. "Mr. Steelpants, we came directly throught the bottom of this cloud. They know nothing about this place."

"Wait! There are other ways to get to this sky ocean?" Nami asked. "Also you said 'one or two islands', isn't there only one sky island?"

"What! So you guys actually came via that monstrous stream! ...I never thought there would still be people this brave..." he marvelled.

"...so it wasn't... the normal way to get..." Nami weeped into her hands.

"We're here anyway, right?" Luffy asked, while she shook him from his shoulders so his head bobbed back and forth.

"WE ALMOST DIED! If we patiently collected more information, we could've used a safer method!" Nami hissed.

"You. Did you lose any crewmembers?" The knight asked.

"Nope, we're all here."

"Other routes are not like this... if 100 people want to go to sky island through the other routes, it would be a gamble with no way to predict how many will live and reach the destination. However, the 'Knock-Up stream' is either everyone die, or everyone get there together. Either 0 or 100, not many dare to take this gamble, especially people these years. Those who dare, I see them as great sailors who have both courage and real strength."

"Yeah~ But it's all because of me!" Usopp was up and smug about nothing he did. "When there guys were crying and giving up, I said, 'I will show you my navigation skills!'"

"Hey...!" Nami pinched his cheek.

The knight dropped a whistle on the deck. "Blow this once, and I will come to save you! Using the currency of the sky, each whistle would cost 50 million extol, but your first whistle will be free as my gift for you." He got up and started walking away. "Use the whistle to call me at any time!"

Gen coughed. _'The king of the Skypiea...'_ "What a lousy try of being mysterious."

"Wait! We don't even know your name!" Nami hurried.

"I would be Gan Fall, the knight of the sky! And this is my partner, Pierre." The bird 'piee!'hed. "I should also mention that my partner, Pierre..." there was a sickening crunching voice as it's bones rearranged themselves. "...is a bird who has eaten and gained the ability of the uma uma no mi."

"The bird?"

"Which means he can become a winged horse! In other words...!"

"No way! So beautiful! It's a pegasus!" Nami glimmered.

"That's right! A pegasus!"

"Bih~~!"

"A little bit off..." they all sweatdropped. Gen broke off to a hyena-like laughter. Because of the thin air she was soon gasping for oxygen and crying. "My stomach...! Hurts...! Hehaahahahaha...!"

"I wish you luck, Heroes!"

"It turned into a strange animal!" Sanji commented.

"In the end, he didn't really tell us anything useful..." Robin didn't visibly sweatdrop but Gen could her it in her voice.

"Yeah... nothing at all..." Usopp agreed. There was a moment of silence.

"Back to the starting point," Nami sighed.

"Then how do we get higher?"

"Okay, let's call mister and ask him," Luffy grabbed the whistle, but Usopp and Nami were on him in an instant. Chopper spotted a waterfall and they started sailing towards it.

_'Damn, I really only remember the big lines of the story and some funny little details, but all the important stuff is buried in my memory... frustrating.'_ "Gah! So annoying!" She yanked her hair.

* * *

><p><em>Don't leave yet!<em> There's still the extra coming. I was suggested that maybe I should get a beta to tackle all those errors I tend to do... that would be wise, but because I'm so horribly lazy _(and selectively people-shy_ **o/o**) that might take some time. I tell you, one day this whole story will be corrected and cleaned! But, for now, bare with me.

* * *

><p><strong>ExtRRRRRa<strong>:

_-What if Greg was with the others at the spa in Alabasta palace...?_

"_Yoohoo~!_" she waved from the wall. "Having fun?"

"_GYAA!_ A PERVERT!" -Usopp.

"GEN-CHWAAAAN~~!" -Sanji.

"WOAH! Greg, you're _ripped_!" the space around her face glittered. She also gave him a thumbs up. The demon was in the pool _why was he still wearing his shoulderpads? _and washing his hair. It was open~ and it reached his muscled shoulders. He had his back towards her and so he glanced over his shoulder to see who was calling him.

"You are not bad yourself, M'Lady!" he answered with a stunning smile.

"_Kyaaa~!_" she fell from the wall with a nosebleed, so she didn't notice the collective growls, dirty glares and the attempts to suffocate the demon with sheer willpower.


	37. Altur the dirty demon

Awesome, I got me a beta reader! So, from now on it'll take at least one day more from before between the uploads, but it's worth it. Ah, but I really should be studying for exams now... I still have three to go, and I'm still not ready with my biology project, and that's due monday.

Gloria: You really should study!

Snoara: It doesn't help~! T-T

* * *

><p>They couldn't get nearer to the waterfall due the huge cloud formations blocking their path. The idiot trio had fun, though, but Nami didn't let her go jumping on them too.<p>

The boys saw a gate, and navigating through the small rivers between the clouds they finally got to it.

"...Right..." she stared at the gate. It even said 'heaven's gate', and it looked like a huge golden... star. Or something. She was instantly repulsed by it, gold was nice, expensive and sometimes pretty, but she preferred silver over that.

"Look! The waterfall-looking cloud is really a waterfall! It has cloud of different properties falling down."

"'Heaven's Gate..."

"Bad omen," Usopp turned slightly blue. "It's like we're going to die..."

"Maybe we're all dead already?" Zoro said with a lopsided smirk. He was relaxing over the rail that prevented falling down to the main deck with his arms and leg crossed.

"Oh, that would certainly account for all the weird stuff here," Sanji agreed.

"Huh? We're dead?" Chopper's jaw dropped.

"Heaven eh?" Luffy laughed. "Sounds like fun! Finally goin' there!"

"No, no, no, Zoro, you must be wrong," Gen wagged her finger and laughed heartily. "If we were dead, we'd all be dressed in togas and I would be surrounded by lots of pretty men! ...Also in togas, possibly in leopard-skin loincloths. I'm not that picky." _'Yeah, surrounded by pretty men... but sitting in your lap...'_ she added in her mind and froze over._ 'WHEN have I…? Oh damn.'_

"Look! Somebody is coming out!" Usopp noticed.

"Are you here for sightseeing?" the old woman asked. Gen couldn't ignore the pair of small wings on her back. "Or... here to fight?" and she started taking pictures. "Actually, it doesn't matter. If you want to go up each person must pay 1 billion extol entrance fee. That's the law."

"Angel! So that's how angels look like! She looks like a dried sour fruit candy," Luffy was shocked.

"1 billion, how much is that in berri?" Usopp wondered out loud.

"Hmm... I don't remember," Gen thought about it. She knew that extols were a lot cheaper than berries.

"If we, um, don't have the money..." Nami looked nervous.

"You can still pass."

"REALLY!" Usopp's eyes bugged out.

They talked some more with the weird granny, and Luffy announced that they were going through, money or no money.

There was suddenly a pair of claws clamped on the stumps of the broken chicken wings of the Merry. When it came closer to the surface, they saw that it was a gigantic started moving up the waterfall that on closer examination spiralled upwards like a ribbon, almost endlessly. It wasn't, and soon they popped through a hole in the clouds...

...to Skypiea!

They all looked with wonderment at how the island formed from clouds stretched out in front of them with houses and trees decorating it. It seemed that it was more like a group of clouds with buildings on them, connected with bridges of cloud.

Luffy, Usopp and Chopper rushed to the more than shallow water and on the fluffy beach. Zoro dropped the anchor down.

"Anyways, this scenery is really amazing, it's like a dream," the swordsman said.

"Yup... also, seeing their happy faces... hahah, can't really help it," Sanji chuckled and took off his shoes before jumping off with a happy flip.

"You're the same as them..." he sweatdropped. Nami was chased out of her chart room by the south bird that had made its escape. She had gotten rid of her shirt and paraded around in a white and blue bikini top.

"Geez... forgot to let him go earlier..."

"There seems to be people living here, it'll survive," Zoro dismissed it.

"And the anchor?"

"It's down... that soft cloud seems to be the basis of this island."

"Hey... isn't Skypiea...?" Robin walked to them.

"Yup, it's the same as the name on the map that Luffy found! That 200 years-old galleon really went here before," Nami confirmed it. "I never would've thought that a world in the sky like this could exist!" and she jumped down too.

There was a small awkward silence between Robin and Zoro for a moment.

"...What about you?"

"Aah, I'll go too."

"I've never thought... that sailing and landing can be adventurous too," the woman smiled. Gen popped with a happy smile between the two and put her hand on her back for support... not the brightest idea, her knees betrayed her and she had to seek support from the ship's rail.

"Oops, sorry Robin-chan. Hm, this sucks," Gen sulked. "Ah well, life goes on. See, Robin? There are still good hearted people in the world~!"

"Hmm... sure..."

Luffy's yell reached them from the shore. "Haaaaa! This place is filled with the scent of adventure!"

The crew was excitedly looking all around the shore, marvelling foreign plants and Nami was overjoyed that the hand of Marine forces didn't reach here. Zoro and Robin got off the ship, but Gen had to go back to her room to get her bag and Greg.

"We're here, Elmo!"

"Please don't call me that, Gloria-sama..." he sweatdropped.

"I'm sorry I forgot you here for so long."

"Ah, no hard feelings. But remember, on this island... bunnies have big ears and big teeth," he gestured to his bunny form's soft fabric ears.

"Hm, true. Come on, let's go see who this Altur guy is."

"Altur?"

"My guard."

"I know him... unfortunately."

"Really? What's he like? He sounded polite on the letter," she remembered.

"That's because he doesn't write his letters himself. I doubt he even can."

"Oh... okay?" she raised one eyebrow and returned to the others.

The first thing she noticed was the soft sound of a harp...

"Ahh..." she sighed in bliss. "Heso!" she waved at them, remembering the word.

"Heso!" the girl answered back. She truly was beautiful, but the antennas on her head were a tad bit... weird.

"You really know thing and two about this place, huh?" Usopp looked at Gen with suspicion.

"Yup!"

"Are you from the Blue Sea?" she asked. Now Gen also noticed the white little fox with a very narrow muzzle and a puffy tail.

"Yeah, we came up from down there," Luffy answered. "You live here?"

"Yes, I live here. This is the Angel Beach of Skypiea. Hihihi, that's a conasshu, you want to drink it?" the angel girl asked him. He had two melon like fruit under his arms. The girl took one of them and carved a hole to the bottom of it, plopping a straw through it. "Alright, enjoy! I'm Conis."

"Hi, I'm Gen."

"Nice to meet you!"

"YUUUMMMMM!" Luffy showed his appreciation for it.

"It's that good?"

"If there is any problem, I am willing to help you," Conis said with a smile.

"Yes, I have a problem," Sanji said with a straight face. "Your gaze burns a hole in my heart- aa!"

"Go away!" Nami pinched his ear and took his place. "There are so many things we want to know. To start up, everything here is unbelievable."

"Yes, don't hold back. Ask anything!"

Gen sat on the soft clouds and gazed at the white, endless sea. She was letting her mind go blank and hummed something random. Before she noticed, Zoro tapped her on the shoulder that it was time to move on.

"Hm? When'd he come here?" she pointed at Conis' father, Pagaya. He had goggles on his bald head (_not counting the antennas_) and a big basket on his back. It seemed that the waver had been presented to them also, since Nami was left to the beach. Luffy was quite jealous of her, he had tried to ride the thing and failed epically.

"Hey, there seems to be some sort of factory on the other side!" Usopp noticed while they climbed some goddamn long stairs.

"You are looking at the cloud cutting factory?"

"Cloud cutting factory?"

"They're not cutting rocks?"

"The factory cuts the cloud into blocks for easier application in construction," the older angel said.

"Clouds can be cut to blocks?"

"Everything is so illogical."

"Didn't you pass through milky way to come here from the sea?" he marvelled.

"Milky way?" Zoro was walking next to him. "You mean where the shrimp hauled us through... the route that looked like flat noodle?"

"That's an artificial cloud channel. There are two natural cloud types in this place. The kind your ship sailed on is called the sea cloud. The floating type that you can walk on is called the island cloud."

"Wait wait wait!" Gen walked in step with the man. "They really were clouds? Not, not water?"

"Silly, clouds _are_ water," he laughed. She sagged.

"I hate this place already... Too confusing."

"But they're not just normal clouds, right? You can swim and sail..."

"Correct. This is because the molecular make-up on the cloud here is different. I heard that there is a mineral called seastone in the blue sea..." Pagaya recalled.

"Seastone? It's because of that?"

"Ah! Of _course_!" Gen hit her palm. "_That's_ why it's...!"

"You're talking a lot by yourself over there," Zoro commented.

"No, what are you saying? _If_ we had one thousand cats I wouldn't make a jacket out of them! What are you, Cruella DeVil?" she turned to her side as if talking with someone.

"..."

"Is something wrong with her?" the angel girl asked Sanji with a concerned face.

"That mineral contains a special substance... we call it 'pairopuroine'. It's a molecular substance that gets ejected to the air by volcanic eruptions. When it comes in contact with water in the air, sea cloud and island cloud are created."

"Uhh... what?" Gen's brain made a stop. "Now I'm veeeeery confused."

"What are you talking about?" Robin asked her.

"I-" she cut herself off before she managed to slip. _'Man, that wannabe god is listening on everything that we do...'_ "I'm just... look! A marshmallow!" she pointed to a random direction and ran off. '_No, seriously, this doesn't make sense _at all_! If all these clouds are full of seastone particles, _why_ am I this useless!'_

They reached Conis and Pagaya's house. They could see Nami with the waver out in the distance.

"We're home! Altur-san! We're back!"

_FHUMPH!_

"Hi, sweet cheeks!" a young man who could be labelled as a boy too, in her opinion, appeared out of nowhere and sat cross-legged in front of them. He had a big grin on his face telling mischief. His black hair was swept back and up into a spiky crest. He had a red splash on it and two white lines running on the sides. His smart eyes were a pale grey and his nose a little upturned. Altur had a pair of loose fitting leather shorts and a way too short grey vest held closed with an iron belt. He, like the rest of the citizens on the sky island, had wings on his back, but these were bigger and they had black feathers on the outside. The insides were white. "Heyoo! You must be lil' lady Gloria?" he gave a two-fingered salute.

"Oh, umm... yes. You must be Alt-"

"**TEEEREEENTUUUNN YOU BASTARD!**" there was a yell and a blur tackled her new guard. He had a look of horror before Greg took him away.

They looked how the two rolled away to have their 'touching' reunion. "...Right."

"Please, everyone, come this way!" Conis gestured towards the living room.

"Gen-chan, did you know that punk?" Sanji asked her, pointing at the direction the two had went.

"Hm, in a way. He's Altur Terentun, a demon."

"Another one?" Zoro turned to look at her. She had only seen that face on dogs guarding properties.

"Yes, another one. He's supposed to be my bodyguard while I'm here," she told them.

"A bodyguard? What for?" Conis asked.

She waved her hand. "When one is this popular, you need a couple of 'em! Tsihii~!"

"You're not popular," Zoro said flatly.

"I'm on a history book."

"YOU ARE?" Chopper's eyes bugged out.

"Yup."

"The one you received not long ago?" Robin asked.

"That one!" Gen gave the victory sign.

Sanji went into the kitchen with Conis' father as the rest of them piled in the spacious and very tidy living room. It seemed that the cook tasted something that had gone bad and started yelling at Pagaya.

"Sounds like he's having fun!" Luffy smiled.

"He's overjoyed at seeing the rare sky cuisine," Usopp nodded. Robin looked around.

"I know we've just come here, miss... but could you tell us more about those 'dials' you mentioned before?"

"Oh, of course! Let's see... how should I explain this...?" she touched her chin with her fingertips.

"Weird shells that do stuff," Gen offered her.

"Ye-yes, but no," she waved her hand.

Luffy picked up one shell. "What's this?"

"Please try saying something into it."

The boy thought if for a minute and raised the shell to his mouth. "Usopp's a moron!"

"Why, why, why'd you say that~?"

"Now try pressing the apex of the shell," Conis instructed.

"Ah, like this?"

"No, Luffy, you can't do that, it's a shell-"

**"USOPP'S A MORON!" "WHY, WHY, WHY'D YOU SAY THAT~?"** the dial mimicked.

"Wow! Even the shell hates you!"

"No! That's your voice!" They were both bug-eyed at the new toy presented to them.

"So that's a dial?" Zoro said out loud.

"Yes, it's a tone dial. It records sound and then broadcasts it later. It's a special shell, only in the white white sea," Conis said. "Mainly to record music."

_'Damn, I really, REALLY miss my Mp3 right now...'_ Gen sighed inwardly in misery.

"There's no bottom to the sea. How does these things survive?" Zoro asked.

"We get them from the edge of the beach."

"If this is what a dial is... I don't understand how it can power the waver," Robin commented.

"That's not it," the angel chuckled and picked up another shell from the table. The girl proceeded on telling how the breath dial functioned, but Gen's mind and feet started wandering. She went to the balcony where Usopp and Luffy were standing and gazed at the far heavens. She noticed that the two demons were now sitting in peace with each other on a bench under a tree outside. Neither was speaking, but it seemed more like that they were communicating with the silence. Eerie like all netherworld, but cool.

"Hey! It's Greg and that other guy!" Usopp saw them too.

"Yeah! The new dude looks like a woodpecker," Luffy stated.

"A woodpecker?" Gen raised an eyebrow. "Oooi! Altur! What species?"

"Hu? Me?" He pointed at himself. "I'm a black woodpecker!"

"You were right..." Usopp and Gen sweatdropped while Luffy cheered.

"Conis-chan, can you ride the waver?" Sanji asked.

"Ahaha, barely. It has many different models, actually, the skateboard, the little ship..." she laughed nervously.

"And skates?" Gen asked.

"Yes, those too."

"That's niiice, I want to ride on a waver..." Luffy sighed. "And we have one too~."

"Yeah, but it's broken, remember. Plus it's been 200 years. No way it can still move!" Usopp said.

"Not necessarily. The dials are made from the remains of shellfish. As long as the shell is still intact, they can work practically forever."

"Hear that?" Luffy grinned.

"You still can't ride it."

"I can still wish..."

"I bet there are other kinds as well. Like this one," Robin pointed at the lamp standing on the table. Conis started listing different kinds of dials from hot dials to the scent dial.

_'It's like modern day electronics turned One Piece,' _Gen marvelled._ '...Mp3...!'_

Greg and Altur sat on her both sides in the table as Sanji put down plates and plates of wonderful sky-sea food. It was awesome, so even Zoro didn't have time to say about the sitting order.

"So, how do you guys know him?" Gen pointed to Altur.

"He showed up here a few weeks ago and he's been helping us around," Pagaya said.

"Yes! Might I introduce myself, I'm sir. Altur Terentun, the head of the Zephyr forces! I'm a demon."

"Just like Greg..." Chopper said.

"Hai!" he grinned. "Though I was surprised to see this little tadpole here, too!"

"I'm not a tadpole! I'm a Stream!" there was a tickmark on Greg's head.

"Then, what about 'creek'?"

"NOT GOOD EITHER!_!_"

"He's a river..?"

"Yes, Chopper! He indeed is a river! Once when I was on my journey I even had to fight one!" Usopp lied.

"COOL~!"

"If you fought a stream demon, you wouldn't sit there right now," Greg said. "There are two main sects of demons that fork into other species. I am a good example of the other one, the elementials."

"Isn't that supposed to be 'elemental'?" Sanji asked blankly.

"No, it's elemential. Then there are the beastial demons, like him," he pointed at Altur. "Elementials are a lot more harder to kill than beastials. You could almost compare us to logia and zoan type devil's fruit users. The differences are the same."

"So, it's a mystery fruit demon."

"Um... you got it wrong now..." Usopp sweatdropped.

"Then how do _you_ two know each other?" Gen asked next.

"Hmm, I was his auntie's sugar boy," Altur winked. Several people spluttered to this, and Greg's face turned red. She had never seen her side-along demon this flustered.

"Is that so?" Gen held in the laugh.

"NO! But, ah... they did go out for a few decades..." he sagged.

"And she called me sugar boy."

"Please, not at the table."

"Okay, okay, lil' Lady-"

"Gen."

"Right, Gen. His Highness wanted to tell hello to you, but he's been too busy as of late," he sighed. "And I'm put to this babysitting gig... but not complaining, 'specially when there's all these hot chicks around, hehehe~!" he smiled and wiggled his eyebrows at Robin and Conis.

"His personality is coming clear to me now."

"Yes, Gloria-sama."

"Somebody tell me what's with all these demons and who's 'His Highness'?" Usopp inquired. "Are you a princess?" he asked Gloria.

She turned to Greg. "Am I?"

"Yes... something like that..." he tilted his head. "I don't think that that's still the actual term to it..."

"Yes Usopp, I'm a princess."

"AMAZING!" Luffy exclaimed. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL THAT YOU WERE A PRINCESS?"

"Please, Luffy, yell a little louder, I don't think the people on Blue Sea heard you yet!"

"OOKAAA~-!"

_WHACK_

"DON'T!"

"A princess...?"

"I knew your beauty had something to it!" Sanji steamed and bowed. "My la-"

Gloria shot him an annoyed and tired glare. "Don't. Seriously, _don't_."

"If you're a princess, what country do you have?" Zoro asked.

"I don't."

"What? You don't have a country?" Luffy's face crunched up. Then he seemed to come to some conclusion. "Ah! Maybe you lost it to someone like Crocodile too!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but no."

"Wasn't your mother a sea serpent?" Chopper asked.

"A sea serpent...? A princess...? Demons...?" they all tilted their heads in apparent confusion. Gen sweatdropped.

"You are quite the odd one," Robin stated.

"Even the mystery mermaid was better," she sighed and continued eating.

"...Who are you?" Luffy asked her, making the air suddenly in the room very stiff. The fork going into her mouth stopped mid air, and all turned to stare at the girl. She didn't want to look at him, but then put on a fake smile:

" 'M Gen!"

They all continued in a heavy atmosphere and it was Sanji who broke it finally, wondering out loud where Nami was. This made the sky people very worried.

"In Skypiea, there is one place where no one should ever enter. That place is very close to this island, with waver, one can reach there very fast..." Conis said.

"The place no one should ever enter... what's that?"

"The Holy Land, it's where the God lives... Upper Yard."

One...

Two-

"In the place you must never, ever enter!"

"Yes."

"By 'God', you mean _the_ God?" Chopper asked. "God lives on Sky Island?"

"Yes, because Skypiea is God's land, it is ruled by the almighty God Enel," Conis said. Her expression looked bothered.

Gen's eyebrow _twitched._

"Almighty God?"

"God Enel knows everything that goes on in this world," Conis continued. "He's watching over us, always."

"Always! Even NOW!" Usopp and Luffy stood up.

"Of course."

"Eh! He's watching over us at this very moment!" Chopper looked around, like he could see his ugly face looming in some corner of the room. Gen didn't look, but wasn't surprised if it really was there.

"Hmph. God, huh?" Zoro scoffed and drank from his glass.

"Zoro, you don't believe in God?" the reindeer asked.

"Dunno. I don't care whether God exists or not. It's never mattered to me one bit."

Gen wanted to laugh so hard. He didn't believe in god, yet he was sitting in the same room with... a half.

"Well, not that I have anything against anyone who wants to believe."

"Pfft...!"

"Are you laughing?"

"N-No...!"

"So, this God who lives on Upper Yard... Have you ever seen him, Conis-chan?" Sanji asked. He had lit a new cigarette.

"No! I've never seen Him!" She held her hands up. "We cannot set foot on Upper Yard. Ever..." she looked sad. The wind bell chimed softly. "The Holy Land is forbidden."

"Is that right?" Luffy grinned. "A place we must never, ever enter, huh?"

"Ghah! Luffy! What the hell are you thinking right now!" Usopp shook the boy by his vest when he saw the face he was making. "Listen what she's saying! 'Must never, ever enter' means you ABSOLUTELY must NOT go there, Luffy!"

"Is that right~? Is that right~? A place we must never, ever enter... Huh~?" and he chomped on a piece of bread.

'_He definitely wants to go...'_

"But, even if you're not allowed to go there, God will still forgive you, right? He's nice, right?" Luffy asked.

"But... breaking a law that God has created is sacrilege," Conis said.

"Is that so? Oh well. Whatever." Good going Luffy, that attitude will take you long... or six feet under. Ten thousand and six from here.

"So, what are the consequences of entering this forbidden Upper Yard?" Robin asked.

"W-Well..." Conis averted her eyes to her father.

"Well?"

"You will not return alive, we believe," Pagaya said.

"W-Won't return alive!"

Sanji's eye widened and a small, strangled voice escaped him before the cig fell on the floor.

"You're worried about Nami-san, aren't you?" the old man asked. "It'd be best if she didn't go too close to Upper Yard."

"NAMI-SWAAAN!" he was yelling over the railing in a second.

"Let's go there! We'll go find Nami!" Luffy was excited.

"Is Nami really a part of your plan!" Usopp's teeth turned shark-like.

Gen was sitting quiet and staring into her hands resting in her lap. She was pretty ashamed, all those secrets she had been holding onto them were suddenly weighting down on her. _'This surely will not end well to me...Huh!'_

There was a loud crack, but it was somewhere far away. It sounded a lot like a lightning...

"You know future," Zoro said slowly, not sure if he was to say anything to her when she was having that expression. "You know what will come of this."

"Y-Yeah... I do..."

"Are you worried?"

"Are you?" She bounced the question back.

"Anyone should be when the psychic is," he shrugged.

_'Yeah... but I'm not really one...'_

"Alright! Let's go find Nami!" Luffy said with determination. "Oh! Wait, let me finish this first..." he stuffed his face with some more sky fish.

"What if something happened to Nami while you're wasting time here! Put it down! We'll be back soon enough!" Sanji was anxious.

"Actually, we don't know for sure if she really went there, so please don't act recklessly... If we anger Enel, this will become very problematic..." Conis said.

"Ah, by the way, you said you had a broken waver," Pagaya remembered. "If it's not too much trouble, let me check it. I will repair it if I can."

"My father's a dial boat engineer," Conis explained.

"Really! Thanks!" Luffy was still eating.

They walked back to the shore and Luffy fetched the old waver as the others returned to the ship to ready it for sailing. Gen sat on the shore with Greg and Altur on her side, and the sea demon rubbed her back in console.

"This is not going well..." she sighed.

"Come on, stop brooding that much! With those heavy thoughts, you'll end up bringing the whole cloud down to the blue sea!" Altur poked her arm.

"I can't help this. I feel guilty... And I don't get this place..."

"Ah, you mean your powers?"

She nodded and looked at the woodpecker with lost child's eyes.

"That's simple: the seastone isn't the only thing that gives out the power of the sea. Kairouseki is actually composed of two minerals, 'the lock' that can fly high with the volcanoes and stuff, and then there are 'the key' particles that are too heavy to reach clouds. When the molecules are moving freely, the minerals separate from each other. Without the key the sea stone loses its potential and thus is harmless to devil's fruit users. That's why the idiot and the tanuki can even walk," he gestured to them. He didn't seem to know that Robin was one, too.

"What does that have to do with me?"

"When the lock is alone, the kairouseki won't give off the power of the sea. Down on the ground level you're always close to the sea or land, where the sea stone is complete and gives off power."

"Hey, what does the key mineral do when alone?" Greg asked with a frown.

"Oh? The excess just floats in the air, unless it finds a sea mineral to attach to. It sometimes can attach itself to other minerals, but that's a matter of it's own."

"Gloria-sama... when I asked from Chopper-san about your blood and what had he found out, he said that the blood cells try to form a protective film against something that's in the air. I wonder..." Greg smoothed his hair.

"Huuh? So, do you think that this 'key' mineral... could be it?"

"What are you blabbering about?" Altur looked at them blankly.

"My blood turns purple while on dry land, but stays red in the water," she said half-heartedly.

"Really?" his eyebrows shot to his hairline.

"Yeah..." she wasn't paying attention to their talking anymore. She had spotted movement and now just stared at the weird phenomenon. "I spy with my little blue eye... something retarded."

"They're crawling." Greg sweatdropped. "In plain sight, too."

"Squad, halt!" the weird men stopped and got up. "Heso!"

"Heso!" Conis and Pagaya greeted them back.

"What are you talking about?" Luffy asked.

"Hey Luffy! Ignore them! Let's go get Nami-san!" Sanji's voice reached them.

"You! You are those citizens of Blue Sea, who illegally entered Skypiea!" the 'boss' of those creepy crawlers boomed. This surprised Conis and her father. "There is no point denying. We already received this from the watcher of heaven's gate, Yamashin. It's a picture taken with photo dial!" he had a stack of pictures in his hand. Luffy's face was first, she could tell.

"This can't be! It's not possible! There may be a mistake, captain MacKinley! Pagaya tried to find a reason. "They're not bad guys...!"

"Please stop arguing, just admit it! The situation is not serious enough to cause panic," MacKinley said.

_'My butt...'_ Gen rolled her eyes.

"Maa, maa. That guy is such a pain~," Altur had his pinky in his ear.

"Did you ever pay?" Greg asked him.

"Nope."

"Figures..."

"And you would?"

"...no."

"How did you get past the guard then?" Gen asked.

"Are you blind? I've got wings!" he pointed to his back.

"So do other people here..."

"Yeah, but I can actually use them. See?" he fluttered them like a butterfly.

"W-WHAT!" Usopp's voice brought her back to the present issue. "How much is that in berri!"

"Uhmm..." she pointed at them and looked at Greg.

"The punishment of higher payment."

"Ah."

"Berri... that's the dollar value of the Blue Seas. In berri... 10,000 extol is 1," MacKinley counted quickly. There was some talking on the Merry's deck.

"WHAT! _THAT'S TOO MUCH!_ With that much money you can literally buy tons of rice! We risked our lives to get here! Why do we have to pay that much money!" Sanji bellowed.

"If you had paid in the first place, it would've only been 800,000 berries."

"THAT'S STILL A LOT!_!_"

_...wwwuuuummm...!_

"Nami's back," Gen announced quietly.

"I'll give you a warning. We are the white beret, direct servants of the Priests. If you continue to deny, your criminal status will worsen!" the man said. "Also, this waver, it looks broken! If you broke it, then it's a class 10 crime. The one about citizen of Blue Sea braking properties in Sky Island..." he pointed to the old waver.

"No, no, no. Excuse me. This was theirs to begin with..." Pagaya said.

"Theirs? There shouldn't be wavers in the Blue Seas, if this was stolen from Sky Island, it's a class 9 crime."

"What crime-class would it be if I said that Enel is a stuck up piece of- mmmph!"

"Please, M'Lady! Don't speak so loud!" Greg covered her mouth.

"So noisy. Stop or I'll really send you flying with a punch!" Luffy had a tick mark on his head.

"PLEASE WAIT!" Nami yelled when she got close enough.

"AAAAHH! NAMI-SWAAAAAN! YOU'RE SAAAAFE~!"

"Luffy! Don't oppose those men!"

"But these guys-!"

"Don't oppose them? Hey Nami! Can we afford to pay a fine of 8 million berri?" Usopp asked.

"...oh... so we just need to pay a fine... of 8 million berri..." she muttered to herself. The waver sped up and...

...hit MacKinely right in the face.

"**IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE!**"

"Oi..." Zoro and Usopp hit air.

"Guah!"

"Captain~! I'm back!" Nami sang. "Ah! Because of their illogically high fine, I lost it right now...!" she realized.

"That's a bit too late now, Nami!" Gen piped up.

* * *

><p>There ye go.<p> 


	38. Breakdown, skysharks and forest

Last exam today _*sigh of relief*_ and I'm tired. Hn, nothing else for now, but I'm struggling with chp. 39... T-T I wrote the one part at least three times over, because it sucked so bad... *_cries* _But, I have things in control for now. We'll see what happens._  
><em>

* * *

><p>After the 'get them!' both the demons on her sides tensed. The soldiers went after Luffy with their arrows that created cloud paths in the air, and Luffy's devil's fruit abilities baffled them. Who he didn't get with his last attack, Zoro and Sanji took out. The demons had their hands on their weapons (<em>Altur had mysteriously conjured up blades along his arms, ones like in skates<em>) but hadn't interfered with the beating. With one last very villain-like words the berets retreated.

There was also the issue of 'poor pirates' going on, and Gen kept quiet about her own savings. She still had nearly 20,000 berries left, so that made 70,000 total.

"...They defeated them..."

"White berets... citizens of Blue Sea should have problems fighting here..." Conis and her father talked. Luffy, Sanji and Zoro told Nami what had occurred while she had been gone.

"We were tricked!" was her reaction. "The old lady said we could pass!"

"Anyways, now things have become really complicated. If you're class-2 criminals, we can't help you..."

"WHY ARE YOU STANDING SO FAR!_?_"

"Oh well, doesn't matter. We're already used to being chased by the authorities!" Luffy laughed. "Also, why did you come back?"

"Huh?_?_"

"We were just about to go to 'the place that should never, ever enter'. For a big adventure... wait... I meant to go there to find you..."

"He makes it sound like the Never Never Land..."

"True, Gloria-sama."

"You're a really bad liar!" Nami's eyebrow twitched. She started slapping the boy in the forehead. "BIG ADVENTURE!_?_ I told you! There are some really scary guys on that island! You're just saying that because you didn't see them yourself! Even though I don't know if they're really gods, their super and illogical immense power is real! An island like that... I will never go there a second time!_!_"

"Fine! We'll go by ourselves. You stay here!" Luffy held his steaming head.

"_NO!_ They'll just come for me! We're leaving this place!" she yelled.

"LEAVE!_?_ BULLSHIT!_!_" his eyes bulged out. "Think! Which is more important, adventure or your life?_!_!"

"My life! Followed by money."

"Ah, then followed by me_?_?" Sanji asked lovingly, earning a punch and a 'shut up!' from the navigator. By now the others had come back to the shore too.

"Oh, by the way... we kept trying to get to Sky Island, but we never thought about how we get back!" Usopp pointed out.

"..."

"Is there a safe way back!_?_" he fretted. "Can we really go back to the Blue Sea!_?_"

"With your current situation... a safe route is non-existent, but... there_ is_ a way to the Blue Sea. You must go back down to white sea, and then head to the far east to a place called 'cloud end'." she told them, but Gen could hear it from her voice...

"Cloud end?"

"Yes, although... I don't think you should try to run... Sky Ocean is very big..."

"What? What do you mean?_!_"

"Are you saying we can't escape from those guys?"

"If that's so, then it's the same wherever we go," Nami smiled. "If we stay here, we'll just cause you more troubles. Now that we have no place to hide... let's just set sail! Conis! Mister! Thanks for everything." She waved them goodbye.

"Ah! Mister, can I take all the food from earlier?" Luffy asked.

"Oh, of course."

"All right, Sanji! Get the lunch boxes!" The boys went back with Usopp to pack up.

The demons held one arm to Gen, who grabbed them both and got easily lifted to her feet.

"Terentun, where's your vessel?" Greg asked.

"Hmm... Who knows?"

"TAKE BETTER CARE OF IT!" his teeth turned sharp.

"What's a vessel?" Gen had to ask.

"It's something solid from the human realm that a demon can tie himself to. Without one we can't exist here, and without one we are too vulnerable. We can always return to the vessel and go back to the other side, or just hang around and gather our energy back," Altur explained. "I dunno what this guy picked up, but I have... _this_!" he pulled out a black comb. The back of it was impractically thick.

"A comb? Really?"

"What? I bet yours is something crappy," he put his hands on his hips.

"It's a key chain bunny, with a transfer feature!" he said smugly.

"T-TRANSFER FEATURE!_?_"

"Nehehehe~!"

"Why-!_?_ How can a tadpole like you have something like that!_?_ Not fair!_!_" he was shocked. A wrestle broke out and Gen left them to their own doings, taking steps to the ship. She stopped, when she realized that now she had a choice: either to go with the majority of the Strawhats and the ship, or with Luffy, Usopp and Sanji and face the ordeal of... balls. No, it had to be something else; that sounds way too dirty.

Looking at the three (_five_) on the beach, she then slowly continued to the ship. Zoro helped him up to the deck.

"Yo! Demons! Haul your butts here or the ship leaves without you! And you're responsible if I die..." she muttered the last part so it didn't reach the shore. Robin did hear it.

"You do not know of your own future?"

"Nay. And it's not like the future's carved in stone, I only know one version," she stretched her hands up. "Nnngh, this vest is a bit too much in this sunshine."

She took the vest in her room and changed her black T to a dark blue tank top with a small white heart at the hem. She looked at her for now empty shoulder bag and shoved some things into it before grabbing the black rabbit (_Greg's vessel, she mentally corrected_) and a hair tie before returning to the deck. On the way she tied her hair into a ponytail and met with Nami who pulling a shirt on. The demons had arrived as well, standing stone faced and arms crossed.

"Whoo, right. Now- eaaaah! What's happening!_?_"

"AAAAAAAH!_!_"

"_Eeeeek!_" Gen shrieked in surprise as the ship jerked. She found herself suddenly making out with the floor. "Ptuh! This thing's filthy."

That was the least of her problems now, though. The whole ship had been captured, again, by a dark red/maroon shrimp (_that looked more like a huge lobster_). It had a mean glare and on its forehead read the word GOD.

"Heyyy, we're going backwards."

"Damn, where's it taking us? Hey! Everyone, abandon ship! We can still make it!" Zoro yelled. Everyone except for the demons were holding onto something.

"But what about the ship!_?_" Chopper asked. "If the ship's taken...!"

"Don't worry! I'll stay here!"

"What!_?_ What can you do yourself!_?_" Nami asked, eyes wide.

"I'll think of something!"

"_NOBODY EVEN THINK ABOUT JUMPING OFF!_" Gen bellowed and grabbed Zoro's ankle at the last minute. He made an epic face plant to the deck "What the hell!_?_"

"Watch," Altur pointed to the sea. "Behind us."

"Huh?" the swordsman got up.

"Humongous sky fish," Robin stated grimly. "Coming at us, mouths wide open. There is no way that we could swim back to the shore, and even if we managed to beat them... they're not the only fish in the sea. Any struggle will be in vain."

"Hee, she's cool!" the sky demon's eye twinkled. "I wonder if she would want to-"

"_Terentun!_" Greg hissed.

"Hai, hai. I know. You've got the dibs."

"EXCUSE ME!_?_"

"Heaven's judgement, eh?" Zoro scowled. "Instead of coming after us, he's calling us to him. What a cunning bastard..."

"'Cunning' wasn't the first word in my mind," Gen said. "'Jackass', 'egoistic fraud' or 'foolish mortal' would suffice. I have spoken."

"You..." Zoro sweatdropped.

"Then...! We're going to _that_ island again!_?_" Nami collapsed and sagged. "LUUFFYYY!_!_! USOPP!_!_! SANJI-KUUUN!_!_!"

The trip went through the cloud spaghetti stretching over the huge forest. Gen was walking back and forth the deck and grumbling dark things about the so-called 'God'.

"...Who does he think he is... _mumble mumble_... bastard... no-balls-pooface... _grumble_... thinks he can just promote himself like that... _mumble mumble_..."

"Gloria-sama, _please_ consider your words!" Greg pleaded her. "Rabbits have ears!"

"I _know_ that rabbits have _fudging ears!_" she snapped. "I'll tell you what! That little _fucker_ on his _funny_ little chair right now somewhere out there is SERIOUSLY pissing me off, and I haven't seen him in person yet!"

"Uah! Her hair just hissed at me! Like a snake!" Chopper hid behind Robin.

"How come you're so ticked off by that supposedly God?" Zoro asked. "Whatever he's done to you?"

"Funny to hear that from a dude that doesn't believe in gods. Or god," Gen crossed her arms.

"M'Lady, I will now return," Greg made a quick bow and faded from their sight.

"Okay."

"Huh... he can't stay here longer than that?" Altur hummed to himself. "Hahaha, that's one crappy vessel!"

"Ah, he disappeared," Nami blinked at the bishie-demon's abrupt leave.

The trip seemed to come to an end, as the scenery had changed and the shrimp was now climbing up the steps... buttside first. It dropped them off and disappeared away.

They regained their balance and looked where the shrimp had taken them.

"That special-express bastard just left us here," Zoro said.

Chopper climbed to stand on the railing.

"All we know is that we're somewhere inland on Upper Yard," Nami looked up to see a spear with a fierce animal skull and a pedestal of fire above it.

"It looks like a sacrificial altar," Robin commented.

"A sacrificial... altar?" Nami repeated.

"Nami, what's a sacrifice?" Chopper asked. Gen wedged herself between the two.

"It means that weird people in reed skirts and masks dances around you and when the dance ends they rip out your organs while you're still alive and screa-"

_POW_

"SHUT UP!" Nami yelled.

"_AAAAAAH!_" Chopper looked pale despite the fur.

"Don't mind her! Sacrifice is when living things are offered to a god," Nami said and shot a glare at Gen.

"Oh, is that so?" He sighed in relief. "I thought I was gonna be boiled... de-organed alive... Gen! You're a meanie!"

"It is pretty much like Odd-chan said. No matter their methods, we'll still have our lives offered to God," Robin said.

"WHAT!_?_ THEN WE'RE GONNA BE KILLED-!_?_" the reindeer leaned back in panic, suddenly fell down the rail he was standing on and rolled the stairs that led to the ship. Zoro went after their little doctor, but Robin caught him at the lowest step before he completely fell off and to the water.

"Whoo, that was close," Altur whistled.

"Not so fast," Gen frowned. It was pretty expected that the blue and black fish jumped up with jaws open. Chopper yelled in fright, but Zoro saved him with a good slash. He got tossed further away from the altar as Chopper hurried back to the safety of the ship.

"WHAT WAS THAT!_?_" Nami asked.

"A shark. A shark in the sky. It's a sky shark."

"We got it on the first," Gen sweatdropped.

"_ZORO_!_!_" Chopper yelled, as he was thrown in with the sky shark.

They had to wait for some agonisingly long minutes, Chopper worrying over the first mate. He did come up once, but that was... long ago then. "What happened!_?_"

"Hmm, your friend got eaten by a sky shark," Altur said airily.

"Oi...!" Gen slapped him in the shoulder because of the blades on his arms. "Only I can say things like that."

"He's not coming up!" Nami was distressed.

"GYAAA! ZORO'S BEEN EATEN!"

"...if he was, the cloud would be turning red by now."

"DON'T SAY SUCH SCARY THINGS, ROBIN!" Nami yelled.

"KNOCK IT OFF!_!_!" Zoro and the shark suddenly resurfaced, him giving the shark a solid upper cut. The shark fell unconscious and floated on the clouds and Zoro started walking back to the ship, wiping water out of his face. He had had goggles, and now they were pushed on his forehead. "Damn. Guess we won't be swimming away from here."

"Hey, those things really look good on you," Gen just had to throw the compliment.

"Huh? Ah, I don't care..." he looked away.

"You punched the shark, yet you call yourself a swordsman," Nami said.

"Zoro is so strong!" Chopper sighed admiringly.

"Whatever happened to your pride as a swordsman?" the navigator was still probing it.

"SHUT YOUR TRAP, WOMAN!" Zoro had the shark teeth.

"Whoo, look, Chopper! He's a shark too!"

"Ah!_?_ Really!_?_"

And the demigoddess was busy burning the picture of wet, shirtless Zoro to the wall of her mind, with those goggles of course.

"Seems like we've been taken to a dangerous place, the shrimp-bastard..."

"Perhaps Heaven's Judgement is to let us starve here," Robin looked over the surroundings.

'_Sanji's hell..._' a thought spiked up. '_Ah, but Altur could just fly us away from here if need be.'_

"Would God do something that simple?" Zoro's last word was partially muffled by a blue shirt that was thrown on his head.

_'Nooooo! Don't put the shirt on~!'_ she cried inside.

"I don't know. I've never met him," Robin said.

"I've seen him!" Gen waved her hand.

"You have? What's he like?" Nami asked.

"Boo, I'm not answering you," she stuck her tongue out.

"Huh?" the navigator sweatdropped at the childish act.

"Hm," Zoro saw a big hole in the side of the Merry. "That looks pretty bad. With the hull like that, we can't set it in the water. Think of a way to repair her in the meantime, Chopper."

"Huh? Me? Okay."

'_Oh Merry..._' she looked at the figurehead. "Merry, I hope you're not hurting."

"And now she's talking to the ship... Sweet! I like her!" Altur grinned. "Ah, that silky hair... How I'd love to... tangle it!" the voice held a suggestion.

"_DON'T!_" Gen and Zoro yelled at the demon, probably for different reasons.

"Repair the ship?" Nami asked. "What are you going to do?"

"I wanna go check out the forest. We can use this spot as a base for now. Luffy and the others will come here looking for us for sure. They say, when you're lost, don't move."

"_You're_ the one who shouldn't move!" Nami sweatdropped. Robin walked to the back wall of the altar and looked up to the carvings. To Gloria, they looked like maya-signs. She only had little knowledge of them, and only in astrological mind.

"Hey, Zoro... you said you're going into the forest..." Chopper started. "But what are you going to do there?"

"God's on this island, right? I'm going to pay him a visit," he replied.

"What!_?_ Why would you want to do that!_?_" Nami asked.

"Dunno. That depends on his attitude."

"Zoro... is more arrogant than God..." Chopper said.

"Those priests are on this island too! And you're never supposed to anger God! That's just common sense!_!_" Nami chided him.

"Sorry..." he turned to them slowly and gave a catlike grin. "I've never prayed to the God."

"OOOHH! SO COOL~!" Chopper's eyes literally lit up. Nami, in the other hand, sagged and walked away.

"I don't believe in him, so why should I pray to him?" he scratched his hair.

"Oh, Lord God! I do not know him! Don't punish me with him, please!" Nami fell on her knees in a prayer.

"Woooow~!" Chopper truly admired the guy.

"Khhh...! Hihihihi...!" Gen stifled her laughter into giggles. Altur looked a little torn, either to strangle the man or kick him back into water.

"...such blasphemy heard in a long time!"

"Oh, come on Altur. It's not your fault that he doesn't know what we do. But... it's still...!"

"You find this entertaining?"

"Very! I mean, I'm here, and,_ hahahahahahahaha!_" she broke. "But- But it's a bit weird, when one's mom- _mmmph!_" her mouth was suddenly covered.

"Shhh! Remember, 'bunnies have ears'."

"Eeh, sorry."

The water was swarming with black and blue striped fins, the sharks circling the altar in a lazy fasion. Robin was inspecting the markings on the wall, Altur sat next to Chopper on the rail and swung his legs like a kid, humming tonelessly. His voice was a pleasant baritone when he wanted so, but he mostly talked with a bit higher pitch in it.

"Hmm-mmm-mmm," Gen was rapidly losing her patience. She got on her feet and walked the deck. "**AAAAARRRGGGGHHH!**"

"What's your problem? Finally getting enough of this?" Zoro asked her.

"Grrh, I'm squirming with want to-"

"With want?" Altur's imaginary dog ears popped up.

"NOT LIKE THAT YOU ASS! Sheesh, how'd I end up with YOU of all things!_?_" she bristled. "AS I WAS SAYING, I'm sick of holding out!" she ranted.

"Ah..." the demon's hand rose up, ready to gag her again if need be.

"I know, I know."

"Holding out?" Nami blinked. "Well, I can't say that you're one of those open people that share with others."

"If you could do it, you'd tax out those who breath your air," she pointed out. "Mouu... I miss those old, boring days when there weren't all these PIRATES and DEMONS and GODS and, and SKY SHARKS! STUPID SKY SHARKS! _GO AWAY!_!"

"They won't listen to you," Altur sweatdropped.

"Aa... aaa... I don't feel good..." Gen swayed and fell on her knees.

"All the stress you've been through is getting out in one go," Chopper analyzed her.

"It would be plausible," Nami shrugged. "She looks always so calm and carefree on the outside, but we don't know what's really going on on the inside."

"Luffy's like that too, you know," Zoro pointed out.

"He's different! She has all this weird stuff bouncing around, but his head's probably just full of dust!"

"Okay, I think I'm good now~!"

"LAY DOWN!" Chopper and Nami yelled.

"Anyway... looks like we could use that vine over there," Zoro pointed to a branch above their heads.

"Oh, yes. Good idea. Do you mind if I come along, Kenshi-san?"

"Eh? Okay, but don't get in my way!"

"Wait... Robin's going too!_?_"

"Take a look," the woman opened her arms. "This altar is at least 1000 years old. Seeing such historical remains... makes me throb with excitement."

"Throb with excitement?" Altur asked, rubbing his chin. "If it's history that you like..."

"_ALTUR!_"

"Hai, hai, lil' Lady."

"You don't sound sorry at all!"

"Plus, if we find some gems or treasures, we can use them to repair the ship," she continued as if the demon hadn't said anything.

'_She's good!_'

"I'm going too!" Nami was quickly on her feet.

"HUH!_?_ DIDN'T YOU SAY YOU WERE SCARED!_?_" Chopper yelled.

"We're exploring history~!"

_'Twinkle, twinkle, little stars, Nami's eyes are berri signs...'_ Gen sang in her head. A pair of hands popped out on the tree and released the other end of the vine.

"Is this good?" Robin asked.

"It's perfect."

"I've never slung on a vine..." Gen marvelled.

"You're coming with us?" Zoro seemed surprised. Gen looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Netherworld yeah. And you don't have to bother with me, I've got two demons on my side~."

"...That's exactly why I can't leave you out of my sight. Greg's... Greg, but I don't trust _that_ guy _at all_," he shot a heavy glare that promised vile things at Altur.

"'Lax, Marimo-kun. There's no need to feel threatened. They're both at least thousand years older than me," Gen waved her hand dismissively.

"3280, actually," Altur corrected.

"See?"

"Mmmmph..." he crunched up his face. He tugged the vine a couple of times before clearing his throat. He jumped off, letting out a very primitive yell before reaching the other side.

"What was that supposed to be? A shout of bravery?" Nami sweatdropped.

'_You Tarzan, me Jane,_' Gen giggled and grinned. The momentum brought the vine back and Robin went smoothly with it, as if she'd done it numerous of times before. Nami on the other hand almost became a pancake, but got saved by the archaeologist's extra hands. The vine was slung back for the third time, and Altur grabbed it for her.

"You want to do this or do you want me to fly you there?" he asked.

"I've never slung on a vine. I wanna try!" she insisted.

"Hurry up there!" Zoro yelled.

"YEAH YEAH!" she answered.

"Hold on tight," Altur said and before she had time to reconsider or argue, he had wrapped an arm around her and kicked off.

"Wheeeeeeee~!" she squealed. "Hahaa, that was fun! Again! Again!"

"Never, I say," Nami muttered.

"Okay, Chopper! We'll be counting on you!" Zoro called to their watch.

"Take care, Doctor-san!"

"We'll be back soon!"

"Ok! Don't worry about me! Come back safely!" he answered from the ship.

"Chooppiieeee! Don't die and tell that I said 'hi'~!"

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!_?_"

"Exactly tha-! Ow! Nami, your hand suddenly attacked me!"

They walked over huge roots of the even bigger trees. How they still had enough nutrients in the ground for them to survive, she didn't know, or then this was like in a rain forest were when a tree died it released all the nutrients for other trees to use. The climbing was hard work, but sometimes the root would leave a small gap between it and the ground where they were able to squeeze through. Altur had entrusted his vessel for her safekeeping, because if he had to return to his vessel he wouldn't still be that far away from her. Technically, she was carrying him with her.

Gen was quite sure too that Zoro hated the demon just like he hated Sanji.

She had become bored, and when bored, she let her mind drift away and her body started moving on autopilot. Also, her mouth had started singing slowly a simple tune. It had come up with lyrics to go with it, too. "...Straaaaawhat pirates. Hoist the sails and hit the sea... hit the sea... hit the sea... hoist the sails and hit the sea, Straaaaaawhat pirates. Hoist the sails and-"

"SHUT UP ALREADY!_!_" Nami looked ready to strangle her.

"Huh? Did I say something?"

"YOU WERE _SINGING_!"

"I rather liked your voice. What was it again? 'Hoist the sails and hit the sea'?" Altur wondered. Nami pulled on her hair and let out a gurgled 'aaargh'.

"Hmm..." Robin and Zoro had stopped and Gen bumped into his back.

"What's it now?" she asked.

"It's a river infested with sharks," the woman replied.

"Ahh..."

Under the roots of the tree they were standing on now were ruins, and a small mouth of a well peeked from its side. From the bag Robin was carrying with her she took a small test tube one would see in a lab, and with extra arms she lowered the tube to the bottom of the well and took a sample. The water was brown...

"Is that well really that unusual?" Zoro asked.

"Yes, it's unthinkable for the tree to be overtaking it like this. The balance between nature and civilization has been upset," she sloshed the water around.

"Ne, what do you think made the trees grow so huge?" Gen asked.

"Indeed a mystery."

"Well, whatever it is, if we don't find a way to cross the river, we won't be able to walk through the whole forest," Zoro looked to the stripe of white clouds in front of them.

"We'll never get to meet God like this."

"The civilization didn't expect this tree to grow so large. It's the first time I've ever seen such a case," Robin continued.

Nami had climbed with Robin's help high up to the tree and was now looking around with a pair of binoculars. Zoro called her, asking if she could see anything. When she didn't answer, he yelled again.

"Oi! I'm talking to you! Say something! Can you see God?_!_"

"Stupid Marimo-kun, you don't need binoculars to see one! I'm right here~!" Gen made a pose, holding her hair up.

"The cook can call you whatever he calls you, but it doesn't change the fact that you're an idiot," he said blankly and she stuck her tongue out.

_'Nihihi, what will you do if I tell the truth...? You can't deny that I exist!_' she giggled to herself.

Robin walked up to them. "Maybe she's seeing something."

"Hmm... oh yeah," Gen remembered now.

"What?"

"You'll see!" she smirked annoyingly.

"Odd-chan, it's sometimes very cruel to dangle knowledge in front of people's noses," Robin said. The tone held a chide.

"Cruel is to tell one's life before it happens. It's like spoiling a good book," she retorted wittily, earning a small smirk from Robin.

Gen jumped suddenly and her head whipped to look one direction.

"What is it?" Zoro asked, with his aura turning to alarm.

"Ehh, I just thought I heard something... like a distant explosion."

"Ah. I heard it too," Robin said. They saw Nami sliding down and somewhat ungracefully landing on her butt.

"Come on, let's go! The trees are extending like bridges, we'll get there quicker that way!"

"Where 'there' are you talking about exactly?" Zoro asked.

That's how they ended up several feet above the ground, walking on the tree branches and slipping on the moss. After a good hour and a half Nami was having a hard time with her heels and Gen...

"I have nothing against heights but... I really hate you right now, Nami!" she hugged the branch with her dear life, hanging upside down. "And I'm slipping! Dammit, and Robin can't help me either...! Zoro! Come save me!"

"What's the magic word?"

"...please."

"Alright," he jumped off the one he was walking on and lifted her up with ease.

He asked after a pause: "Is it heights?"

"Eh?"

"What you are afraid of. I remember Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku asking you that once."

"HOW DO YOU REMEMBER THAT?_!_"

"Dunno. Is it heights?"

"No, it's not the heights. And no, it's not the falling, it's the splat," she slapped her hands together to emphasize it.

"The splat?" he repeated.

"Yup. It's the splat."

The earth (_tree_) quacked, and Gloria almost lost her footing again. Zoro too was in mortal danger of falling when she grabbed his arm for support and the sudden added weight tried to tip them off their balance.

"What was that?" Nami asked.

"An explosion, obviously," Zoro answered.

"There was one earlier too, but this one sounded a little different," Robin said.

"Whatever, let's just keep going!" Nami spread her hands to her sides again and started walking.

"What are you all worked up for, Nami?" Zoro asked. He jumped to his branch with Gen under his arm, flailing and spewing death threats if he dropped her.

"You've been acting strange ever since you came down from that tree. What did you see?"

"You see God or something?"

"Zoro, stop obsessing over this 'God'. He's not real, and you're creepy," Gen said.

"No, I didn't!" Nami was about to say something more, but the moss failed her. She screamed and regained her balance. "This is getting ridiculous! Why is it so hard to walk around here?_!_"

"You're the one who said this was a faster way," Robin pointed out.

"Come on, quit wasting time and just spit it out!" Zoro demanded. "What the hell did you see?"

"Never mind, just follow me! This will lead to the shore."

"I know what she saw~, I know what she saw~," Gen sang.

Nami tried to get up from her place, but it was useless. "Anyway, come and help me!"

"If we're following you, you should be leading."

"The shore?"

"Yeah, that's right. I need to get close enough to be sure."

"Ready, Gen?"

"Huh? What... are you- _aaaaaaaah!_" she screamed when Zoro grabbed the vine and slung them to another branch with a Tarzan-yell.

They walked for another long hour and stopped to eat and rest for a while. Nami was complaining her ankles and when Gen suggested that she should take off her shoes, she looked at her like she was and idiot. Also, she suspected that the forest was slowly ebbing away the navigator's sanity.

"We're nearing the sea," Gen announced.

"Huh?"

"I can hear it too. The sound of waves," Robin confirmed it.

They stopped to listen carefully, except for Nami.

"Right! We're almost there!" she was panting and her eyes looked lunatic. "Here we go!"

"Just tell us what you saw!" Zoro insisted, but received only a weird laugh. "What's with the 'ehehehe'?" he sweatdropped.

Robin turned her head to their left. "I hear another sound mixed with the waves..."

"Yeah, a real nasty kind of sound... that of a whole army of people pushing and shoving."

"Hey, since when did you get super hearing?" Gen placed her hands on her hips. "But... I can hear it too... Wiper and them..."

"Eh? Who's Wiper?" Zoro blinked.

"He's one of the locals, lil' lady, stop giving out information that easily," Altur made her jump out of her skins by floating upside down in front of her face when she turned.

"_KYAAA!_"

"Ah, I'm sorry. May I carry you the rest of the journey?"

"_NO!_"

"It's almost like in Alabasta," Zoro continued, unfazed by the demon's sudden appearance.

"Do you think we should be worried?" Robin asked.

"We don't have to worry about Chopper," Zoro reassured her. "He really comes through when he need to."

"Hey! So do I!"

"Hmmm..."

"Oi, you're thinking too long," Gen said darkly.

"Not about him. About the Captain and the others," the archaeologist corrected.

"Luffy?"

"After we were abducted, he must've come after us, right, Odd-chan?"

"Yup."

"He was pretty hot about coming to this island," Zoro admitted.

"I don't know what God intends to do, but he most likely wouldn't let them pass freely," Robin said.

"And then there's those guys over there starting their own fight," Zoro nodded towards the noise.

"The situation is getting complicated."

"That's for sure. But, they'll be fine. We're all used to getting into trouble, _some more than the others._"

"Are you looking at _me_?"

"Making a fuss over something like that won't do us any good," Zoro ended.

Robin chuckled. "True."

"Ah, Nami fell... Ooi, are we there yet? Nami?"

"Oi! Nami"

"She's not listening to us, means that she found it..."

"Found _what_?"

"You sound like a pouting little kid," Gen giggled. "Altur!"

"Hai," the demon picked her up and slapped his wings couple of times before heading off.

"HEEEEY! TELL US ALREADY!_!_" Zoro's voice echoed around the woods.


	39. Weird fish, weird dreams

Ughh, I'm sick for the fourth day in a row now... x_x and my back is insisting on killing me. At this rate I'm going to fall behind in school! Crap.

I want to dieeee~

* * *

><p>"What the...? Wasn't that on the ground...?" Zoro, Nami and Robin were staring at the half of a house, now taken over by the vegetation. Gen was sitting next to Altur, not really that interested in what they were talking about.<p>

"...sink! For 400 years, Jaya had always been... floating in the sky!" Nami was saying.

"Altur," Gen said quietly not to disturb the others. "Why... is this land really here?"

He was silent for a while. "As Nami said, it was the Knock-Up stream that did this. Actually..." he slid his finger on the blade on his arm. "...it was supposed to be a gift for His Highness. Though, I don't think that the Goddess of Earth liked it. I know... that maybe I'm in no place to say this to you, but Her Highness has become greedy."

"What do you mean?" Gen furrowed her eyebrows.

"Many islands has been sunk, both in the Grand Line and the four Blues, or otherwise gotten rid of. That way, your Mother has been adding her own space in this world."

"..." she didn't know what to say, really. "Oh? But now that I think about it... Water 7 too... it's sinking."

Altur nodded. "But I didn't tell you this, okay? It could get me in a real pickle."

"Don' worry, I won' tell 'nyone," she held a finger on her mouth and smiled an unnervingly wide yet closed smile.

Nami squeeled. "Thank you, God~~! The sky island that we tried so hard to reach is actually the golden city! This must be God's reward for my well-behaved and disciplined self!"

"Those words do not describe you, Nami," Gen piped up.

"Weren't you afraid of the 'God' on this island?" Zoro asked.

"Eh? God? Who cares? Is he worth more money than gold?"

As Robin and Zoro sweatdropped, Altur was biting on the collar of his vest. Gen pat his shoulder, but tried to hold her laughter.

"Didn't you just say 'Thank you, God'?" Robin asked.

"She makes no sense!" Zoro said.

"What do you mean?" Gen asked. "_You're_ talking funny things."

"Let's go," Altur interjected before Zoro could say anything.

The walk back was just as hard as the walk to the shore, even when they didn't climb trees this time. The sky demon walked with them, talking about history with Robin, shooting a weird comment in every now and then.

What Gen had gotten the image from the man, despite his stupid remarks, devotion for the four Gods and slight who-cares-attitude, he was delicately smart. If one listened him carefully, they could find underlying questions, answeres and opinions. In this sense, Robin looked like a novice. Gen saw that she could tell what game he was playing.

The day started turning to night, and when the sky started turning to red hues they finally got back to the ship.

"Choppeeeeer! Choooopppppeeeeeerr!_!_" Nami called him. "Where are you!_?_ What happened, Chopper!_?_"

"Oi, the mast is gone... what kind of remodeling did he do?" Zoro asked.

"Obviously he was attacked!_!_ Chopper! We're sorry for being late! Are you here!_?_ ANSWER ME!_!_ CHOPPER!_!_"

"Perhaps he was torn limb from limb."

"Quit thinking of these scary things!" Nami growled.

"Chooopppiiiieeee! Yoohooo! We're here now! Come out, come out, you're still alive, right?" Gen asked. "Yeah, and it rhymes!"

Zoro sighed and stepped up. "Oi, Chopper! You there or not!_?_ What happened here!_?_"

They saw little movement from the front deck, and Chopper's miserable and bandaged form came forth with tears and snot all over his face. "N... Nothing scary happened!"

"Okay, okay," Nami let out a deep breath. No one could be angry at that face. "You're big and strong. Now tell us everything that happened."

At the same time they heard a splash and some shouts. "Oh? Look! It's Going Merry! That's the altar!"

"Yah~! Nami-swaaan! Robin-chwaaan! Gen-chwaaan! I have finally passed the Ordeal of Love~!" Sanji yelled, spouting hearts non-stop.

"What? That was the trial we needed to pass?" Luffy asked confusedly.

"Were you scared!_?_ Well Captain Usopp os here, you can relax now!_!_!"

"They're full of spirit... That's good," Nami sighed in relief.

They picked the four up from the shore and got to the ship safely. Chopper told them what happened and Usopp inspected the damage on the Merry and Chopper. Something the sniper said seemingly struck a chore in the reindeer, because the next moment he was standing on the rail and speaking to himself in some kind of flame...

When Luffy reminded them again of Gan Fall's injuries, they gathered in the galley where he was resting. Without the armor, he just looked like an ordinary old man.

"Wow... he's beat up," Gen commented.

"He would fight this hard just for a free whistle he gave to us," Luffy crouched next to him.

"If he hadn't come, the ship and I would be goners. Ah, but Gen did warn me... Sorry I didn't take it seriously," he rubbed the back of his head.

"Naa, you didn't know if I was just messing with you or not. My fault for being so random," Gen petted him, and he went limp on the couch.

They stared in silence at the man sleeping on a mattress. After a while Luffy's eyes switched to the white beard and he tugged on it.

"Luffy!" Chopper and Pierre flinched.

"There's a lot I want to ask him, but that can wait until he wakes up. Thanks to you too," Sanji said, a cigarette hanging from his lip. Pierre 'bih'ed to him. Gen noted now that Sanji had a pink button up shirt with weird flowerlike print on it, and he too had goggles hanging around his neck. Leaving the man to sleep, they stepped outside. "With the ship like this and the sky getting dark, we'll have to wait until tomorrow to go back to Angel island. We can make a camp to the shore for now and if something happens, it'll be a better place to fight too."

"Woohoo! Camping!" Luffy was excited. "Party~!"

"Eh!_?_ Wait!_!_ We're in enemy territory!_!_" Usopp reminded them frantically.

"Yosh! Let's start by barbecuing these sharks!" Luffy decided.

"I will help," Altur voulenteered.

"Huh? Where'd the other guy go?" Luffy asked.

"You mean Greg?"

"Ah, him."

"He went to rest," Gen said, pulling her hair free and combing through it with her fingers. She then realized that Altur's vessel was a comb.

"Ne, Altur, can I use your comb?" His face turned leery in mere two seconds. "No, wait, forget it..."

Soon they had a campsite in the cradle of the tree roots. Altur ate quickly and decided to go out to scout the area, just to be sure. He asked if Gen wanted to come with her, but she shot the offer down immediately.

"This is delicious!" Luffy praised the taste of a grilled skyshark. No, really, it wasn't bad!

"Jeez, you'll eat everything!"

_Clack, clack, clak!_

"Quiet down!" Usopp had a chalckboard and a stick with him. "Let's hear the reports!"

"We went to the Lost forest, where we met a Priest named Satori, who used these Surprise Balls," Sanji started, taking a break from making food for Gan Fall. "It was bad enough with all those Surprise Balls floating around with who knows what inside them, but what got the most was this Mantra technique he used to predict our movements."

Chopper was next. "A Priest named Shura appeared out of nowhere using this lance that would burn anything! Plus, he could predict my movements. I tried my best, but he avoided everything..." he looked a bit pissed off and sad. "The bird he was riding spat out some fire and started burning the main mast and then he impaled the knight of the sky..."

"You guys sure had a rough time," Nami started. "We found out that this island is actually a piece of Jaya. The city of gold didn't sink into the ocean, but it was shot to the sky."

"Thanks for your reports, everyone! The most important piece of info today was this! This is the island where the city of gold resides!"

"REALLY!_?_" Luffy's eyes bulged out.

"I just said that!" Nami snapped.

"So, what's this Mantra thing?" Zoro asked.

"No idea. Maybe something like an instinct," Sanji answered before turning to Chopper with his... pink-ish mush.

"Instinct, huh?" the swordsman continued to think to himself.

It seemed to Gen that she'd been suspiciously quiet for Robin to ask her: "Odd-chan, do you know anything about this?"

"Yeah. But I won't tell ye just like that."

They all gushed about the treasure for some time, the captain deciding that the gold was their's. Zoro looked thrilled to face new enemies, and everyone agreed that as pirates, they had to find the gold.

"Hmmm... Gen!" Luffy called her after swallowing a big mouthful of shark. "You're really a mystery fish."

"Hoy, who're ya callin' 'fish'?" Gen's eyebrow twitched.

"You!" he laughed. Gen turned to Zoro.

"He really doesn't have any self-preservation instincts, does he?" she asked flatly. The man just shrugged.

"So, Gen. How'd you learn to breath underwater?" Luffy didn't drop the subject. "I've never seen people do that... they just drown. Aa, it would be handy, since I can't swim."

"Moron, people can't breath in water. Are you some kind of fishman?" Nami asked. Gen knew what she thought about them.

"I'm not a fishman!"

"A mermaid, then?" Sanji asked, hope sparking invoulentearily in his voice.

"No. We've been through that, haven't we?" she leaned back on the mossy root. 'Besides, I'm too young for a legged mermaid.'

"Yeah... but how _do_ you breath underwater?" Usopp asked.

"To me, it's as natural as breathing air. So, I don't know _why_ I do it, I just know _why_ I can."

"Okay, then _why_?" he was clearly getting enough of this game.

"Can' tell ye! 'Least yet. Yanno, 'bunnies have ears' an' all," and she put a good giggle on it.

"You sound like a crazy person!" Luffy joined in her laughter.

"Thank you, Luffs!" Gen mocked courtsy. "_Ma-ha-ha-ha-harimo~?_"

"Not my name," his tone indicated that whatever she would ask for would be refused.

"Yet you responded to it. What's in that bottle?" she pointed at one standing next to a crate Sanji had just moment ago carried there.

"Sherry," he answered after squinting a bit. Gen let out a dissatisfied 'hmph'. She was soon startled by a face right in hers, eyes scrutinizing her like they'd never seen the girl before.

"Gah! Luffy, what the netherworld!_?_"

"Join us... _joooiiinnn uuuusss!_"

"...are you trying to hypno me or something?" she sweatdropped.

"We have cookies, too."

"Cookies? Wait, where'd you hear that from?" Gloria eyed him.

"You speak stuff in your sleep," he grinned. She noted now that he was hovering over her, his hands on both her sides and supporting him so he wouldn't fall on her.

"You... have been in _my room_... at night?" she gave him a hard glare. "You creep."

Very soon the boy was kicked aside by a shiny black shoe. "SHITTY ASSHOLE!_!_ YOU _DARE_ TO WATCH HER SLEEPING?_!_"

When the last of the equipment was fetched from the Merry, Sanji started unhurriedly prepare the food, cutting carrots into heart shapes... Insert sweatdrop. There was still no sign of Altur, Zoro and Chopper had gone out to gather more food supplies for the food and Luffy was staring at the cooking pot now full with water to be boiled and bottled for tomorrow. He was also getting mighty bored. This was expressed by whining.

Gen wanted to go to sleep so bad after the tiring day, and all the moss around her was so nice and soft... "Moss..." she nuzzled it.

"Hey! We're back!" Chopper announced.

"Great! What'd you get?" Sanji asked after greeting the two back.

"Lots of things! Walnuts, aloe, bananas and garlic!" the reindeer proudly showed his basket.

"Rats and frogs," Zoro said.

"Yosh, toss it all in the stew!" Sanji gave a green light to the ingridients.

"_Hold it!_! There's some weird ones mixed in there!" Nami yelled.

"That's true... I was careless. You don't like garlic?" the cook asked, rubbing the back of his neck in embarassement.

"NO NO NO!_!_! NOT THAT!_!_"

"What do you mean? Navigator-san?" Robin came from the forest. She had gone back exploring.

"Whoaa, what's that blue thing? A jewel?" Nami was interested.

Gen rolled over to see them. True, the woman had a big ice colored stone in her arms.

"Beautiful, isn't it? But it's not that."

"Hey, is that a salt crystal? Nice find, Robin-chan!" Sanji praiced her.

"I found it beside the lake. I thought it might come in handy."

"Well of course! It's the key to life in a survival experience~!" Sanji's face lit up with... stupidity.

Chopper took some of the aloe and garlic to make medicine, and Sanji got Zoro to use his swords to carry the flaming stone to the hot rock stew. After that he went to look for Usopp and soon the boys came back. Naturally Luffy tried to eat the food before it was even ready.

"Yosh! Everyone take your seats! I'll pass out the plates, so eat up before it gets cold," Sanji said when the food finally was done. The aroma was heavenly, and only briefly she remembered that it also had rats and frogs in it.

"Here's your plate!" Usopp told her, bringing a bowl of the stew to her.

She didn't budge.

"Oi oi, I think she's sleeping," he turned to look at his friends. "Should we wake her up?"

"...not... hungry..." she muttered.

"Oh, you were awake after all. Here, food."

"' Said 'M no' 'ungr'..."

"I didn't understand a bit," he sweatdropped.

"**Go away**."

"Let her be, if she doesn't want food I can eat it for her," Zoro smirked. The only answer they got was an incoherent mumble from her and she curled up in a tight ball.

"Okay, but it's here if you want to eat," the sniper put down the plate.

Nami started talking about Norland and the city of gold, voicing out her suspicion about the Knock-Up Stream taking it high to the sky.

"This island... by the Knock-Up Stream?" Chopper parroted.

"That's the only plausible explanation. Cricket-san said that the explosions occur at different places on the ocean floor every time."

"That thing was pretty big. Even an island would get blasted up."

"But from the looks of it, this forest is completely different from the one we went through on Jaya," Zoro pointed out. Robin said something scientific about clouds and islands and trees, but her jumbled and dead tired brain didn't clasp on it anymore.

"Yeah! The south bird that saved us was _thiiis_ big!" Chopper said.

"Yeah, about that... why did they help you?" Sanji asked, tossing a bowl at Zoro who had previously been eating on a bento.

"I don't know, but they were calling the knight of the sky 'God'."

"GOD!_?_ So then, I just have to beat up that old guy?" Luffy asked.

"OF COURSE NOT, YOU SCATTERBAINED IDIOT!" Usopp yelled.

"That's enough! Settle down, scatterbrains!" Nami said. Next they went through the diary of Norland, and Nami told them about the map. Everyone got excited, but Gen was drifting on both sides of consiousness. Only thing that now kept her awake was the chatter of her teeth, and her basic instinct told her to get up and warm. She started crawling painfully slow towards the fire and slumped unelegantly next to it. Chopper rushed to move her a bit ways from the flames so her hair wouldn't catch fire.

"Ah! She's burning up!" Chopper said.

"She's burning?_!_ Water! Gen's burning!" Luffy panicked.

"No, not like that. She has a fever."

Gen smacked halfheartedly at the doctor, him going limp under her arm. "_Grmmllblblbl..._"

"Excuse me?" Nami sweatdropped.

"Come on, brave girl, up and to bed," Zoro was soon next to her, muttering silent words and helping Chopper free. She latched onto his arm next, wrapping around him like he was a hot water bottle. Despite that she felt cold, she wasn't, and she was making him uncomfortable with the ill heat radiating from her.

"How'd she get sick here?" Usopp shook his head. "Except..."

"Except what?"

"If she got bitten by the death bug," he made a scary face, making the Chopper yelp.

"Cut it out! It's just a normal cold," Nami waved her hand.

"So we thought when you got sick," Zoro pointed out. It wasn't hard to get the weakened girl detach from him.

_FWOOOSH... FHUMPH!_

"I'm back! Lil' lady- Lil' lady?" Altur noticed her. "Hm, she's sleeping already?"

"Yeah. She's just got a minor fever."

"What!_?_"

"Zoro, bring her here."

"Okay."

* * *

><p>She sat at the kitchen table. She was a little confused for a few minutes, before she realized that she was home. As in, where she'd lived for most of her life. She couldn't see throught the windows because of a light flooding them. Strangely enough, it didn't seem to reach in the room properly and created a curtain that seperated the outside world from the little kitchen.<p>

"Ahh... I'm here..."

"_Why am I here?_" a voice questioned. She saw a person sitting opposite of her, and this one looked exactly like she did. Gen knew that it was herself, even when her face seemed to fade into the light and she wore uncharacteristically a white, flowy dress.

"Why is there another me?" she had ment the question only in her head... "Why'd I say that?"

"_Why are you here?_" the other Gloria asked this time.

"I don't know."

"_Why aren't you there?_"

"Where?"

"_On the other side. Over there,_" the other Gen pointed at the window.

"What's... over there?" she asked.

"_Silly question,_" the other laughed. "The world _of course!_"

* * *

><p><em>'What a weird dream...'<em>

She woke up only two hours later to a... party. She didn't remember being placed on a futon, but she was, and she even had one on her right side, though this was empty. She glanced around and spotted the strawhats. Robin, Gan Fall and Zoro were sitting in her view, and the rest of them were dancing around a bonfire.

"When'd that happen?" Gen asked, rubbing her messy hair. She had taken the blanket with her.

"Ah, you're awake too, Odd-chan."

"Mhh. Am I hallucinatin' or is that a wolfpack? And Altur's there too..."

"You are not," Robin chuckled. Gen layed next to the God, who was looking at her.

"Whatcha eyeballin' me fer?" she asked.

"Shouldn't you go back to bed?" Zoro said.

"Why? Oh, yeah..."

"Yeah."

"...I'm sleepy."

"Airhead, you're sick!" his eyebrow twitched.

"I am?" she confusedly put her wrist against her forehead. "I don't feel it."

"Scoot over," Zoro gestured to her. She complied, and his palm landed on her head. They were still for a moment, before his eyebrows knit together.

"You don't know what the heck you're doing, ay?"

"Hey, I know what I'm doing!" he said.

"Oh? What's this?" Gen picked up his bottle of some liquid and sniffed at it. After staring at it she took a gulp. "Eeh, this will do for now."

"_Hey!_" Zoro's voice disapproved of this arrangement.

The rightful God of the island looked how the pirates froliced around and smiled a little.

"I overheard your conversations earlier... so this island was originally called Jaya?" the old man said conversationally.

"Yes."

"However... do you know why it's now called the Holy Land?"

"I know! I know!" Gen raised the hand with a bottle to the air.

"Really?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Hai, uncle! Ah, I shall now call you that!"

"_'Uncle'_...?"

"Hmm, what was it... oh yeah, it's because there originally wasn't any soil in the sky. Ehh, can' rememb'r more now," she tilted her head and took a swig.

"The weird girl is right," he nodded.

"Thanks~!"

"I don't think that was a compliment," Zoro sweatdropped.

"Island cloud can nurture plants, but it can't give birth to them. Greenery and soil are not things of the sky," Gan Fall grabbed a handful of the dirt he was sitting on. "We call this vearth. For us it will forever be admiration itself."

"Earth is pretty awesome," Gen admitted. "But I prefer the sea. Mom says that the goddess of earth is a mean old b-"

"Geeen! Come dance with us!"

"No thank you, Luffy!"

"Ah, okaaaay!" and the boy continued to howl with the white cloudwolves.

"Your mother says that?" Robin arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah... they have some 'high and mighty' differences," she gave a lopsided smile. "Ah, but now I talked over my mouth."

"What?" Zoro asked. Robin and Gan Fall looked at her with surprised eyes.

"Oh my, Odd-chan."

"...interesting."

"What!_?_" Zoro still didn't get it. She patted on his back.

"Don' worry, Marimo. You'll get there... on this side of the decade."

"_OI!_"

The night fell, but Gen couldn't sleep anymore. Chopper had told her that whatever was the cause of the sudden fever, it was decreasing and that by morning it could be all gone. He stilll ushered her to the tent to sleep with Nami and Robin, though what she really wanted was to go out, pick a pile of wolves and fall asleep on them like the boys did.

She layed on her back, listening to the snores floating around the tent.

She also heard the distant, soft sounds of someone hammering away. The want to get up and going was strong, but she settled with just listening to the sounds. Sometime she heard Usopp getting up and asking Zoro to go with him to take a leak, but the boy had to go alone. She tip-toed from the tent and saw the swordsman nodding off again. It was very likely that he wasn't sleeping... then again...

The only sound for some time was the occasional 'pow, pow pow'. Otherwise the world was blissfully silent, and she soaked in the feeling, twirling around and letting her hair fan out. It had become a bit frizzy in the moist weather.

"Go back to sleep."

"Eeh!" she stifled the small scream. "Not sleepy."

"I can't sleep if you prance around like that."

"Blaaah. You should go find Usopp, though."

"Why? Did he fall in a hole or something?" he scoffed.

"No, but-"

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_"

"That's why."

Zoro got grumbling on his feet and started trekking to the direction where the sound had come from.

(_"Ahem."_

_"What?"_

_"It's that way."_

_"I knew that."_)

They found him laying on the ground, stuttering and white-eyed. Zoro nudged him with his boot, trying to rouse him.

"Gh-Gh-Gh..."

"Hmm... He must've seen the... hehehe," she hid her smile behind her hand.

"Talk so that others understand too," the man looked annoyed.

"No way. I like being vague," she put her hands on her hips. "So, Usopp-kun, tell Gen-neechan what'd you see?"

"Gh-Gh..."

"He's no good like this."

"Gh... Ghost...!"

"See, he saw a ghost."

"Ghosts don't exist."

She looked at him blankly. "You don't believe in God, you don't believe in ghosts. What _do_ you believe in?"

"They're nowhere the same thing!" he hoisted Usopp on his shoulder.

"You're a leftie."

"What's that to do with anything!_?_" he asked.

"It does. Everything has to do with anything," she grinned widely.

"Seriously, I can't take your crap at this time of night..." he sighed, as they made it back to the camp. Usopp was dropped in a heap next to Luffy and Zoro resumed on his spot by the cold ring where the fire had been previously.

Gen stood by the tent's door and didn't know what to do. She wasn't sleepy at all, so it seemed pointless to crawl in and disturb the two girls' sleep. Peeking through the door she saw Robin roll over in her sleep and mutter something, a small whimper escaping afterwards to Gen's surprise. The white haired girl sighed sadly, because there was nothing she really could do right then. _'What you push away at day comes haunting back in the night.'_ "Sweet dreams, Robin. I'd pet your hair when you sleep if I didn't know you'd probably kill me out of old habit."

"What are you muttering there? Go to sleep already," Zoro's gruff voice said.

"It's funny, how the people we want to help the most don't know that they want to be helped," she turned to look at him, but the gentle, forlorn smile was still there.

Zoro blinked, once, twice, and willed his eyes closed with a huff that tried to be irritated. It failed.

"Huh? Was that 'If you can't sleep alone in a tent, come 'ere and curl against me at this cold night~'?" she put her hand behind her ear.

"I didn't even say anything!"

She stuck her toung out and started walking away from the little clearing. "And where are you going this time?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure, actually. I just feel like walking that way over there~!"

"Well, okay then... but be back by morning."

"Whaaat? You're just lettin' me go alone? Okay, then. I'll just sic three demons on ya if I die," she waved her hand and turned her back at him. She was referring to the two demons and Sanji. "Ah, but if I'm dead how can I sic people on 'im...?" she added as an afterthought.

* * *

><p>The morning came bright and fresh. A southbird chimed somewhere far, small animals that moved during the night crawled to hide from the sun. The wolves were gone, as well.<p>

"**Go away... before I tear you a new one.**"

"Empty threats. Get your ass moving, Gloria. We need to set out," Nami promptly poured a mug of cold water on her.

"AAAAAARGH!"

"Okay, she's awake now," the navigator announced.

"That took time," Altur was sitting on a rock.

"Rock... that sounds useful," the girl giggled darkly to herself.

"Good morning, Odd-chan."

"Oh, mornin' Ro...ooo...*_yawn_* -bin! Did you have a nightmare last night?" she asked. The woman just smiled politely and walked away to do her morning routines. "Morning Chopper."

"Morning..." he rubbed his eyes, cutely still half asleep.

"I tell you, I really saw it!" Usopp was still shaken by last night. After they packed up the camp they returned to the Going Merry to only see that the ship had been repaired, poorly, but still repaired.

"See!_?_ I told you! Somebody was here before! It wasn't a dream after all!_!_ Someone fixed the Merry!"

"Yeah... even the broken mast was reattached," Nami put her hand on the steel patches.

"Sorry to say this, but they weren't very good at it..." Sanji sweatdropped.

"So there are still good people in this world," Luffy grinned.

"I thought it was some kind of ghost..." Usopp looked around the ship.

"Considering where we are, who could've it been?" Zoro wondered. "In this place, there shouldn't be anyone who's friendly."

Gen was hugging the ship's rail and resting her cheek on it. Great, NOW she was sleepy then? Why not at night? Why-? "Eh?"

_"...still..."_

Gen looked around. Where had that small, tiny whisper come from? She strained her ears and blocked out everything else, but she didn't hear it again.

"Hey, the ship's back to like it was before!" Luffy noted.

"I've been thinking that too," Usopp rubbed his chin. "How could the guy who fixed our ship know what Merry originally looked like? That it didn't have the chicken crown or wings."

"Alright! Time to move out, you lazy bums! Escape team, finish up what we were doing last night! Explore team, get ready for adventure!" Nami clapped her hands.

"Okay~~! I'll distribute the food!"

"Luffy... that is the one task I will _never_ assign to you."

"Hey, we need to move the ship down."

"Yeah, get the ropes!" they started getting ready to depart. Usopp stood by the figurehead, talking to it and asking who was it that fixed her. The painted eyes of the ship just stared forward and that smile didn't change one bit.

"Usopp."

"Yeah?"

"I know who fixed her," Gen said without any jest to it this time. "You will know too, in time."

"What?_!_ Can't you tell me just now?"

"I don't think the person would appreciate it... ay?" she asked from the air and jumped off the ship.

Nami had a simple plan: the explore team go out and get the gold from the 'skull's right eye' whiile the others sailed the ship to the place they were supposed to meet at.

"You know, nothing ever works as it is supposed to," Gen warned her. She was going with Luffy, Zoro, Robin and Chopper. Gan Fall was staying on the ship with Pierre because of his injuries. The doctor gave Nami instructions on what to do about him.

"Alright! Let's go!"

"Aaand se didn't listen to me," she sweatdropped.

"_Gold, gold, gold, gold..._" Nami was chanting.

"Gloria-sama," Greg was animating the bunny. "You can count on me!"

"Cheh, what can a bunny do?" Altur asked.

"Many things, especially with a _transfer feature_," he rubbed it in his face.

"Yeah, but you can only stay outside maximum of four hours! I have six hours, resting time two," the demons continued to bicker on who had the better vessel.

"Oi, you two are annoying. _Shush._"

"Hai, Gloria-sama/lil' lady."

They walked on for some time, before Luffy tried to be smart on Zoro.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going, Zoro!_?_ The west is this way! _*Sigh*_, you're such an idiot with no direction sense." Luffy was walking east.

"Oi, Luffy! Do you ever listen to other people? She said it's 'skull's right eye' so it's to the right. That's _this_ way, you dumbass!"

"...would you tell them that we're goiong south, which is this way?" Robin asked Chopper.

"Okay."

"Hey," Gen realized. "Luffy was wrong, when he remembered that it was west, but Zoro _was_ going west...!"

"Luffy! Zoro! We're supposed to go south! This way!" the reindeer told them on Robin's behalf.

After that they just kept on walking - this time to south - with Chopper and Luffy talking about sticks.

_SSSssssuuuu..._

Gen froze.

"At first I was was worried that the forest would be a very dangerous place, but now I think it's really nothing to worry about," Chopper said.

"Ehh, you're brave today, Chopper," Luffy replied. "It's a bit depressing, actually. Yesterday we didn't encounter anything neither when we entered the forest, not even a priest that you spoke of... so I can sort of relate, Chopper."

"Huh? Really? Hahahaha!"

Robin chuckled. "What a strange group! Do they really want something to happen so badly?"

"Gloria-sama..."

"Yes, I noticed," she said stiffly, resisting every urge to turn around. "Hey, I was thinking..." she raised the volume of her voice so the others could hear her.

"Yeah?"

"Remember on Jaya, when we chased after the south bird, how all those things tried to kill us, and how dangerous they really were?"

"You don't mean-!_?_"

The ground in front of them rose, opened and revealed a pretty row of big, pointy teeth.

"RUN AWAAAY~! IT'S A SNAAAKE~!" Luffy didn't sound frightened at all.

"AAAH!_!_"

"So huge! Is this also an effect of-"

"ROBIN! ANALYZE THE REASONS OF OUR DOOM SOME OTHER TIME!" Gen yelled. Zoro didn't have enough time to draw his katana, because the snake coiled up and lunged at them. Altur was quick to grab her and fly them up to a tree. Luffy jumped over it and Chopper dodged to the side.

"_...badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger, badger_ MUSHROOM, MUSHROOM..."

"Huh?"

"Nothin'."

Zoro and Robin had followed her example, and the snake bit on one of the thick trees.

_Sizzle, sizzle..._

The tree started _melting._

"P-Poison!_?_"

"If it's like that, running away... is probably better..." Zoro swallowed.

"Precisely."

"Altur, honey, please don't leave me."

"I won't~!"

"So scary~~!" Luffy laughed.

The tree fell and the snake turned it's attention back to them.

It was quick.

First Luffy taunted it, and it lunged at Robin who fell somewhere. The snake shook it's head and suddenly Gen was pulled high in the air, out of the flying acid's way.

"..._sheeeet_..."

"We got seperated," Altur groaned. His wings were flapping steadily as he tried to peer through the thick canopy. Sun glimmered from the dark feathers, and she noticed for the first time how beautiful they really were.

"Your wings are so pretty..." she sighed.

"Try to focus now, girl. Look, the snake's still there. Let's land somewhere for now."

He hopped her up like she was weightless and caught her again in a better position. It had been rather unpleasant to be hanging from your armpits, but she couldn't say that being crushed a little too tight against a demon's chest was any better, especially with the belt's edge digging to her side. Yet she never complained, it was a very nice chest, after all.

Back on the solid ground, she noticed something horrible. "Oh no... oh _FUDGE_ no!"

"What is it?"

"I... lost my bag! My precious, precious bag...! And Greg, too! **Noooooooo!**" she fell on her knees. "All my drawing gear was in it!_!_!"

"You still have the comb, right?" Altur asked worriedly.

"Oh yeah, it's in my pants pocket and don't even try ripping something perverted out of that," she added flatly when she saw his face.

"Of course I weren't thinking anything inappropriate, lil' lady. But don't fret, that bastard of a creek can find his way back." He folded his wings and looked around. "So... where the hell are we now...?"

* * *

><p>Honestly, I didn't know I'd get sick after I wrote this o_O... Spooooky...<p>

Gloria: So, when you torture me, you actually torture _yourself?_

Snoara: How the hell should I know that? I'm sick! You in the other hand are just... hehehe... *_evil*_

Gloria: ...whut? Wait, what the...? *_peeks into the next chapter* _what the NETHERWORLD!_?_! I OBJECT! YOU CAN'T SERIOUSLY-! SNOR!_!_

Snoara: I don't know what you're talking about. Bye bye~! *_pushes Gen out of the room*_


	40. Stench of death, saved by a feather

I'm alive, and I wanted to quit my french lessons. The head master didn't let me -_-'

It's **40th **chapter~! I hope you appreciate it better than Gloria does~!

Gloria: *_restrained, screaming_* **I HATE YOU!**

Snoara: Yeah, yeah.

Gloria: *_calms down* _So anyway, since it's fortieth chapter, there's a small extra at the end for all of you.

* * *

><p>The tall, thick trees and the beautiful scenery they passed were taunting her. Oh, how the sun played on the huge leaves of different plants and occasional flowers, how the little beams of sun tried to pierce the foliage, littering the ground with small pools of light.<p>

And she just _had_ to go and lose the bag.

Altur walked behind her, seemingly not bothered at all that they were in a forest full of things that could kill them.

"Hey, I'm here for you, aren't I?" he raised an eyebrow. Old or not, he still looked like a high school rascal with the most mischievous tricks and pranks up his sleeve.

"Sure, sure," she waved her hand at him. As they walked, they talked about random things, mostly Altur asking about the crew she sailed with. Gen told him about the members and she also told him about Alabasta's incident with the demons that wanted her dead. He promised to look into it once the Merry was sailing safely on the waves of the Blue Sea.

In some point, their feet had taken them to a clearing. It wasn't that they hadn't passed some clearings already, but this was very different compared to them.

"What... in the world...?"

The ground was scorched, grey and dry. Several cracks ran like scars in the ground and the first trees in the tree line were leafless. Somehow even the sky looked dull.

"This can't be good," Altur muttered. "Look at those trees. They died standing up... and the grass, it's as if life was sucked out of this place..."

"It looks _dead_," Gen said grimly.

"We better take a detour. This way," he took her hand and started leading her away from the place.

She stopped, an unpleasant tremor running down her spine. "No... it's too late."

The wind picked up and raised a cloud of dust. Altur shielded them with his wings, and once the cloud settled again they saw a big mass of... something sitting at the centre of the dead area. When it shifted Gen saw that the thing was actually _someone_ with two black, enormous wings that swept the ground due their size. The person was completely drowned in his own feathers, but she could see him now.

Black, unruly hair, half falling half sticking up into every direction. He had tattered, loose pants that had tears and rips all around, and the fabric looked like it was ready to fall apart in fibers. His upper body was bony and he looked sick, the skin was pale and stretched over him like thin paper. The sides of his mouth pointed downwards and the eyes in his otherwise emotionless face rolled around before they focused on his visitors. He didn't have irises at all... just the huge pupil and some veins crisscrossing on the eyeballs.

Altur grasped her shoulder.

"_**Whhooo... goes there?**_" he rasped.

"Wh-what do we do?" Gen whispered.

"If it comes down to a fight, I'll handle it. I am your guard," he answered her.

"**_WHO GOES THERE!_****?**" the creature demanded. His eyes rolled around again, independent from each other.

"I am sir. Altur Terentun, and this is Her Highness's daughter, lady Gloria. Who might you be?"

The creature tilted his head to hear better, and his clawed hand scratched his cheek. A piece of skin peeled off. **_"I have not known my name in a long, long time... but in the end, names do not matter. Everything is meaningless... futile is the fight for life, when we all will still die in time. Then we are forgotten, and no names remain to be remembered... when there is no one to remember us... no one to remember, no one who remembers..._**" he kept babbling.

"Gee, all you did was ask who he was..." Gen sweatdropped. The guy seemed to snap out of it, and his eyes were directed again at them. He had been crouching earlier, the wings flooding everywhere, but now he stood up.

"**_You... are meaningless. You will die sooner or later... like they all will. Only I will stay, undying..." _****he hissed bitterly. There was a small presence at the back of her mind telling that something was lethally wrong. Her instincts were telling her to flee rather than fight.****_ "I am one that was tossed out of time, yet rejected by the other world. Now I am here, under this false God's wing, to punish the sinful._**"

"Hey, is he a demon?" Gen asked.

"Can't be sure yet..."

His eyes rolled a whole 360. "**_Everything dies. There will be no salvation._**"

"W-w-wait!" Gen crossed her arms in protection, since suddenly the weird and dangerous man was upon them. One fast kick from him was enough to send Altur crashing to a tree which turned into powder from the impact. It kinda reminded her of Crocodile's power.

"Altur!"

"**_Why struggle? One day, your feeble life will wilt. What difference does it make if you die now or then?_**" he started walking towards her.

'_This guy's seriously messed up!_' she took a step back. There was a fierce yell as Altur returned to give payback. He drew his fist back and went for a slice but it didn't have much effect because of the thick feathers.

"**_If you must curse me,_**" the man spread his hands, "_**then call me Kalma!**_*"

He grinned like a lunatic and opened his wings. Hundreds of feathers flew around, razor sharp and giving her shallow cuts upon contact. Altur lunged at him again, Kalma flicking him away with his wing. The demon landed next to Gen in a crouch, eyes hard and looking for weaknesses.

"You okay there?"

"Yeah I am. Ow! These are like thousands of freakin' paper cuts!" she touched gingerly at one on her cheek.

"So you're fine."

"What the netherworld is he?" Gen asked, tilting her head. "Some mutated Skypiean?"

"No, I'm quite sure that he's a demon. But... his core has been tainted by something," he shook his head.

"Core... like, the demon's heart? How do you know that he's a demon anyway?" she asked.

"'A liar knows a liar, a demon knows a demon'," he shrugged. "All I needed was a short contact with him."

Kalma attacked again, but he didn't catch Altur off guard. They were but a blur in the sky, exchanging rapid blows and cuts to each other. Even though Kalma's wings were huge they didn't slow him down any and they worked efficiently as both weapon and impenetrable defence. With every slash against Kalma there were both sparks and broken feathers. Her guard was successful on delivering a cut across Kalma's chest. The black angel did not appreciate it, and Altur was smacked aside again only to return to the battle immediately.

The third trip to the ground almost hit her too. She stepped back in surprise: Altur had shed his human disguise. Now he had the head and a neck of a bird, lean build, a long feathery tail, bird's feet and four wings, each having a claw on them. His back was black and his front was white.

"I _must_ draw you when we get back," Gen grinned in delight.

"**Yeah, if we survive this,**" he growled with a glass clear, high pitched voice. That if something raked her ears.

Kalma charged at them wordlessly and Altur pushed her down in a heartbeat. Gen looked in horror as he was impaled by a hand. Almost black blood dripped on her shirt and in her hair.

The hand was retracted and Altur coughed before an apologetic smile played on his beak and eyes. "**Sorry... now I messed your pretty white hair.**"

"You have a hole in you," she said numbly. This was a little too real to her.

Kalma grabbed Altur by the neck and moved him from his way. Gloria was scared, but she tried to push it aside. She knew she was pretty strong after coming to the One Piece world, and she reminded herself over and over again how she'd survived to this day through all the craziness.

The man's eyes rolled again adding to his already insane look, and a totally useless thought clicked in her head that Kalma was unable to close his eyes or blink. He didn't have eyelids, but that didn't explain why his eyes darted around like they'd had a mind of their own.

Kalma held her shoulders in an iron grip, his claws digging in her flesh. Gen found herself paralysed under Kalma's endless, uncaring gaze when it finally steadied itself. She couldn't say anything, she couldn't move a muscle and there was a nasty feel of liquid ice being poured in her. Her vision started swimming and her breathing turned hard, each one being more difficult to draw. Her skin crawled and she started shivering, her body's last attempt to remain warm.

So... so cold...

The world went dark, the big, deadly wings wrapping around the two.

* * *

><p>Altur had seen his charge being swallowed up by Kalma. With a shrill cry he rammed into him as hard as he could, but it took two times more to finally get him let go of her. He kneeled right next to her and tried her pulse as carefully as he could with his claws, and to his horror he didn't feel anything.<p>

Her pale skin had gone unnaturally white and her blue lips were still slightly apart. No breath went through them and his blood seemed to be the only color in her.  
>Something fell to the pit of his stomach.<p>

"**You... YOU BASTAAAAARD!**_**!**_**!**" he screamed, attacking blindly as a furious demon he was.

Altur had lived long - at least longer than Greg, ha! - and he had seen many battles in which men (_and women_) had fallen on both sides, both in human and in spirit realm. He was the captain of the Zephyr, the head troops of His Highness, and he'd never failed a mission so important as this. Gloria was dead, and he lost his cool for the first time in 1200 years. Demons were naturally violent beings, the animalistic sides only reigned by the gods themselves, and it was a feat to survive that long without snapping.

Too much was too much, though.

Kalma didn't say a thing, just took on the angry jabs, himself delivering many. The black and white demon was bleeding profusely but didn't care about that at the moment. All he wanted was just to_ kill that son of a bitch!_

* * *

><p>Darkness. Absolute lack of anything, actually. It was both painfully cold and soothing at the same time, and all her sense of time was swept away. Slowly, all of her little and large worries dissolved, leaving a blissful oblivion in it's wake. Emptiness, in which she slowly started to forget herself.<p>

After some time - it could've been mere seconds or thousands of years for all the same - she felt something foreign on her arm. It was weird and curious, and her mind found the word '_warmth_' for it. It wasn't just the feeling, but she saw that there was a splotch of '_light_' on it. She turned her hand in wonderment, trying to catch the thing in her hands, but every time it appeared on top of her chasing hands.

'_Ray of light_', something said. '_And it comes from a source_.'

What was this '_source_' the voice spoke of? She wanted to know. Once she determined where it was coming from she started following it.

'_So this is a ray of light_.'

Suddenly something was pulling on her, preventing her from moving forward.

"**Stay... here...**" a pleading voice said. "**There is nothing for you...**"

'_He is lying,_' the first voice hissed. '_This is not where you belong._'

She kicked half-heartedly; maybe she'd get onward a little?

"**There is no life. There is no death. Stay here, and never suffer. Please, don't leave me!**"

'_This is a lie. Wake up!_' she felt a violent push on her back and her skin tingled. '_You don't belong here!_'

Everything was drowned into lights, colors, shades and events that she vaguely called _'memories'_.

_'M Gen._

First thing she heard was a heartbroken, angry sob. Again she found that she couldn't move, but this time it wasn't because of fear or some weird in-between existing but just normal exhaustion.

She also registered that it was Altur who was crying over her, still in his demon form, his two top wings folded and the lower two acting like hands. He was sputtering nonsense about 'wrath of the gods' and 'failing in mission'.

"S'o... s'op it..." her tongue was stiff and tired like everything else, but slowly gaining suppleness. "S'op bein' a crybaby, Allie...!"

"**Lady? Gloria! You okay!**_**?**_" he was freaking out. "**Are you hurt!**_**?**_"

"Nnnh... Dunnoh... Do I look okay t' you?" she slurred drowsily.

"**You're so pale, and your breathing stopped...! I never thought you'd-!**" another sob raked him. Really, it was just plain miserable and pathetic seeing him like this.

"Stop it. What happened?" Gen tried to get up and sitting.

"**I got it, I finally got it!**" he dried his tears and smiled. "**Kalma - I didn't recognize him immediately, but I might've heard of him!**"

"Heard of him? What?" she was confused. She looked around to see the surrounding landscape a lot more tree-less and the dead area in the middle of the forest had grown in size. There were several uprooted trees (!_!_?_?_), big rocks where there certainly hadn't been large rocks before and the ground looked, if possibly, even more tattered. Plus, everywhere was blood and still silently fluttering black and white feathers.

There was a half of a big wing sticking from under a pile of boulders.

"**Kalma, or Friedric Harvester as I know him, was once one of The Judge's servants. He-**"

There was a low rumble and a thump as one of the bigger boulders was pushed off of Kalma, Friedric, whatever.

"**You've gotta be kidding me!**" Altur groaned. Gen remembered the big injury he had taken for her, and zoomed in on his soaked chest, once white, now red. He looked tired. Then Gen looked back at Kalma, who was shaking himself up much like a dog, a delusional look on his face. He couldn't even walk straight but staggering as he tried to stay upright. He opened his mouth and his tongue lolled out.

"Eew. What happened to him?" she grimaced.

"**Long story short, he went mad.**"

"Oh, never noticed that."

"**I mean, from a normal state to mad and then to... this,**" he gestured.

Kalma let out an eerie chuckle and licked his lips. He raised his hand at them-

"**SHIT!**" Altur shouted and grabbed Gen before bolting. She saw why only moment later, when a big, electric blue and black blast of something made a crater right where they had been.

"That looks bad," she commented.

"**No duh! Now get your ass moving, I'm taking him out and I want you anywhere but here!**" he pushed her buttocks with his palms as a sign to go.

"What? No! I wanna 'elp ya!"

"**How!**_**?**_** You almost **_**died**_** there!**_**!**_"

"But-!"

"**Don't argue with me right now.**"

"I- But- You're hurt, Altie! There's a freakin' HOLE in you and you look pretty cooked up to me!" she placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.

"**Tough luck, missy. Now, chop chop.**"

"Oi, who do you think I am?"

"**The only daughter of Her Highness, my charge, and if you die I'm screwed,**" his bird face was not amused.

"_Exactly_."

"**Duck!**"

"Where?"

_BOOM!_

Altur was very quick and she shook her head from the dizzy feeling when they moved away from the next blast.

"Is he really that slow between attacks or are we some kind of entertainment to him?" She asked evenly.

"**The longer he loads, the bigger the blast.**"

"Gotcha."

"**YOU'RE NOT GOING TO FIGHT!**"

"Oh, umm, ah-ha, whatever. Now, what works on this guy?" they rounded behind a tree when another blast destroyed the rock they were using as a shelter.

"**Well, taken that he literally sucks the life out of objects, we can't go anywhere near him.**"

"Great, another Crocodile?" she sighed.

"**No, whereas he dried whatever he touched, this guy just sucks the LIFE out of it. Do you know what happens to water when life is sucked out of it?**"

"No?"

_BOOM!_

"**It becomes just liquid, with no value, no oxygen, nothing. It 'dies',**" he said. "**But it's still there.**"

"So not cool. Okay, we kick his ass without touching him!" she grinned.

"**How?**"

"Aaa... hmm... How do you-"

_BOOM!_

"Eeek!" the blast came dangerously close to them. Altur grabbed Gen with his feet and flew them to a tree. They rested their backs on the tree's trunk.

"**What were you saying?**"

"How can one kill a demon?" she panted.

"**Well, he was originally a beastial, so I guess normal lop-off-da-ugly-head works, but he's become something completely different from what he used to be. He's not really a voider, nor is he really a normal demon...**" he raddled on.

"A voider?"

"**A void demon.**"

"'Kay. Lets go with the 'lop-off' then," she nodded with determination. She felt a lot better than only five minutes ago. "Where do I get a weapon?"

"**Oi...**"

"I have killed before, you know," she said. "No big deal. Now, something pointy..."

Altur placed a hand on her mouth, when they heard a dry, rustling sound. The leaved of the tree that they were sitting in turned yellow and if they didn't fall off in time they turned brown. The demon grabbed her again and flew them high to the sky. Kalma's plan to drive them out of their hiding place was a success, and in the air they were easy targets. A rain of blasts was directed at them and they had to fall back to the forest's cover.

"He's killing the entire place!" Gen's voice was high pitched. "Noooo! We must save the squirrels!"

"**Okay, okay, quit it. Wait, I think I got it... Let's head back to where this started.**" A good thing that he had still kept the directions clear, they got to the opening without getting lost. Kalma spotted them and chased them through the dead and dying forest. He engaged Altur to a hand-to-hand combat, and the strong gust of wind that blew around them became very soon a small-ish tornado.

"Wait, what should I do!_?_" Gen asked.

Kalma made a rather impressive twirl in the air to defend himself from one of Altur's attacks, but it also sent those deadly feathers all around. From previous experience, she tried to dodge the most of it, but she still ended up with at least ten different sized feathers sticking out of her arms POINTY END UP!

"Agh! That... bastard...! Hey! Little more careful there!"

"**Soorrryyyyy- guah!**"

"I said BE CAREFUL!_!_"

Once she was plucking the damn feathers out of her, she noticed that even when she had been pelted in numerous of them, not all had done damage. Some of them laid harmless on the ground, and when she compared the two to each other, she noticed something interesting. Interesting, but not really THAT important. The other feather was just regular, black, soft feather, and the other had a metal-like gleam in it, the edge looking like a knife.

She looked around the grounds. "Hey Altur! Can a feather big enough be used as a sword!" Gen grimaced in empathy as the fracture of a second he got distracted he plummeted to the ground. "Soorryyy!"

"**WATCH OUT!**" he yelled, and she was surprised to find Kalma right in her face again.

"Not this time!" she fell on her back to the ground and kicked him off, the bottom of her shoes aging in front of her eyes. Letting out an offended 'hey!' the girl watched as her trusty sneakers fell apart. "You lousy excuse of a bird! Those were my best shoes!"

"**Gen! There!**" Altur was getting up from the rubble, beat and coughing up blood, and one of his four wings was pointing to a rather big feather sticking to the ground. She nodded that she'd seen it and started running. The enemy had come to a conclusion as what was her objective and moved to cut her off before that.

Gen was well aware that Kalma was much faster than she was, and as expected he caught her only a breath away from the sword like feather. Altur appeared right over Kalma's winged back and tried to inflict some damage, but he was blocked and thrown away for the last time. All the same, it gave Gloria the needed one and a half seconds that it took to reach out, grab the quill and...

_SLICE_

_THUMP_

She chose to close her eyes when the head rolled, even when she could hear a weird ripping sound from behind her. Sitting frozen in that position Gen shrieked when she finally felt a tap on her shoulder.

"**Hey hey hey, it's okay, it's just me, Altur,**" the demon raised his hands when the feather was shoved in his face. He was back in his human form, looking even worse than before as a birdie.

Under their gaze, it started glowing and turning into small, golden specks of light.

"What...?"

"**Look, it's happening all around,**" he pointed out. True, the whole place was full of that same gold.

A flurry of soft light was filling the air around them. Where once had been a, ugh, a corpse of a winged demon, was now only lots and lots of golden feathers. Gen was gaping at the scene, looking how the ground seemed to gain what it had lost long ago. There was something in the air that made her mind humble, when the wind picked up and grabbed the feathers.

From the mass emerged a figure, a young man, who smiled happily and his face told relief. He waved and dissolved with the feathers.

* * *

><p>Some time ago when they were back in the forest and on track, Altur took care of her injuries - cuts, cuts, cuts, a bigger wound on the whole length of her arm and even <em>more<em> cuts - and conjured up a small fire before retreating into the comb. Now it also came clear to her as why the comb's back was so thick: it opened up to a pair of red, ridiculous butterfly wings.

When she was done laughing, they sat in comfortable silence, Gen eating what fruit and little critters the man had found and roasted on the fire.

"You said something about Kalma before," she remembered.

"Yeah, as I said I used to know that guy. Friedric Harvester," the comb wriggled to make himself feel more comfortable on the bed of soft, dried grass. There was some stuck between his spikes, too, and it was a bit weird to think of a sitting comb.

Well, she'd seen a coat rack serve her chocolate cake, so...

"It's a well known story: Friedric was one of the Old Veterans, those who have lived during two generations of gods. You know how I've told you about The Judge?"

"Yeah. I was wondering, I got this book Great History from Greg, but it didn't have a single picture of him," she said. "But what's he got to do with Freddy?"

Altur chuckled, so she could tell he was smiling. "The Judge chooses from time to time some people to help him in his job, don't ask me what it is. It's common belief that he only picks Old Veterans, and to serve The Judge is considered a big honor. It's a bit weird, though, the gods are the highest beings in the world, yet The Judge can deny or order them do something however he wishes to."

"Why?" she asked flatly and took a bite from something that had had six feet and scales.

"The Judge... is eternal. He knows nearly everything he goes on in the world, in past, present and in the future."

"Nearly?"

"The world is supposed to roll without the gods' interference, so whatever they do is in their own record. The gods, however, can influence a human or a demon to do something for them, and the moment they are given the order The Judge knows of it and its every little consequence. Ah, it's stuff that gives one hell of a headache," he sighed.

"Yeah... I get it. But what's that all got to do with Friedric again?" she was getting impatient.

"Keep your pants on... or...?"

"_ALTUR._"

"Hahaha, hai, lil' lady! Hmm... Friedric got chosen by The Judge, but after some time he was starting to get depressed. The Judge's work isn't really that fun," he said with a grimace.

"How do you know?"

"I... I've been in his 'office'..." he said in obvious shame. He then coughed and continued: "Friedric by the story got depressed because while he was gone, his mother, brother and wife were murdered. He blamed it on His Highness and The Judge, cursed the gods and left the spirit realm, that's how we call the Underworld, to the human realm. He made the mistake not to tie himself to a vessel first, and that was a very amateur thing to do. A demon dies, or worse, without one."

"Yeah, I know that... But, if the Judge knew what he was going to do, why'd he let him?" she frowned. "We could've died!"

"The Judge always chooses to push the world to the best direction and he makes no exceptions."

"He sounds like a funny guy," she rolled her eyes in sarcasm. "I can still understand that. If you have to think of major good over an individual, you can't start suddenly having emotions like that," she stretched her arms.

They were silent for a moment before Altur said slowly: "By the way... When someone yells 'duck!' you don't ask 'where?'."

"Eh? Why?" she frowned. "If you say 'duck', I automatically assume there's one somewhere. And I like ducks. Kinda reminds me of Sanji." A big fat yawn escaped her. "Do you think we have time for a nap?"

"Yeah... go to sleep, but don't drop your guard. I can't help you as I am now."

She blinked and yawned. "Yeah... wake me up in a moment... we _*yawn*_ have ta go... t'others..."

* * *

><p>After Altur woke her up and they cleaned their small camp, they started walking. The comb fluttered next to her much like a real butterfly, occasionally taking rest on her head.<p>

"Are you sure this is the right way? I mean, there's no one here," she glanced at him.

"Complaining?"

"No. Just wondering," she touched gingerly at her cheek that had a cut on it. She'd had to take her shirt off when Altur bandaged her. That could've been a lot more awkward if he hadn't been taking his job like a professional. Gen was glad that she hadn't had too much valuables on her, they could've gotten damaged.

Her hand dropped from her cheek to The Locket of The Hydra.

"Friedric must've been lonely," he said softly. "To lose his mind like that completely."

"Still talking about that..." she rolled her shoulder. "Yeah... You know, when I was in that dark place..."

"Dark place?" the comb swivelled to fly backwards.

"Oh hey, neat, didn't know that butterflies could do that! Yeah, the dark place, where I was after Kalma almost killed me. I heard voices. One wanted me to stay in there, and by what you told me that could've been his, it sounded like him, and so lost... Hey, are you _really_ sure this is the right way?" she asked again.

"I am, I am! I went scouting the place after you went to sleep, I took the direction from some south birds I saw."

"You left me alone!" she snapped and tried to grab the comb, but it slipped from her reach. "I COULD'VE DIED!_!_"

"But you didn't."

"Come down here so I can-!"

They walked on some more, and more, and then they saw the first signs of the battle raging over the Upper Yard: a fried... goatman.

"That's a fried goatman."

"Enforcements, they work directly under the God. First Gan Fall, now Enel."

"Oh yeah..." she poked the fried goatman.

"Stop that!" the comb stabbed her head with the spikes.

"Yeah, but we can't just leave him like this," she decided. "Let's eat him?"

"HE'S NOT A GOAT!_!_!"

The man coughed and twitched, and she kneeled next to him. "'Ey, ya okay?"

"_*Cough*_ Wha- _*cough*_ What happened...? Who are you? Where's that _*cough*_ bastard guerrilla?_!_" his face twisted from sudden alarm.

"Hey hey hey, take it easy. I see no chimps here, nor anyone else for that matter. You though seem a bit worn out," she looked around the place while she talked and looked then back to the man who eyed her suspiciously but wasn't ready to bolt anymore.

"Meeh~ _*cough*_ You... are one of the Blue Sea dwellers then?"

"Ahhahaha... yeah..." she rubbed the back of her head. "B-B-But I'm not a threat! Don't do anything funny to me, or, or, or I use this comb no you!" she grabbed the demon who started protesting loudly.

"A talking... moving... comb... Use a comb on me...?" he burst to laugh, but it stopped short when another coughing fit grabbed him.

"I'm serious!" she pouted.

"No, don't worry... I'm not good for fighting today anymore, either," he wiped his eyes.

"Whoo, good," she lowered the comb. "If you're okay now, I need to go. I want to go see Enel get his butt kicked. He's not fit for a god... or God for that matter. I have something I'd love to tell him," she hit her palm. The goat sweatdropped. "But you've been awfully docile towards me... I remember everyone shooting anything that moves in this forest," she furrowed her eyebrows.

"I'm just tired, miss. I'm already out of this game, meeh~!" he shook his head lightly.

"Okay. Altie, let's go! There's a God in need of a reality check!" she grinned evilly and got up. "Bye bye, fried-goatman-that-I-couldn't-eat!"

"You seriously wanted to eat him?_!_"

"Of course not! What do you think I am, a goat eater? Nah, goats are too cute to be eaten~!" she winked at the guy who was still looking at the odd duo walking away. His face went red and he let out a weak, nervous 'meeph'.

"Come on, let's just get to the others..."

"Oh!" she realized so suddenly that she stopped in her tracks. "The Giant Jack!"

"What about it?"

"We need to go there! It's south, right? And that's the place the main fighting is going to take place so... Enel is there! Hahaa! Now I'll catch him!" she wore a bloodlusty smile.

"You and what army?" Altur scoffed.

"Well, you?"

"I'm out of business for... another half an hour. Would you take it easy 'till then?" he asked.

"Mouu, that long?" she deflated.

"Yup. But we'll never reach the place if we just stand here. I know where the Giant Jack is. Let's go," the comb landed in her hair again, looking like a delicate ornament.

"Haaai!" she said full of energy and started walking.

* * *

><p>*Kalma = stench of death<p>

So there it was. Since it's already 40 chapters, it's time for another extra, don't you think?

* * *

><p><strong>ExtRRRRa<strong>

-_What if Enel wanted to marry Gloria?_

They looked at each other. What Gen saw was a freaky, frozen-chicken-colored guy with way too long earlobes and a huge piercing in the skin of his back.

What Enel saw was no human: Aphrodite, Venus, a beautiful goddess with the whitest of white hair, glittering in the sunlight even more beautifully than all gold he could ever gather, her eyes as blue as the sky they lived in and her pink, plump lips in a small curve _(downwards)_.

"My Lady! Do not look at this man, he is not worth your goddess' purity! He will dirten the air you breath!" Greg frowned.

"Yeah... let's go... over there."

"Muhahahaha! You are worthy of me! You shall be my wife!" Enel decided, grabbed her by the waist and ran awa-

"...you know that devil's fruit users get weak when they get too close to me?" Gen asked with a flat tone and a sweatdrop.

_*Enel falls down*_

*_A sword appears in front of his vision*_

"What was that talk about 'a wife'...?"

A green-haired demon appeared.


	41. Can't grasp the grace

Argh, it's so late it should be a crime... somehow I've recently just lost my interest in anything in life... even life itself... But! I'm alive! And writing, though I should be reading like crazy to my math's test, since I failed it earlier. *_sag_* So, please forgive me?

Gloria: No.

Snoara: Waaah!

* * *

><p>They encountered more fallen men both guerrillas and enforcements of Enel, but they were already beyond help. One wimpy goatman tried to sucker them, but her reflexes were working and one more person was added to the pile.<p>

"Nice!" Altur commented.

"Hihihi, I'm becoming a little better in this!" she grinned. "Man, I was a kitten in the start. Now I'm a tigerrr!"

"Just stick with the 'grown up cat' for now, okay?" he sweatdropped.

"TIGERRR!" she roared. "Oh hey. I'm walking on clouds."

They had arrived to the edge of the ruins, so they were now close to the right place. She 'whoppee'ed and ran with her shoeless feet on the soft clouds, Altur's warnings going to deaf ears. Gloria didn't watch where she was going and so she hit her toes on a loose stone.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Altur asked, but he sounded more annoyed than concerned.

"No, the rock just liked me so much it wanted to kiss my feet, and then the cloud wanted a hug," she grit her teeth. "Why is it that all the smallest things hurt the most?"

"That sounded surprisingly smart," he admitted. "Hey, look at this."

"What is it?" she started to untangle her hair.

"All these stones have been moved and broken recently. All the plants growing on them are out of place," he landed elegantly on one of the long roots webbing the place.

"Hey, you're right. You think someone fought here?" she got up and looked around a little better. "Hey, what if it was one of the guys? Hmm... Who did they fight again? Zoro did the... uh, no, I don't re- no wait, it was that guy with the dog!" she spoke her thoughts. "And Choppie did the swamp-moron, right? Luffy got eaten by the stupid snake... what did Robin do?"

"I may have not seen the future, but I'm pretty sure she got through without much problems. She was the only one who knew where south was..." Altur's spikes moved like little feet.

"In that case she must be there already. Come on, let's go!" she urged him on and left running. Gen had had enough of being alone in the forest, and she felt naked without her bag. 'I'mma kill Greg if he loses me pencil case!'

"WAIT UP!" Altur went after her. "_BESIDES IT'S THIS WAY!_!"

The Giant Jack could be seen miles away from where it grew and it was a good landmark for them after they found it. It took them almost forever to reach the Giant Jack (_in her mind_) and she was panting harshly once they finally reached a suspicious black hole in the ruins near the beanpole.

"Yo...! Is tha... 's that it?"

"Yeah...! You dumbass! Don't go running... like that...!" the two hours it took him to gather himself had passed and he'd returned to be a human. There were no marks of any fighting on him.

"'Allooo!" she yelled to the tunnel. Her echo ricocheted from the walls and returned to her. "_'Allooo... ooo... ooo...!_"

"Let's go, we could be the last ones for all we know," Altur sighed and started walking.

"'Kay~! Tun-nel, tun-nel, tun-nel..." she started chanting, making the whole tunnel echo. "Look~ at the light~ in the end of the tun-nel~! Walk towards~ the light~ at the end of it~! Tun-nel, tun-nel, tun- oh, it ended..."

The Giant Jack was even closer to them now, standing tall in the middle of the ruins. These too were taken by the time, but in better condition than the stuff on the other end of the tunnel. There was also this Maya-pyramid-like building.

"Wait there's someone there!" Altur whispered went into his 'save the demigoddess' -mode, pulling her behind a wall. Then the demon climbed on the said wall to see who it was, gasped, and ran off... Screaming Robin's name in delight.

"Robin?" Gen muttered and followed him in a lot calmer pace. "Robin-nee~!" she waved her hand once she saw that the man had bee right. "Neesan...!" and suddenly she felt teary, her throat constricting. She ran the last few meters and clung to the woman, not caring that they fell down to a heap. "_Wuaaaaaa! Robin-neeesaaaaan! I almost dieeeed~!_"

"Nhh... It's nice to see you too... Odd... chan... Please get off..." she gasped.

"Oh... *_sniff_* Sorry... *_sob_* I'll gather myself just now," she wiped her face and sat to the side. She now saw that Robin wasn't in her top condition. "Were you in a fight?"

"Yes, a fool who didn't regard the value of these magnificent ruins," a dark cloud that promised a silent assassination to someone formed over her. "You found here at last."

"Yeah... sorry we took so long. We bumped into trouble. _Uwaaah_, I was in a confusing, dark place~!" Anime tears fell on her face again.

"So, is this the Golden City?" Altur asked, looking over the ruins.

"I don't know, there's something very strange in this... the surface area and the displacements just don't make any sense. It's so unnatural..." she was looking over her book, poking it with a pen. "Unless..."

"I didn't get any what you said, but could it be that, since islands are generally pretty heavy, and this place is made of cloud, that the island would've sunk a little over time...?" she tilted her head and put a finger on her lower lip. "And that the place sunk into the sky ocean?"

"...Something along the way," Robin sighed and sweatdropped at her. "There's only one way to find out."

The archaeologist pulled out a knife and started cutting blocks from the cloud. Altur chose to help her with the task, while Gen just gathered the blocks and made a soft castle out of them. She wasn't needed, since the two seemed to fair well on their own.

"Oh?" Altur's surprised voice finally said and she crawled out of her castle to peek over the railing.

"You found the bottom?" she asked and started sliding down the side of the pit with Robin's gear. There seemed to be a space between the clouds where they all dropped. Gen refused Altur's help and just jumped down with a cheer, the ground being soft and puffing out like dust, or in this case, mist.

"Ahh~ it's so much more better when I know where I'm going," Gen smiled blissfully. "Or at least SOMEONE knows where I'm going. And Robin is here~! I don't need to be alone~!"

"_I'm_ here," Altur reminded her with a knock to the head.

She pouted. "Of course! But a girl needs a girl's company, too!"

Robin looked around and took both her bag and her white cowboy hat. "What a big place... As I thought, there's another level to the ruins."

"Oh, so it's like that," she nodded. "Hahaha, you must think I'm an idiot~!"

Robin didn't answer that, but started leading them down a flight of stairs and through corridors. They were old, the air was dry and moss was covering many of the ancient statues. The vines and roots grew here, too, but they were somewhat soft and bendy.

"Ah," a warm smile spread on her face and a faraway look came to her eyes. "This reminds me..."

"What does it remind you of?" Altur asked. They were both talking with low voices, since all the noise seemed to tenfold. Not a sound had reached this place in such a long time, and it was a little sad that it had been left alone in time.

"You wouldn't understand," she giggled softly. _'Final Fantasy XII, Raithwall's tomb...'_

Robin's steps had turned more hurried, she was so eager to find the historical City of Gold that she was practically trembling. Gen and Altur let her run, and caught up with her at the last corridor. The doorway was grown almost closed with the vines, and she was now cutting them efficiently. A light twinkled at the end of it.  
>The last obstacle was removed and she dashed. Gen shouted after her to be careful, and Robin either didn't hear her or wasn't listening (<em>she suspected it to be the latter<em>). This concluded that the woman almost fell off a cliff when the floor suddenly just wasn't continuing. She was heard to pant after the short run and gasp at the view in front of them. Robin smiled a genuine smile, and Gen couldn't help but to smile too.

And the view was awesome, by the way.

"Long ago... the city of Shandra suddenly fell. It certainly doesn't seem that way," they were sitting on the edge.

"Woah..."

"Yeah, woah..."

"This is the City of Gold, Shandra!"

"Come on! Let's not just sit here! Let's go look at it!" Gen grinned widely and jumped off without thinking much.

"_GEN_!" Altur's eyes bugged out. Robin giggled and followed her example.

Whoever built the place had been incredibly talented: statues, reliefs, intrigue carvings of all kinds, but it all had one thing in common.

"This looks like a Mayan temple!" she realized.

"A Mayan temple?" Robin asked.

"You mean you don't know?" Gen was dumbstruck. "Well... they were people who lived sometime 3000 years ago in where I come from, and they were really good at astrology, calendars and calculating. They even predicted the end of the world!"

"Ah..." Robin just said.

"But, you know, you shouldn't mix two worlds' worth of history in one lifetime. It would just be frustrating, since I'm your only source to that."

"Ah... Right..." she still looked a bit too interested in things she knew, by the intense flame behind her eyes. "But you said this place looks like Mayan temples?"

"Yeah. Look at those statues! And that head coming out of the wall! That's exactly like them," she pointed the thing out. "What is that anyway? A feline or something? I believe Mayan culture worshipped jaguars... or panthers."

"Gen! Look at this!" Altur pointed to some other wall. There was a relief of a warrior fighting with a dude with one, two, three... seven snake's heads.

"Cool... Hey, where'd Robin go?" she noticed her absence. "Don't tell me we got lost again? Roobiiin_!_?"

"I... I'm here!"

They followed her voice into the ruins, where she was staring at a big, very familiar cube...

"A Poneglyph!" she chirped.

"It's here, in plain view, the ancient script of the Poneglyphs. Only the people who made them should've been able to use this script. 'Keep thy motives in heart, with closed mouth. We are those who will weave history with the ringing of the Great Belfry...' That's right. There was a large golden bell here. It was in Norland's logbook."

"You know, I think she's talking to herself," Gen sweatdropped as she continued on rambling about burnt books, until she stopped talking at all. Altur and Gen just shrugged and followed her like lambs.

They stood in front of the Giant Jack, Robin snapping the book in her hands closed.

"So basically there should be an altar with a big golden bell... on that spot?"

"Yes, in the middle of the four altars."

"The Poneglyph said so," Altur was looking up the vegetable.

"You can read them too?"

"Yeah. When I was a kid I read all my school books in that stupid language," he frowned. "Such a pain in the A, I say."

"Hmm..." Gen looked around. "If this is the City of Gold, shouldn't there BE gold somewhere?"

"A very good question..." the demon nodded.

"The city must've protected the Poneglyph, so many years ago, to fall like this," Robin spoke. "But what happened to the world then...?"

They all looked around, and Gen spotted something out of the place. Robin had noticed too, that there were cart rails going right under their feet.

"Something big was moved," Altur stated.

"They look quite new!" Robin said.

"Yahahahaha!" someone laughed, causing them all to turn towards the visitor. "Isn't it magnificent? Even after being shot into the sky, this ancient city still exists in all its grandeur. Shandra... The poor city was hidden in the clouds, with no one to admire it. I was the one who discovered it. My foolish predecessors had no idea of its existence."

"Oh. Him. Ooh! An apple!" Gen's eyes sparkled. "No, wait, that guy's touched it. Ew."

"...And you are?" Robin asked.

"God." He sounded way too satisfied saying that. It literally took all her willpower not to burst out laughing, and she heard a small 'pop' coming somewhere from her head. "I'm impressed. You are an archaeologist from the Blue Sea, correct? It took us several moths to find these ruins... Was the process simplified by your ability to read those writings?"

"..." Robin didn't have anything to say, and Altur's hand slipped on her arm to calm her down. She didn't know what kind of face she was making, but his steely eyes prevented her from doing anything stupid.

Enel munched on his apple. "Unfortunately the gold's all gone now. You're a few years too late."

"You are the one who took it, aren't you?" Robin asked.

"Yes, I am. That shining material quite suits me."

"...I'll tell him WHAT suits 'im..."

"So, you took the golden bell, too?"

"Golden bell...?" he wiped the juice dripping from the side of his mouth and finished the apple in peace. "Very interesting! What did you learn by reading those runes?"

"Nothing new, unfortunately. If it wasn't here when you arrived, then the bell probably didn't reach the sky," Robin sighed. "The Shandrians were really proud of their golden bell and the belfry it was in... but I was rather interested in the belfry..."

"Wait... it is! It's here. It _did_ get to the sky_!_!" he realized.

_'I wanna kick his ass so much, I wanna kick his ass so much, I wanna kick his ass so much... but it's not my job... I wanna kick his ass...'_

"400 years ago, when Upper Yard was born... that is when this island was blown into the sky, a ringing sound of bell was heard throughout the country. The old men there call it 'the song of the island'... So this bell was made of gold!" Talk about greed... "Fascinating! As soon as the game is over, that is, in eight minutes, I'll just look around this place! Yahahaha...!"

Then he seemed to notice something and raised his hand up. A bluish-whitish lightning charged on his upper body and shot out through the cloud above them.

"What was that!_?"_ Robin asked.

"Mercy. I extended a hand of salvation to a maggot writhing in pain and set him free. That is God's duty, after all."

"Oh that_ DOES IT!_!" Gen ripped herself from Altur's hold and took two steps. He stared at her in mild mix of surprise and boredom. "HOW DARE YOU CALL YOURSELF A GOD!_?_ I MEAN, _WHAT THE FUDGE IS WRONG WITH YOU!_!_?_?"

"Lady...!"

"Odd-chan...!"

She let a shadow cast on her face. "Conis is a human. Pagaya is a human, and Robin-nee is a human. Well, Altie's not one, but that's not the point. You, Enel, are a _mock_ of a human being, trying desperately to grasp the grace of a god. I despise you, stupid human!" she spat on the ground.

"...Damn..."

"...!" Robin looked like Gen had just sealed her own death. That would've probably been the case if she weren't positive that devil's fruit didn't affect her. ...Right?  
>He laughed.<p>

"'Stupid human'? I am God! You're a fool to raise your voice against me like that, child! Ah, but it's always such a pity... when a lamb becomes a wolf!" He lifted his hand forward and started sparkling. After some jokes about vampires, Gen felt the hair on her arms stand up from the electricity in the air. The words 'oh sheet' flittered through her mind before Enel released the bolt.

Everything moved in slow motion, fear and shock on her friends' faces. She, though, was surprisingly calm, as she raised her arms to shield her eyes from the advancing light.

The air around her crackled, the lightning licked her skin... and seemed to decide that she wasn't that tasty. The bolt split in two, rounding her and touching again behind her. She wasn't sure what really happened to it, but it changed its direction upwards.

Then time returned to its normal course and she lowered her arms to see the wide eyes of Altur, Robin and Enel.

What does she say?

"That was interesting. And pretty... and now I'm seeing colors that I really shouldn't be able to see."

"What in the-_!_? Impossible! You were hit on straight_!_!" Enel looked pissed.

"Yeah... so?" she adapted a smug shit-eating grin. "I told you... you cannot grasp the grace of a god."

"You speak as if _you_ were God!" Enel said slyly.

Now she was just offended. "What? I never said that I was God. That's just a title! Being real is already hard... enough..."

_Rrrrruuummmbbbllllleeee..._

They all looked above them, where the lightning bolt had been redirected by accident. Now the ceiling cloud was collapsing due an enormous _hole_ in it, stuff falling down and...

"HOW THE NETHERWORLD DID THE SNAKE GET UP THERE!_?_" her eyes bulged out.

"Yeah, lil' lady, like that's the most biggest issue here..." Altur sweatdropped. Robin just danced out of the rubble's way while the demon had flown Gen to better safety.

When everything was positively immobile again, he set her down next to the archaeologist, who was regarding the damage Enel's power was able to do - even if it was an accident.

"Ruins... How did so many fall from above?"

"How should I know? More importantly, how is that cloud supporting itself if it's not attached to the Giant Jack anymore?" Gen peered up, where truly there was a void ring between the two.

The rubble in front of them moved slightly, and to her utter delight she saw the marimo, panting harsh, dirty and injured, and holding the unconscious Chopper under his arm.

"Swordsman-san!" Robin called out. "Did you fall down with the ruins?"

"Dammit!" he shoved the piece of wall... roof? Floor? Out of his way like it'd said something rude about his mother. "I almost died!"

"Yes, you should be dead. Most people would be..."

"Ne, don't look that surprised, you should know that monsters like him wouldn't die even if you tossed a nuke on them," Gen said as if it was a well known fact. "Much like cockroaches."

"Oh, it's you. (_"What the fudging kind of greeting was that!_?_"_) What is this place?" he looked around and ignored Gen's ranting.

"The place what we were looking for, the City of Gold," Robin answered.

"Oh? This is it?" he walked to them. "I didn't think it'd be way up here."

"Zoro! _Notice me!_" Gen put up her best impression of teary puppy-eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I noticed you. So, did you find the treasure?" he asked from the woman.

"Oh, come on, Altie, he doesn't care for us..." her lower lip quivered and she walked away with the demon's arm around her shoulder in a comforting manner. A hand clutched her belt, preventing her from going anywhere, and the demon received a scary glare. The arm around her shoulder quickly let go and the woodpecker backed off.

"No, there is no gold here."

"Yeah, the wannabe-God got to it before us," Gen grit her teeth. "Stupid-ass retard with no sense of real life... Yo, Marimo-kun?"

"Yeah?" he let go of her.

"Ye're bleedin' pretty bad," she pointed to his arms that both had long and deep gashes on them. "Did'ya wrestle with a wild cat?"

"No, just a priest with a dog, and that shitty snake," he looked to the poor reptile, which pulled it's head from the cloud and gasped for air. Then he got a good look at her. "What have _you_ been doing? Wrestling with a porcupine?"

"Nej, a big demon... bird... thingie with lots of pointy feathers."

"Can feathers be pointy?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Lad, you know _nothing_," she shook her head. "Ah, and I almost died." Zoro gave a dirty look at Altur again, making Gen sigh. "Cut it out, he saved my butt out there."

"Oh yeah," he remembered something, but it was in a fashion that he didn't like to remember it. "I found your bodyguard."

"Whut? Greg? Is my bag okay_!_?" she asked frantically. "...Where is it?"

"Somewhere..." he looked over the ruins and sweatdropped "...over there..."

"You...!" she glowered as a tick mark formed on her temple. She also kicked him painfully sharply to his shin.

When the big snake, however, gained it's bearings and noticed where it was, started turning it's head around... like it was looking for something.

She remembered, the snake's story.

Then it started wailing miserably, not finding what it was looking for, and Gen found a very strong urge to go and give it the biggest, warmest hug ever.

"What are you doing? That's very noisy, king of the sky," Enel asked and raised his hand. "YOU ANNOYING SNAKE!"

_Crack-ack-koom, FRIZZZZZZLE_

"OH NO! NAMI!_!_!" Zoro's hands clutched his hair. It was a bit sweet, seeing him care even for the money grubbing weather-witch.

"Eh!_?_ Zoro!_!_ Robin and Gen!" It was Nami, sitting almost directly next to them.

"WHY ARE YOU OVER THERE!_?_ When did you get out?"

"Why is Navigator-san here?" Robin wondered too.

"Never mind that. I'm okay, but... Luffy is... still in there..." the woman sagged.

"Huh!_?_ Why is he in _there_!_?_?" Zoro flinched. "HOW THE HECK DID HE GET THERE?"

"I don't know! He was there before me!_!_"

Gloria had first stared in shock, gaping, at the fried snake. Then the flame of anger pushed her vocal chords into work when the snake fell limp on its side.

"YOU ******* *******!_!_! WHAT THE **** DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING YOU ****** ****** ******* BLUEBERRYBRAIN!_?_"

Nami, Gan Fall (_that she just now noticed was with the navigator_) and Altur all three winced, since they had never up till this day properly heard her swear like a, well, a pirate. Zoro just let out a noise from somewhere between a laugh and a snort.

"ENEL!" the guerrilla (_Wiper?_) was pissed at the guy too, as he aimed a flashing shot at him from the bazooka he was carrying. It was easily avoided and Enel created a perfect ball of cloud with a dial that was left hovering in the air. Sitting on it in Indian style, he regarded Wiper with a twisted smile.

"What did you do that for? That's no way to return the favor of bringing you back to your homeland! Yahahahaha!"

"GO **** YOURSELF!_!_"

"Cheh, what crude language... anyway, the game is not over yet."

"Game!_?_" Wiper glared at him.

"That's right. You and the others are all contestants of my little game. The goal is simple. Three hours after the Shandrians entered the island... how many people among the 83 contestants will survive? It's a survival game! Of course I am also a contestant. I even allowed some people to join the fun after the game already started. My prediction was that there would be five survivors in three minutes. The three-hour time limit will be over. Thus, it is quite... problematic that there are still 9 survivors here. God's prediction can never be wrong!"

Nami, next to her behind the wall, flinched for some reason. Gen counted, but only saw eight people... the 9th must've been Greg, but where the netherworld was he? She looked around, still not finding him.

What to do in such a situation?

"_**EEEEEELLLMMOOOOOO-GREEEEGGOOOORRRRRYYYYYYYY**_**!**_**!**_**!****_!_**_"_ she yelled from the top of her lungs and coughed. Zoro slapped her on the head.

"Are you trying to make me deaf!_?_"

"No. I'm trying to find out where the bag YOU lost is, calling the name of the entity attached to it. Take responsibility, you butt crack," she stuck out her tongue at him, he glaring sparks at her in turn.

"So... which of you will be eliminated?" Enel asked creepily.

"Excuse me, I wasn't in the game from the beginning!" Gen fumed to herself. "Altur, let's go find my bag."

"Yeah, lil' lady. I've got your back!" he grinned widely. "Hmm... let's start that way!" he pointed to a direction and they left.

"It is very rude to leave in the middle of a conversation, girl," Enel said smoothly. The two stopped, and she gave her most authoritive glare at him she could muster.

"Sir Altur," by calling him in semi formal manner, he straightened his spine. "Tell him that it's rude calling me a 'girl'."

The demon turned to Enel. "She does not appreciate being belittled."

"Yahahahaha!" he laughed. "You sure have guts, but such heresy towards your God should be punished severely."

Zoro's stance shifted slightly.

"Tell him, that power alone does not make one a god."

"She says that you're nowhere near a god," he waved his hand.

Enel was losing his patience, but he was still smiling that annoying, calm smile. "You will be the first to feel my punishment," he said darkly.

"Sir Altur, tell him that he's a fool," and she turned to walk away.

"She tells you to go suck a cactus!" Altur grinned and followed his charge.

"You'll be dead before you even have the chance," Zoro said, pointing his katana at Enel. Gan Fall and Wiper had their weapons directed at him too, and Robin's hand was lifted and ready to unleash an attack of disembodied body parts.

"You are going down!"

"Yahahahaha! Going down... _me_!_?_ I wouldn't expect less from the survivors of this game... however, do you know who you are talking to? It seems that you don't know what a God is! Yahahaha... the old man fighting for the prosperity of Skypiea, the warrior fighting to return to his homeland... and pirates from the Blue Sea trying to steal the gold..." he regarded the four in front of him, holding a pause. "This world is filled with so many... troubled lambs. Even the country itself has sinned greatly!"  
>Gen stopped in her steps, when something started nagging at the back of her mind. She still didn't turn to look at that man who so much disgusted her.<p>

Gan Fall let out a frustrated growl. "Instead of talking nonsense, why don't you tell me what you seek to accomplish here, and WHERE ARE THE MILITIA MEMBERS!_?_"

"I simply seek to return, Gan Fall!" Enel answered.

"Return?"

"Yes. I have a place where I should be. On the sky island where I was born, where people say God lives."

"Oh for the love of...!" Gen face palmed.

"People call it fairy vearth! And there is a limitless amount of earth."

"Gen," Altur called her silently. "I think I know where the tadpole is, I'm going to check one spot."

"Do that. I'm staying here, he can't harm me with those fancy-pancy crackle bolts o' his."

He nodded to her smirk. "Take care!"

"Ya too."

"THAT IS THE IDEAL WORLD I SEEK!" Enel was _still_ going on with his 'mighty villain speech before he gets his butt side kicked'. "THAT IS WHAT I DESERVE TO HAVE! This God's island... this puny piece of earth is nothing, yet you've fought for centuries to control it! Do you understand? The reason you fight is actually more philosophical. Think about it... not a cloud, but born of the sky; not a bird, but lives in the sky..."

_'What the fudge is he talking about?_?' Gen sweatdropped.

"THIS COUNTRY IN THE SKY DEFIES ALL LAWS OF NATURE! EARTH, MEN AND GOD, ALL HAVE A PLACE THEY BELONG!_!_"

"You can't!" Gan Fall seemed to understand something.

"What do you mean 'you can't'? I am doing what a God should do. I am sending you all to where you belong... below the sky!"

"WaitwaitwaitWHAT_!_?" Gen asked. Various expressions went over the people's faces.

"You want to destroy this country_!_?" Gan Fall asked.

"It's the law of nature..."

"BULL CRAP_!_!" Gen yelled from the sidelines.

"DON'T THINK SO HIGHLY OF YOURSELF, ENEL_!_! God is nothing but a title for the leader of our country!" the ex-God yelled.

"That's before I became God," Enel picked his ear.

"THE PEOPLE OF THIS WORLD DON'T NEED A GOD_!_!" the old man yelled, red from anger and Gen felt a little spike go through her with those words.

_'Well... it doesn't need a God like him... reasonable...'_

Then Enel aggravated the matters more, telling him that all his followers were already dead after he'd driven them to do his bidding. It coaxed the knight into a fruitless attack, that leading to the old man getting electrocuted through his head.

Altur didn't feel safe about leaving Gen all alone (_ignoring all the others conveniently, no?)_ with Enel, even when the man was a cursed one. _Especially_ when he was a cursed one. He didn't know the details of her divine powers, but he knew that devil's fruit users turned a little wobbly in the knees whenever in contact with little lady Gloria.

He glanced to where he'd left the others, but he was already too far off to see them.

The bastard was somewhere near, he could tell. Right... behind that boulder!

"Yo, kiddie-tea-party's over now," he leaned over the rock to see the younger demon. His hair was free of its tie, splaying around his head, and he was unconscious.

"Damn... Oi, wake UP!"

_SLAP_

It had the desired effect, and the man let out a startled cry.

"Cut it out, it's just me. Is her bag okay? She mourned for it for the better half of the journey," he was quick to ask, grabbing his shoulders and making him calm down. Greg blinked stupidly, dirt all over his handsome face.

"Uh...?"

Altur sighed. "Do you know where you are?"

"Of course I know... wait, the place started falling apart," he frowned. "...if you're here... where's M'Lady?"

"Okay, for now. Where's the bag?"

"I have it secured," he patted his chest, and the other could now see the studded strap of it going across the front of him. "Hey hold on a second! You left her_!_?"

"With the hot cowgirl and the others. Relax! Even if Enel is there, she's safe, the lightning can't touch her," he reassured.

"You... her... with Enel..." his eye twitched. "YOU IMBECILE!_!_! Even when the electricity wouldn't hurt her, he could always shoot her with a regular gun! Or run her through with a freakin' SWORD! And the devil's fruit curse don't make her invulnerable against-_!_!"

His rant was interrupted by a big crackling noise one only associates with lightning, and they both turned pale before taking off towards their Lady.

* * *

><p>-please don't kill me, please don't kill me, please don't- oh, they all left now, maybe it's safe to come out from this mystery-hole-in-the-wall...? Remember, no matter how long it takes, I WILL continue writing! Even if my hands rotted away and my eyes popped out of my head!<p> 


	42. Clouds of DOOM! Raining thunderbolts

Whoo! I have fall v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n~! ...and my pancakes are burning. *_flip*_ So, my drive is on again, and my mom was threatning me about computer ban again. Because I was stupid and didn't return some paper in time, the maths EXAM (_yeah, no, it wasn't just a test as I said in the last AN, forgive me my grammatic idiocy_) couldn't be redone -_-' Well, I don't care, because for some mysterious reason I _still_ got through the course. I'm happy~!

* * *

><p>After Gan Fall went down, Enel started talking funny things again. He wanted the remaining people to go with him and start a new army for him or something like that. Enel was honestly surprised to hear that they refused, well, Robin refused, and she was shot down with a lightning bolt. Before the woman fell completely, Zoro was by her. He set her down more gently than the fall would've been, and glared at the man responsible for this.<p>

"She's a woman...!" he glared at Enel.

"Yes. I can see that."

Gen felt sparks fly all over her; the fangirl-part of her squealed in delight, noticing that Zoro too had a gentleman in him, but the realistic, the greedy little part frowned, _'why doesn't he do stuff like that for me?_' and the third part, the strongest, still wanted to flush his head down a toilet... ripped off of the torso.

Then she saw Marimo make the stupidest thing ever, crossing his sword with the golden staff Enel had. The asshole commented on his strong arms, took Zoro's insult and jumped away, getting a bazooka full of Wiper's fury. The said bazooka broke when a lightning hit it.

_'That's... a mighty weird sentence,_' Gen thought.

"You still don't get it? The pathetic trickle of power, that's all people like you can wield is useless against me. Tsk, tsk, tsk... I was simply inviting you to the endless earth... Why did you suddenly start attacking me?"

"Who were you trying to invite?" Zoro did not look amused. "Because I have no interest in that dream world of yours!"

"No, Zoro! You can't beat him!" Nami yelled in horror, as their swordsman attacked.

"It seems you need to be taught a lesson... on what a God is!"

"ZORO!" Gen called him too.

Enel turned into a lightning and thus the attack went through him. He grabbed the ends of Zoro's swords and... well...

"ZORO!_!_!"

"For mortal men... death is the most terrifying thing!" Gen was gradually getting to the point where she screwed the plot line and took Luffy's kill. "That's why men kneel with their heads to the ground and beg for mercy! It can't be helped. Men beg when terrified, it's in their nature," he stepped on Zoro's head.  
>There was a clatter, as the bazooka suddenly fell to the ground and Wiper leapt on Enel. He wrapped his legs behind his back and pressed his palm on his chest directly on the heart.<p>

"What are you doing... committing suicide?"

Wiper didn't answer that. Enel froze, and they could see him stumble a little.

"Do you know what seastone is... Enel?" the man asked. Gen's ears perked. "I added some to my shooter, and it's draining your devil's fruit powers."

"My strength is being... drained," the man fell on his kneels, and Zoro managed to get out of the way.

"Seastone...?" Gen muttered. Enel didn't think that Wiper, in his condition, would do it... but he did. He used the reject on the guy, and the demigoddess felt a wicked grin take over her face.

Wiper stood over him; as Enel lay on the ground, blood dribbling from his mouth. Wiper's arm looked bad, too.

No one dared to speak yet.

"Can it be... did he beat him...!_?_" Nami asked as she finally came out of hiding.

Wiper laughed unbelievingly. Gen knew that it wasn't over yet, though. But... the guy looked pretty dead to her.

The blasted sound of electricity. '_The guy just won't die!_!' Gen fumed. Enel had restarted his own heart. He was again standing and grinning in no time.

"Mere men cannot make God feel fear... For true terror comes from God, and God alone."

"Death and gods never walk hand in hand!" she heard suddenly Greg's voice. Altur had found him! "A god cannot kill. A god cannot die. It is naive to think so high of yourself, when you know nothing of those who are mortal."

'_That... is so freakin' COOL!_' her eyes sparkled. Then she tilted her head in confusion. '_Wait... does that apply to me too?_'

"Mortals are weak! That's why God has to take care of them!" Enel directed a lightning bolt at the two demons. Altur, who had been silently standing behind the other with a stern expression jumped out of the way, opposite of where Greg dodged.

The black-haired demon's eyes blazed with a promise of a storm. "You mortals... can be so like ignorant children." He drew his ornate sword, drew it back and slashed upwards, sending a wave of water towards the man, calling out the name of his attack (Unda Delphinus). It advanced at Enel, who saw it best to dodge it rather than try it out with electricity-water-combination.

Greg was in a blink of an eye right in front of him. He made a quick kick at the 'God', only him to turn into pure electricity, just like with the two previous who had decided to face him.

They both froze for a moment in surprise, before there was a small explosion and the two were forced apart. Stray, untamed, pale blue crackles of electricity ran up and down Enel's arm, and he patted on it in bored dislike as if it was dust.

Greg was laying on his side on the ground, curled and trembling. Gen moved to rush by him but Altur didn't let her touch him. The same blue crackles and sparks were on him, making him twitch involuntarily every now and then. Altur looked hard at his friend/foe, and frowned.

"Is he okay?" Gen asked.

"He's out. He might lose his disguise by this rate, since he can't control himself right now: the charge messed up his inner cycle."

"...Huh?"

They both agreed that they didn't have enough time for much more chatting right then.

Wiper had fallen on his knees, his arm and hopes crushed.

"What have I been saying? Just give up," Enel said. Wiper was shaking and sweating, and then he fell from his knees to his all fours. If she didn't know better, she would've expected him to burst into tears. "You look awful, o Wiper the warrior."

"My name is not something you may so casually use!_!_!" the man yelled. "For I am the descendent of the great warriors who fought to the death... for their home eight hundred years ago... The warriors of Shandra! Since that day... following the dying wish of the great warrior Calgara... For four hundred years... we have been searching for this place... Now I'm finally here!_!_! " The man got up on his skates. "Get out of my way, demon."

Without a word, Enel brought up his golden staff (_now why does that sound dirty?_) and broke one of those fancy skates right from under him, making him fall flat on his back. "The same trick won't work twice, Wiper. The seastone won't help you again. To fire a shot of a mortal man's suicidal attack, reject, and still be able to stand up is rather impressive," Enel raised the staff again, this time to bang one of the drums coming from his back. "But you're still no match for me. **Thirty million volts**..."

"The drum turned into a bird!" Nami gasped.

"...**THUNDERBIRD!**" the man announced, and the drum released an electric... bird. Anyone could tell just from the attack's name.

The bird swooped down on Wiper, frying him in the spot with devastating consequences.

Zoro moved in. The skate Wiper had had was now broken on the ground, and snatching it with him the swordsman went for Enel. It took her a few to realize that the black part was made from sea stone. If only she could get a hold of it, maybe she'd be able to get her water back on?

Then she looked at her dear bodyguard, who by now had stopped twitching unnervingly, and changed her mind. Maybe she shouldn't provoke an attack.  
>Enel hit another drum. This time out came something resembling a huge dog, though he called it 'thunder beast'. Zoro stood no chance to him, as the thing made him scream in agony.<p>

"ZORO!" Both Nami and Gen called out.

"Now it's just the three of us..." Gen muttered.

"And there's nothing I can really do," Altur grit his teeth. Nami let out a surprised noise, when Wiper stood again, smoking from the thunderbird, one wing just a stump, bloodied and battered... but he was standing. Enel, who had been looking at the girls and the remaining demon, now turned back to look at the guerrilla.

"Why do you persist? Why not just die? Isn't it best to just die quickly? Why the meaningless struggle? You said that... it started 400 years ago? Your people have been fighting to get back home? Don't you remember that you're the only one left and this place will soon fall down from the sky? You are nothing more than a piece of trash blocking my way... why do you still stand up?_!_"

"**For my ancestors!**" His voice was weak, but the tone carried all the force.

Enel readied an attack. "Yet I was expecting something different... not that you're actually enough to do that."

_'He can't take that anymore!_' Gen gasped and got up.

"Gen!" Altur tried to catch her, but he was too late. She was already going.

In fear of hurting Wiper, she only placed her hands on his wrists, ever so lightly, leaving her back at Enel. She briefly noted how tall the guerrilla actually was.

"Hear me?" she muttered under her breath, her eyes closed as the bolt loomed ominously above them. "This man is now under my protection."

_BOOOOMM..._

Squeezing her eyes shut tighter, unconsciously also gripping a bit harder on his hands, she tensed when the electricity pulsed around them like a wild animal. It was exhilarating feeling, but one she wouldn't had wanted to experience again.

The bolt rained down but hollowed out around them. She felt every hair on her arms stand up and her scalp itched furiously. She dared to open her eyes and immediately knew she'd regret it later. Gen also saw a thin, oh so thin line between the yellow vortex and Wiper. _'I did it!'_ she triumphed, but then the ground exploded. It hurtled her through the air and the two were blown apart.

* * *

><p>She came to some time later, to find herself lying on her back. Gen looked around with her head blank, just taking in the surroundings even when her eyes stung painfully. Rocks, vines, one hellova hole right in the middle of the ground...<p>

Oh, right.

Gan Fall, Zoro, Choppie, Wiper, Greg... Altur?

The demon was on his side, wings spread open and singed. He looked just like the others. What did he do? Then Gloria spotted Robin, leaning against a wall in pain. Deciding that it was better to be in pain and with a friend rather than being in pain and alone, she started slowly getting on her feet and trudge to the woman. Robin watched quietly at Gen when she sat down next to the other.

After a moment of silence, the demigoddess asked: "What... happened?"

"Wing demon-san didn't take it well that you tried to give up your life for the guerrilla, Enel took Navigator-san, and Captain-san stopped by."

"Luffy? Really?"

"Yes."

"Ah, good. Wait... where's the snake?" she suddenly sat more straight and tried to see over the walls and broken ruins.

"You... are concerned for the snake?"

"Of course!" she pouted. "And the others," Gen added.

...

"What are we going to do now?"

"I don't know, Odd-chan."

"Ah. In that case, I'm going to look for the poor thing," she prepared to get up again.

"What if you don't," Robin said. It wasn't meant as a question. "Let's just stay together for now."

"Awww, sure thing, Robin-nee!" she grinned and lay down on the ground. From between the hair falling on her face, she peered at her fallen comrades. When they felt confident that they wouldn't collapse under their own weights, they started together looking over their injuries, varying from burn marks to different sized wounds and bruises. "Let's get them to somewhere more safer," Robin got up on her feet.

"Where? And how?"

"Don't worry too much," the archaeologist then crossed her arms, and suddenly all six were elevated from the ground by legs and arms.

"Ah, I can carry Choppie for you," Gen picked up the little reindeer. "But hey, where are we going?"

"Up."

They walked the people over the ruins towards the giant jack, and then, like she'd said, up.

"Whoaa... you're really making them all climb..."

"I can't help you for obvious reasons. Will you manage?" Robin asked her.

"Uhh... In theory, yeah. You already have five plus you to take care of, so I'll just bring this lil' thing!" she hefted Chopper into a better position. They saw everything that happened on the ship from the distance, Gen surprisingly catching snippets of someone talking every once and a while, but they were almost like whispers of the wind to her, barely there, and she wasn't even sure if she really did hear anything after all.

The climb wasn't that bad, but she was exhausted after they reached back to the ground level.

Then she saw the ugliest thing she'd seen in a long time.

"Enel's ship... and _damn_ that's ugly as netherworld!" Gen made a face.

"I agree. And... it's heading for the golden bell. Whatever happens... he can't have that!" at the end she was mostly talking to herself again.

"Robin, you speak too much to yourself," Gen sweatdropped, making her blink and then smile slightly.

"Yes... perhaps I've been that long in your presence. But I wonder where Navigator-san is... Did something bad happen on that ship?"

"Don' worry. D'you see me worried? I could smoke a roll o' Puff the Dragon, so 'lax I am!" she gave a lazy grin and a victory sign with a slouch posture.

"ROBIN!" a terrified little-girl scream came from behind them. It wasn't that the screamer was a man who by the means of comedy had been put to scream like that, but it really was a little girl, a girl that Gen didn't remember seeing before. Though, she seemed awfully familiar...

Robin, after getting over the initial shock the girl's sudden appearance caused, caught the girl... and the weird pink bird... with a few extra arms sprouting from her own arm.

"Thanks! WAH! YOUR ARMS!_!_" the girl's eyes bugged out.

"Luffy!" Gen grinned, upon noticing the boy up hiking the Giant Jack.

"Is that a ball of gold on your hand?" Robin asked.

"Does this thing lead to the golden bell!" Luffy asked. There was no trace of the happy-go-lucky boy. "Enel's going to be there, right!_?_"

"Yes. Hurry before he leaves," Robin said.

"Ok!"

"Ah... Luffy!_?_" the archaeologist tried asking him something, but he was going already. Instead, she turned to the girl... what was her name? "Hey, where is the navigator? The girl with the orange hair."

"Eh? Nami? She's still on the ship..."

"Hi. I'm Gen. Who're you, hatchling?" the white-haired girl bent over the girl.

"_Hatchling!_? I'm not a hatchling, you stupid Blue Sea dweller!" ah, a natural reaction from a guerrilla... "But I'm Aisa."

"Hm, nice name. And I can hear Nami, she's coming this way," Gen looked at the direction. This seemed to surprise Aisa.

"You can hear the voices too?"

"What voices? You must be deaf not to hear the waver," Gen pointed to the speck speeding their way. "And as a matter of fact, I _can_ hear these strange little voices in my head... they speak of things not suitable to your delicate ears," she gave a lunatic smirk.

Aisa took a weary step back.

"Ah! Robin! Gen!"

"We're here! Aisa! You're alright!"

"Navigator-san! Long nose-kun!"

"Yoohoo~!" Gen waved at them. Once the waver came to a stop, the girl clung to Nami so sweetly it made Gen want a hug too. Usopp noticed the injured nakama.

"Damn, everyone is down...?"

"Luffy just went up the bean stalk to rescue you!" Aisa told Nami.

"Eh!_?_ To Enel!_?_"

"That's coming a little late now..." Robin pointed out.

"We're running out of time! Let's leave quickly!" Usopp said.

"How about this, I catch up with Luffy with the waver and the rest of you go back to the ship!" Nami looked calculatingly up the jack.

Before anyone had time to say or do anything, the sky lit up with thunder. Tendrils struck down from the cloud to everywhere, and one hit the stalk.

"THAT'S _WAAAAAAAAY_ TOO CLOSE!" Usopp fretted.

"Get back to the ship! I'll go to Luffy!" Nami jumped on the waver and set off.

"Okay!" Usopp knelt next to Sanji, who they had brought along. Wiper stood up, and so started the others to get up as well, except for Chopper, Greg and Pierre.

"Zoro!" Gen went to him and gave a happy smile down to him. "Guuu, I could just about snuggle you to death right now!"

He looked at her before he turned his head, eyes turning white.

"Gen, don't kill him," Altur sweatdropped. He coughed, and Gen directed a thankful gaze at him too.

"How's Greg?"

"Still out of it. I think it'd be better if we returned him to the demon realm for now," he looked at Greg with concern.

"Mouu, but he just got here! Stupid Elmo! Get up!"

"L-Lil' lady, let him rest!" Altur rushed to prevent her from doing bad things to him. "This is great! You're all awake now!" Usopp smiled.

"Hang on tight, we can't stay here any longer," Robin said.

"Wiper..." Aisa saw the man looking at her and the others with tiredness, sadness, peace and slight defeat, all rolled up in a neat little roll of emotions. By what Gen now remembered, he had been a man driven by revenge and hate towards the God. "WIPER!" the girl called him again for few times, but he didn't seem to hear.

He was having flashbacks.

"Wiper!_!_ _WIPER!_!_!_ Let's go or we'll all die! Wiper!"

His eyes seemed to sharpen again, mouth set in a slight frown. "What right do you have, Enel, to take everything away from us!"  
>Gen finally got up and walked to Wiper. Usopp was screaming again about the storm and that they'd all die, but she had in time grown used to his whining and could now tune him out.<p>

She placed a light hand on Wiper's arm, this being the second time, and making him turn his gaze at her. She answered to the gaze with her own, endlessly blue eyes, and gave a gentle smile. "He is not a true god. He is a man with weaknesses and dreams, although selfish, and a selfish man can always be beaten. You'll have your home back, so STOP, MOPING, YOU, SILLY, _HUMAN!_" she smacked him between every word.

"Ow! What's wrong with you, woman!_?_"

"You! Oh crap..." the only warning she got was the familiar crackling on her skin before the lightning bolt hit the base of the stalk again.

"WATCH OUT!" They all lunged away, Altur taking care of Greg, who was finally stirring. Zoro had pushed Gen away from the danger zone: the strike had ripped a hole to the cloud and went underneath them, inside the ancient city.

"These things are getting more and more closer!" Gen fumed.

"My... Lady..."

"Greg! Y'okay?" Gen and Altur supported him so he could sit upright.

"I am now... I can feel my limbs again," he gave a weak smile.

"What happened? Altur said something about bicycles, but..." she let the rest of the sentence hang.

"Bicycles...?"

Altur sweatdropped. "I said _cycle_. The electricity messed it up."

"How do you know that much about me?" Greg looked slightly annoyed.

"His Highness made me take medic lessons," he picked his ear.

"I'm an elemental demon, subcategory Stream Demons. Without my disguise you'd only see a mass of swirling water and a pair of turtle shells," Greg explained.

"Uh, how come the shells don't turn into... water?"

"Because it's my head."

"Ah... okay..." she was weirded out. "So... your head is on your shoulders...?"

"So is yours. How hard is it to take? No, the shells are like a skull to a human, it protects the more vulnerable stuff."

"I... think I get it," she tilted her head in thought.

"You have weird topics," Usopp sweatdropped.

"Shut up! How'd Enel manage to screw it up?"

"In every living being there's a natural flow of electricity created by brain activity, and although weak-"

"I know that. Skip!"

"You're impatient. The same goes for demons, and in my case the cycle of water is animated and powered by this natural electricity. How do you think a lightning would affect that?" Greg looked at her with his beautiful eyes...

_Focus!_

"It would speed up or stop completely," Robin said.

"Correct," the demon nodded to the woman. "In this case it sped up and consumed nearly all of my energy... which reminds me..." he started glowing white and turned transparent, before in his place laid only Gloria's black shoulder bag. No one moved, as it picked itself up and shook the fabric. Gen smiled and moved it over her shoulder, glad that her belongings were with her again.

"Aah~!" she sighed.

"Aah~! Back to where I belong! Right by M'Lady's side!" the bag grinned its zipper-smile.

"By the way, did you say... something about a golden bell...?" Wiper asked.

"Ah! Yes!" Robin nodded. "What bell?" Usopp asked.

"The bell is Enel's next destination... do you know where it is?"

"HEY, HEY! Why are we talking about the bell!_?_ Shouldn't we be running away!_?_" Usopp fretted.

"It's up the stalk," Robin pointed behind them. "Somewhere near the top, I think."

"Let's follow Nami's plan and go back to the ship! Just leave everything to Luffy!"

_SMACK_

"So good to be back in the herd," Gen grinned, when the sniper gave her a sulking glance.

"The giant stalk penetrated the land through the center of Shandra. If I remember correctly, the bell was located at the center of the city, so theoretically, the bell should be somewhere further up," the archaeologist told them her theory.

Wiper looked up the Giant Jack and placed his hand on it's charred surface where the lightning had struck... twice now.

"I'm going."

"WIPER! You'll die if you start climbing now! You'll never get to him anyways! He's flying!" Aisa tried to speak reason to him.

Gloria's sensitive ears caught a '_boom_' coming through the plant.

"Move away from the beanstalk! Something's falling down!_!_" Usopp warned. Not long after the top piece of the whole thing came crashing right next to them, sending them again further away.

"It's raining things today. Thanks, Marimo."

"You'd get crushed if I wasn't pulling you along."

"And you wouldn't?"

"Of course I wouldn't."

"Bastard."

"Airhead."

"Hug me."

"Bite me."

"Okay!"

"I DIDN'T MEAN IT LITEARLLY!"

"I did..." she pouted and saw how the anger evaporated from him. Either it was tiredness or something else, she didn't know. She spread her arms open in hopes, but he chose to do what she usually did: stick his tongue out childishly.

"What is going on up there?" Robin wondered.

"Oh no! Luffy!_?_ Anyone see Luffy's corpse anywhere?"

"Usopp! Don't make me hit you again!" Gen shook her fist.

"See, Wiper? I told you. You can't climb now!" Aisa was next to the man. Wiper looked like he was in serious pain.

"The bell is right above us... I'm so close to fulfilling great Calgara's wish..."

"You idiot! Stop being a bull and- oh my mom what the netherworld is that!_?_" her eyes bugged out as she saw a huge ball-shaped cloud suddenly above the Angel Island. "Oh crap... I know what's going to happen next..."

"That's a huge ball of thundercloud!"

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Gan Fall muttered.

The cloud started losing altitude, and soon it seemed to crush the tiny island under its mass. It started glowing and exploded in a gigantic sphere of light and electricity, obliterating the island in one go.

They all looked in silent horror. The ex-God fell on his armoured knees.

"First the explosion, now it's raining thunder strikes again...? We're doomed! We're really doomed!_!_!" Usopp was shaking.

"Why... WHY? ENEL! _YOU HEARTLESS MONSTER_!_!_" the old man cried.

* * *

><p>Since they could do nothing but wait, they waited. While they did, Robin remembered how Luffy had once said that he wanted to ring the bell so hard that Cricetty could hear it down on the Blue Sea.<p>

"He wants to... ring the bell too?" Wiper asked.

"If he said he is going to do that, then there is no way that Nami can get him to come down. His target is the same as Enel's after all," Zoro sighed.

"Yeah. He gets whatever he wants," Gen grinned and thrust a thumb at herself. "Except for me~!"

"Oh yeah, when are you going to join us officially?" Usopp asked. "Hasn't it been a long time already? You're practically already one of us!"

"Na-ah," she shook her head. "Not until he does what is to be done!"

"What? Answer the ridiculous riddle?"

"Nope. It's not that anymore."

"What is it then?"

"If I told you, you'd tell Luffy, ay?" she looked suspectingly at the boy. His expression was spelling 'busted'.

"Knowing him it'll take forever for him to get it..." Zoro frowned and muttered something then. Even with her awesome hearing, she didn't quite catch what he said. Usopp seemingly did, because his head snapped towards the man, jaw hitting the floor and eyes bulging out.

"WHAT THE HELL!_?_"

"Whaat? Whaat?" Gen leaned over Usopp's shoulder. "Wha' he say?"

One look from Zoro pacified him forever.

Well, not forever, since the next he was yelling danger. Something was falling down from the stalk again.

"That's a leaf, dumbass."

"Hey look! Something's written on it!" Aisa noticed.

"That's from Luffy and Nami!"

"Mostly from Nami, I'd presume," Gen said with humour.

"What does it say?"

"'Cut the beanstalk'..." Robin said. There was a picture of the four main directions with the W circled.

"What good would that do... UWAAAH! DANGER, AGAIN! LOOK!_!_" Usopp pointed to the sky.

"Holy crap!" Gen exclaimed.

It was a ball just like before, formed from the thundercloud. This time, it was at least ten times bigger.

"There's no way we can get away from that... We're all doomed!"

"No we're not," Gen said, but there was a hint of fear in her voice. She felt Zoro shift a bit towards her, and even when it was just a tiny gesture, she appreciated it.

"They'll use the falling beanstalk as the bridge to the ship," he concluded.

"That's suicide!"

"Then go tell them that."

"I WOULD IF I CAN!_!_"

"Is it a suicide or a working solution? We won't know until we try it," the swordsman scowled.

Wiper rammed into Aisa a second before a lightning struck right next to them again. They were all quickly up on their feet, Zoro grabbed Chopper and Usopp took Sanji.

"If we stay here, we're going to fall down into the ruins!" Zoro flung Chopper behind him to Robin. "Get away from the beanstalk! Go some place where there's earth!"

Gen was quickly on her feet and running with the rest of them.

Wiper due to his injuries was lagging slightly behind them, and the moment when he realized that he wasn't going to be able to dodge the bolt could be seen on his face.

"WIPER!" Gen cried out.

"_GET GOING!_" Altur pushed her onwards and was about to backtrack to help the Shandrians, but the warrior ran from the dust cloud untouched. Good, he had dodged it.

"I'll do it! I just have to cut down the stalk, right?" Zoro asked and stopped. "The only ones who can reach Enel before he drops that on the sky island right now are them!"

He turned around and ran back to the Giant Jack, drawing katana as he went.

"Zoro! Watch out for the lightning strikes!" Gen yelled.

"I-I-I-Is he gonna make it!_?_" Usopp was shaking. Sanji was still lying on his shoulders. "Come on! You're the only one who can cut it down!"

"Uhh... technically no..." Altur said. "I could be able to do it too..."

"With those puny arms? It's going to take forever," Greg scoffed.

"What'd you say!_?_"

"Is it just me or are these two distantly like Sanji and Zoro?" Gen sweatdropped, watching how her bag was trying to eat the sky demon's face.

Zoro reached the stalk and with a one, curved slash cut a piece off of the other of the two vines.

"Alright! He did it!" Usopp celebrated. Too soon to say, because right then Zoro was struck and he fell down to the ruins beneath the cloud.

"Oooh, tha' ought ta hurt."

"ZORO! Oh crap! But at least he was able to cut off the beanstalk!"

"It's no good... Look!" Robin noticed.

"EH!_?_ IT'S NOT FALLING!_!_"

But then the ground shook from something (_the snake had suddenly decided that slithering into a solid object full speed was fun_), and the stalk started to shake and lean into the west.

Fallin' down?

_Nope._

"No! It wasn't enough! It only tilted a little! We need a bigger impact," Robin frowned.

"You can't, Wiper!" Aisa suddenly cried out.

"Be quiet. That bell may only be rung by successors of Calgara's will, like me! That shitty brat has no right to ring it!" he bellowed.

"Ignore him, Robin. He's half dead... he can't do anything to us." Usopp puffed out his cheeks. "Zoro already chopper off one of the vines, so I, Captain USOPP-!"

_POW_

"Not now, retard," Gen blew on her steaming fist.

"400 years ago an explorer from the Blue Seas said that he found the Golden City, but no one believed him. Everyone called him a liar. However, his descendent believes him and has been risking his life to find the city. 'If I ring the bell really hard, I can tell him that the Golden City is here in the sky!' Those are the thoughts of the person who you called 'shitty brat'," Robin smiled. "Isn't it romantic? He is throwing away his life just so he can deliver that message."

_BOOOMM..._

A lightning hit right behind them. _'Talk about dramatic effects... and I still don't get that 'romantic' part!'_

"That descendent... what is his name?"

"Montblanc Cricket."

"Yeah! Ol' man Cricketty!" Gen cheered.

"Then, 400 years ago, the name of that explorer... was it Norland?"

_'Oh gee, now the dude's cryin'... Oh hey, he's actually a good-looking guy... All those tattoos an' stuff...'_

"Yes," Robin blinked in surprise.

"Wiper?" Aisa asked, but he just pushed her hat deeper in her head.

Little too late they saw that he was rushing towards the stalk, and with one mighty explosion the second part of the beanstalk was cut off. Wiper fell down to the same fate as Zoro.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!_?_" Usopp asked with his eyes bugging out.

"Wiper! That fool used reject dial again!" Aisa said.

Anyway, Wiper's attack was the last straw and the beanstalk started falling.

"IT'S COMING DOWN!_!_" Usopp yelled.

"SHOW THAT WANNABE GOD WHAT TRUE PUNISHMENT IS!" Gen cheered too. The lightning started pelting down like rain.

"Oh no! Most of the cloud above the ruin is gone already! Soon the solid ground will shatter, too!"

"Wiper is still over there!" Aisa gasped.

"Zoro is too... damn!"

Robin mourned over the ruins themselves.

"Ah!" Gen realized. "Nora's there too!"

"Nora?" Usopp inquired.

"Yeah, the snake. Just remembered her name, too."

"YOU'RE WORRIED FOR THE SNAKE!_?_ Wait... THE SNAKE HAS A NAME!_?_"

They saw Wiper standing tall in the falling ruins. "Under any circumstances, we bravely charge forward AND SURVIVE! You will never smother the pride of our existence!_!_ No matter how many forests you burn, or how many ruins you destroy!"

"WIPER, RUN!" Aisa screamed. Robin was holding the girl back so she wouldn't run off.

"THE EARTH OF SHANDRA WILL NEVER CRUMBLE UNDER YOUR WICKEDNESS!"

A lot happened.

The ruins never hit Wiper and the beanstalk fell finally to the ground. The ugly flying ship sent a lightning towards the cloud of doom, making it crackle viciously. It looked like something was pushing the electricity out of the cloud itself! Then it started rumbling and glowing.

Unlike the first ball of thundercloud, this one suddenly broke, letting sunlight shine through the hole it left behind.

* * *

><p>Chapter 42, there. And in time.<p> 


	43. Until next time, my Goddess

Yeeep, it's a new one. Late, again, I know, and my brain is hitting it empty. Last days of vacation going on, yet I don't feel like rested.  
>Anyway, read it up! It's not <em>that<em> bad.

Gloria: Civet cats live in jungles... right?

Snoara: I don't know, but they're cute.

* * *

><p>For a moment there was absolute stillness, and then Usopp cheered. "HE DID IT! LUFFY, YOU KICK ASS!"<p>

"RING IT, BRAT!" Wiper's voice floated from the ruins. "RELIGHT THE LIGHT OF SHANDRA!_!_!"

"Yes, my young friend... Please let us hear the song of the island!" Gan Fall said.

"They do realise that Luffy can't hear them all the way from here?" Gen looked at Altur.

"I guess it's a quirk of humans," the demon shrugged and stretched his arms. "But it's not done yet. Not until the man chokes on his own blood..."

"So hast thou spoken," Gen grinned. While they sat there, Sanji and Chopper finally woke up.

They didn't need to wait for long, before a big, booming 'CLONGGGG~' was heard. It sent the island's south birds up on their wings and cold shivers down her spine, in a pleasant way. The sound was piercingly strong, spreading out to everywhere and seeping deep into her soul.

The ring of freedom.

_CLONGGGG~_

Without her noticing, her eyes closed as she surrendered completely to it.

_CLONGGGG~_

"H-He did it!" Usopp cried.

"What a beautiful sound," Robin smiled.

"Wow! How nice! What's that sound?" Chopper asked.

Aisa was gaping at the sky, silent. Gan Fall was crying tears of joy. "I knew it... I knew this day would come... I knew it would..."

"So this is what Norland heard back then..." Sanji was smiling with a freshly lit cig in his mouth.

"Such a wonderful sound. His Highness would love this," Altur sighed. "Isn't it magnificent, lady?"

"Yeah..."

The big snake was cheering too. In the distance, the golden ship was falling down. Altur's brow creased. "Lady Gloria..."

"Yeah?"

"I have to go do my last mission. Don't worry, I will be back by this evening," the demon bowed, spread his wings and soared away like an arrow.

"That was... random."

"Unh," Usopp nodded.

"Well, I'm going to harass Zoro!" Gen grinned mischievously and bounced off, giggling evilly.

"Oh, those two," the sniper shook his head as he watched after the girl.

"Whyyy? Why the marimo!_?_" Sanji sulked.

"I'm pretty sure that no normal human being would ever fall for Zoro, but again, Gen's not a normal human, is she?" Usopp said.

"I am not sure that she is a human at all," Aisa muttered.

"How come?" Robin asked the girl. (_There was a distant 'aaaargh' coming from the ruins._)

"Well... I don't know. Her 'voice' is so different from anything else I've ever heard. And so did those two men..."

"Greg and that other bastard are demons," Sanji told her.

"D-Demons!_?_" she gasped.

"Yes. Are Odd-chan and Demon-san alike?" Robin asked her.

"Umm... no," she thought about it.

"If you had to put it into colour, what colours would Longnose-kun and Cook-san be?" Robin helped her.

"I guess... yellow?" she tilted her head.

"How about Demon-san?"

"Orange."

"And Odd-chan?"

Aisa thought about it for a moment, opened her mouth to say something, and closed it again. "I... don't know. It's yellow... but it's _not_ yellow. It's... like, uh... w-white? No, that's not it... it could be blue, too..."

"Blue and yellow are nowhere near close each other," Usopp sweatdropped.

"Hmm... interesting," the archaeologist smiled her own mysterious smile.

* * *

><p>Aisa found her friend, Laki, and cried in her dress. The rest of the Shandrians were hiding at the edge of the forest. Gan Fall and Pierre left to do something. Robin, Sanji, Usopp and Chopper followed Gen's example and went to the ruins to see how Wiper and Zoro were holding (<em>the latter struggling in Gen's iron like hug<em>) and the doctor started tending to Wiper. Robin was sitting at the side, mourning for the golden bell.

"He's wounded pretty badly! His bone is in pieces here!"

"Hey... isn't he one of the guerrillas?" Sanji asked. "Why are we helping him?"

"I don't quite understand what he is about, but... I know that he's an honorable warrior," Zoro said solemnly.

"What are you saying? You pity him?"

"Sort of..."

"Cut that out, boys!" Gen frowned. "If you start fighting now I'm going to do something not-so-nice to you!"

"Like what?" Zoro asked flatly.

"I don't know yet, but when I do, you'll definitely regret it!"

Aisa walked to Chopper. "Can you help him? Civet cat?"**  
><strong>

"I'M A REINDEER! SEE THESE!_?_ I HAVE _ANTLERS!_ Don't worry though. He'll be okay!"

"Where's Nami-san? Is she safe?" Sanji asked.

"She's with Luffy, so she's probably okay..."

"What about Conis-chan? I wonder where she is... So what happened to the golden bell?"

Usopp answered him. "It probably fell down. It's too bad that we couldn't take Enel's golden ship and... the Golden City is just an empty shell now, too."

"We're still stuck being penniless pirates," Sanji sighed.

"I want one of those dials. Since you can't find those in the Blue Sea, they should fetch a high price."

"...Damn," Gen remembered something.

"What is it?"

"I forgot to draw Altie's demon form... It was so cool! You should've seen it, when he attacked that weird voider, like, *_ziuuummm!_* and *_whooommm_* and *_slice, slice, slice_*...!" Gen was gesturing wildly.

"You were in a fight?" Sanji blinked in surprise.

"Eh, yeah... but it was no big deal," she waved her hand dismissively. "It's perfectly common to pass out in the middle of it and go to a dark place between life and death."

"THAT'S NOT COMMON!_!_ THAT'S CALLED DYING!_!_" Usopp's eyes bulged out and Sanji's widened.

"Silly Usopp," Gen chuckled, "Dying is permanent, and I'm still sitting here, right?"

"...GHOST!_?_"

"Eh!_?_" Chopper had been listening. "How'd you survive!_?_"

Gen made a creepy, dark face and drew her hand over her neck. She added a sound effect, too.

"Wait, a voider, you say?" Greg asked suddenly. "Wow... I knew you were really unlucky, but this..."

"Tehehee~!"

"That's not a good thing!" the demon fumed.

"HEEEEY~~~!" Luffy was running towards them with Nami and Conis in his tow. Sanji went ga-ga at the sight of the girls.

"I'm so glad you all are safe!" Conis cried.

"Gee, is everyone so emotional?" Gen mumbled to herself.

"I was so worried, but... I couldn't do a thing..."

"Oh~, Conis-chan, were you really that worried about me~~?" Sanji twirled like no tomorrow.

"Stop acting crazy," Usopp said blankly.

"Luffs! Nami!" Gen waved her hand.

"Is that food? Where'd you get it?"

"We found the priests' storage on our way here," Nami said.

"There's still a _lot_~ more!" Luffy had his cheeks full.

"How'd you get down from up there?" Usopp asked.

"I used gomu gomu no balloon!" Luffy gave a victory sign. Gen glomped the boy with a squeal just for the heck of it. "Ack!"

Zoro, now free from the white menace, asked Conis where her father was. She told them with downcast face that he had saved her from one of Enel's attacks.

It would've been sad, too, if the supposedly dead man hadn't been suddenly standing right next to them. "Conis-chan..."

"YOU SOUNDED LIKE THE ONE WHO DIED WASN'T YOU OR SOMETHING!_!_"

"I'm sorry! I'm still alive!"

"Who apologises for being still alive?" Gen sweatdropped and released Luffy.

* * *

><p>(<em>Somewhere in the middle of the cloudy sky<em>)

The golden ship with lots of propels and an ugly face was gliding noisily across the air. The priests were all lying on the ground, unconscious and in bad shape. Enel himself was sitting on the steps leading to his throne, tired, and muttering to himself.

"God can never be defeated! I'll be back some day... I will not allow anything in this world to stand in my way! Heh, you little specks of trash! Yahahahah... only I am worthy for this... the land endless like in a dream..." he gazed at his goal: the moon, shining falsely directly in front of his ship. "Go, Maxim! To the land that glows in the darkened sky... the endless land!"

There was a soft 'floomph', and something thudded gently on the deck. Enel turned to look at the trespasser. He recognised him, he was that stupid, weird girl's servant, the one with the black wings.

"Fallen angel... what are you doing here!_?_"

His gray eyes were emotionless and hard as he regarded the pitiful man in front of him. Suddenly, like from thin air, there were other figures around him, and now the eight demons stared at him with those same, gray eyes. They all held themselves with pride and authority, two with spears in their hands. One woman looked ethereal, like smoke.

"Who are you!_?_"

The two men with the spears stepped out and pointed their weapons at him. Sir. Altur Terentun spoke. "Enel... In the name of His Highness, Poyd of the Sceptre, we will hereby punish you of these following crimes against His Highness and Lady Gloria of the sea..."

* * *

><p>"Omnomnomnomnomnom, omnomnomnomnomnom, omnomnomnomnomnom, om nom nom nom nom..."<p>

"Could you please stop that already!_?_" Nami yelled.

"But it's so good~!" Gen was eating what Luffy and Nami had looted from Enel's shrine.

"Phew~! I'm full, I'm full!" Luffy patted his stomach.

"It's night already..."

"And such a nice full moon!" Gen smiled up.

"What now?"

"Back to the ship?" Nami suggested.

"Altie promised he'd be back before we leave," Gen stretched and yawned. "I'm so tired...!"

"Nami! How can you say that?"

"Huh? Why?"

"Usopp! How could she say that?"

"She's inhuman!" the sniper and the captain talked.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!_?_"

Gen had to think about it too, but when it came to her, she groaned. "Not again! I don' wanna!"

"Come on! You need to get used to it! Besides, it's going to be your party as well!" Luffy grinned widely.

"Ehh... huh?"

"Yeah! Wait, what?" Usopp was confused too.

The boy pointed at her, determination in his eyes. "From this night on, you _will_ join us! And I'm not taking any other answer!"

Gen looked stupefied first, then blank, and then a small, devious smile tugged on her lips. "Heh... you really think you can handle that? Can you tame the ocean herself?"

"M'Lady...?"

"I was planning to, and when better than after all this" she waved her hand in the air, meaning all that that happened in the previous two days "stuff happened?"

"What are you talking about?" Luffy stared at her unblinkingly.

She looked at her friends, all eyes on her, and she started fidgeting shyly. '_No! Now's not the time to be shy!_'

They might not believe her.

"Come on, Gen-chan, you can tell us!" Sanji encouraged her.

"Yeah, what is it?" Chopper was curious.

She talked quietly. "My... mother, as I've told you, is a little special case..."

"Stop beating around the bush," Zoro said bluntly, and a shoe implanted itself on his head.

"Okay, if you put it like that," she rolled her eyes, hiding her uncertainty behind a snort, "I'm half a goddess."

"What!_?_" Usopp backed away from her and leaned against the ruin wall behind him, eyes almost popping out of his head. Chopper's reaction wasn't that far from him.

"A goddess!_?_" Sanji's eye turned into a heart. "Mellorine~!"

"A... goddess?"

"As hard as it was to believe, it seems that I was right, after all," Robin said.

"...Half of a goddess?" Luffy tilted his head. "But you're not missing any legs or arms?"

"Captain-san, I believe she means that one of her parents is a god and another is a human."

"Was, the human is long gone..." Gen corrected distantly and looked at her friends. "You... really believe me, then?"

"I don't know..." Zoro rubbed his chin. "But your skill in annoying me is something miraculous."

A shoe implanted itself in his head. "DON'T TALK LIKE THAT TO A WOMAN!_!_"

"So she's a god? Hee, didn't see that coming!" Luffy grinned. "Can you do magic tricks?"

"_No_."

"The right term would be 'dimidium dea', or 'a demigoddess'."

"Hi Altie!" Gen beamed up to the demon. He looked... different. He had a gray cape and longer trousers than before, but the tiny vest was still on him. He also had a headdress that protected his forehead and jaw.

She didn't know why, but somehow it created a sudden wall between the two. Her grin turned into a dignified smile.

"You have returned."

"No need to be so formal," he rubbed the back of his head. "This uniform just makes it that..."

"Why do you have a uniform?" she raised an eyebrow. "You didn't fade us just to change, did you?"

Altur smiled and chuckled. "No, lady. I had another matter to attend, one that required authority."

"Really? What were you doing?" she asked.

"Ah, don't worry about it," waved his hand. "But, my time here has come to an end. I need to return to His Highness and hand in the full report. So... I guess this is goodbye, then."

"So soon?" Nami asked.

"Bye," Zoro just said.

"Mouu, but I didn't have time to draw you!" Gen pouted. The pirates and the goddess got on their feet, and she wrapped her arms around the man who had aided her on her path in the sky.

"Don't worry... we might meet once again."

"Uhn," she nodded into his chest. His posture seemed to change, and she looked into his face. Altur had a faraway look in his eyes, and he was smiling gently... almost lovingly at her. It made her face heat up for its intensity.

"Gloria... When His Highness came forward with this mission, I knew nothing of you. You were so much more than I had expected, strong, beautiful... insane... and without shame I can say that I have fallen in love with you," he rested his head on top of her head and caressed her hair. "You," his tone changed completely as he looked at Luffy. The boy looked semi serious. "You're _dead meat_ if you ever let anything bad happen to her."

The captain grinned: "Gotcha!"

"And the same goes for you too, grasshead."

"Oi!"

"Okay, okay, enough hugging, you fiend," Greg struggled between Gen and Altur. They let go of each other and the demon took a step backwards, still holding her hands. He gave a squeeze and a smile, before bowing slowly and spreading his wings.

"Until next time, Gen."

"'Till that."

Oddly enough, Zoro never said anything, though he looked mighty bitter.

* * *

><p>The injured were all gathered in the ruins, both Shandrians and the Skypiean angel people. Wiper was one of those who hadn't woken up yet, and Conis was watching after him. The tribe elder was an old man with a dead wolf on his head, feathers sticking from the top of it. He was skulking around, checking on his men.<p>

Gen had her sketchbook in her lap and she was drawing Gan Fall, unhurried. There was a pint of something alcoholic next to her. Chopper had helped earlier in the sick bay, wrapping up the Straw Hats. She hadn't been spared, and now the girl had light bandages all over her.

"Don't you want to go out there with your friends, blue sea dweller?" the tribe elder asked her.

"Ehh, I don't really like partying, and I'm tired. Although, knowing Luffy he'll just drag me out of here in some point..." she sighed. "Damn... I can't say no to him anymore..."

"Are you still talking to me?" the old man looked amused.

"Oh, sorry!" she giggled.

"By the way, that's a good picture."

"Thank you! Hm, it's still missing something... Oh yeah, more wrinkles!" she decided.

"OOOOOIIIII!_!_! GEEEEENNNNN!_!_!_!_"

"Ack! Hide me!" Gen was quickly on her feet and diving behind Wiper's bed. She was just in time, as Luffy barged in.

"Please don't yell like that!" Conis said.

"Conis! Have you seen Gen!_?_"

The girl met her eyes. '_Please don't tell him!_'

"No, I haven't seen her. I'll tell you if I do."

"Oh. Okay. Damn! She's a sneaky one! BUT! I'll get her!" and then he was gone again.

"Hehehe, it seems you're going to have a busy night!" Conis giggled.

"Grrh... it's admirable, that stubbornness of his, sometimes very cute and badass too, but not when I'm the victim of it!" Gen crawled out.

All the yelling had woken Wiper, and he blinked in confusion. "Where am I...?"

"You're in the ruins of Shandra," Gan Fall answered.

"Gan Fall!" he tried to get up.

"No! You can't move yet!" Conis pushed him back down.

"Calm down," the elder came. "Don't try to push it with your wounds."

"Hi Wiper!" Gen popped into his face.

"Argh!"

"Hmm... they all say 'argh' when I do that...?" she tilted her head. Conis sweatdropped.

"Chief! Where's the golden bell? We still have to guard it from-!"

"Take it easy. Just listen," the chief walked to the cloth that was hung from the roof to act as a wall/door between the party and the sick bay. He said something wise (_that Gen didn't particularly follow_) and opened the curtain, letting Wiper to see outside.

His dumbstruck face was so cute, when he saw the gigantic bonfire and the people dancing around it. Nora the snake was there too, and the party animals, wolves, were there too. Everyone was having a good time. The white berets were there too. _Everyone_ was there, and it put a tender smile on her.

Some time later when she had the courage to go out and fetch something to eat, she retreated back to the bay. Conis and Gan Fall had left to her disappointment, but the chief and Wiper were still there. Rudely, she just claimed half the bed Wiper was sitting in. He looked at her blankly.

"Why are you still here?"

"Luffy is looking for me. He wants me to join the crew, but since I'm stubborn and stupid in some things, I can't say yes to him," she stuffed a piece of fried... mystery meat in her mouth. "Out there he'd find me too easily."

"..." They sat in comfortable silence for a moment. She could sense that there was still something bothering him. "What... did you do back then?"

"Huh?"

"That lightning didn't hit. You stood in front of me, and it didn't hit."

"Ah... Actually I didn't know that would work. You know that he'd eaten a devil's fruit?"

"Yes."

"Think of me as a big chunk of seastone. The lightning didn't hit me, because it was from a devil's fruit powers. It seems that once I touched you, the protection moved to you too," she explained her theory.

"I see. And then when I got hit again with the lightning..."

"You got hit twice?" she blinked and tried to replay the events in her head.

"When we were running from the ruins. I was sure it would hit, but then it just... didn't," he looked at her. "It was just like then."

"Gloria-sama," Greg called her. Wiper didn't startle nor flinch when the bag so suddenly spoke, but he did give it a long, hard stare. "You... blessed him?"

"Blessed him?" she parroted.

"Yes... I get it now. He has a different feeling now than before," the demon continued. "You have _blessed_ him!"

"How? With what?"

"A blessing?" Wiper's eyebrows knit together.

"I have only seen your mother do that once, because every blessing will just roll off of us demons like water from goose's back, and because a blessing will forever change a mortal person's life and fate."

"Oh, nice. I did something possibly stupid. _What_ did I do?" she asked Greg.

"I don't know... only you would," the bag shrugged.

"Well!" she clapped her hands together, "Whatever it is can't be that bad! It helped you avoid getting fried by a lightning, so maybe that's what it does. Now! Let's find me some whiskey!"

"Aren't you a little too young for that?"

"Smooth, Gloria-sama, smooth..." Greg the shoulder bag sweatdropped. "Do you really understand the seriousness of this?"

"Umm... no?"

"Let's just say that this'll bite you in the butt one day," he sighed.

Gen got her whiskey and once in a light buzz she was ready to go enjoy the party. Greg had taken on his human disguise and gone to do whatever the heck he did. In some point she even rode Nora the snake, whooping from the top of her head with a half empty bottle. Downside to this all was that Luffy finally found her, clinging to her despite the fact that he went limp, and whining loudly. It also seemed that after that one secret was out he had become twice as insisting as normally.

"Come ooooon!"

"Let go!"

"Coooome _ooooooooonnnn!_ Just say yes!"

"L-Luffy! Hands off or I'll scream murder!" she tried to shake her leg. "Aren't you supposed to be weak against the sea!_?_"

"I am! Geeeen! Come ooon! It's not everyday you get a god in a crew!" he tried to bat his eyelashes.

"I've been on the ship for as long as I've been... uh, for a very, very long time! You see me every day!"

"Oh yeah! That means... that you're _already_ in the crew! Shishishi~! ...uuuh..." his tongue lolled out.

"NO IT DOES NOT!"

"And you can't go away anymore~! You're caught!" he grinned slyly. "Gen. Only one word. That would make me reeeeally happy! And Zoro too!"

Her face flared up. "S-SHUT UP YOU, YOU, YOU _HUMAN_!"

"Hahahahaha~! Come on! Say it!"

"GREEEEEEGGG!" Gen cried out. "SAAANJIIII! Zoroooo?"

"Nope. It's just you and me now!" Luffy grinned. Gen stopped and looked at him blankly.

"Luffy. Never, ever say that phrase again. It's _way_ too disturbing to hear it from you."

"What? But it's true! Now come on! Saaaaay it!"

"_NOOOO!_"

"_Errrr_, wrong answer!" he proceeded to tickle her to death. She was lucky that Sanji had happened to walk by and save her from the boy, before she ran off to go pester the marimo. He was drinking against some Shandrians and grinning wide.

Her running slowed to a walk as the gears in her head kicked to work.

_Waaaait..._

Luffy was able to be that close to her... and still act like himself?

She changed her course to look for Chopper. There, dancing with Usopp!

"Choppie! Come here!" she called him.

"Gen! Isn't this fun?" he laughed.

"Yeah, a real blast. Hey, hold my hand for a moment?"

Chopper blinked and gave his hoof, placing it on Gen's hand. They waited for a moment for something to happen, but all Chopper did was sit down. Gen blinked.

"You... didn't collapse," Usopp noticed it too.

"No, it was more like I'd just run away from the marines," Chopper nodded, panting.

"Yeah, weird, ay?" a grin crept on her face. "_Hyeeee_!" she scooped the reindeer up and twirled. "I can finally hug you~!"

"_Whuaaaa!_"

"Ah!" Gen realized and put the reindeer down. "I need to find Robin too~!"

"You're so drunk!" Usopp laughed when the girl seemed to stumble on thin air. She denied it, but the giggle that erupted from her completely destroyed it. The girl ran off, probably looking for Robin, and the two young pirates were left to look after her for several seconds.

"Do you think one of us should at least go tell Greg that she's drunk? She might wander off in to the jungle and get lost or killed," the reindeer finally voiced his concern.

"I don't know... I can see her doing that, but I haven't seen that guy but once in here tonight," Usopp looked around.

"Zoro, then?"

"Ahh... hmm... let's just say that he's got bad experience with a drunken Gen..."

The girl had reached Robin and pounced on her from behind. The woman hadn't been alert enough and yelped when the two stumbled on the ground inelegantly, drinks splaying around.

"Odd-chan... you are not as light as you would imagine..." Robin groaned.

"So'y, so'y!" she didn't sound sorry at all, in fact she was still giggling. "But, but! Do you notice something weird?"

"..."

"You're not spaghetti!" she grinned.

"You're right," the woman finally got over the initial shock of someone ramming into her, and got up, pushing Gen off at the same time. The girl's arms were still around the archaeologist's waist.

"Yaay, I can finally give you a proper hug~! You're a someone who 'eally needs it!"

"Too much alcohol and Luffy?" Robin asked.

"_Nooo!_ I'm not drunk! And yuh, Luffs is being a bull," she pouted. Then she frowned. "Whoah... the stuff is making me dizzy. Maybe it'll go away with some more whiskey?"

"Odd-cha- Odd-chan! Where are you going?"

"To see if Marimo still has something to drink!"

"There are drinks all around the area, but you still want what he's drinking?" Robin asked, but Gen was already too far to hear it.

"GEN-CHWAAAAN~!" Sanji's voice called her before she could reach Zoro. While she had been talking with Chopper, Usopp and Robin, the man had outdrunk two Shandrians and some Skypiean.

"Whaaat, Sanji-kuuuun~?" she cooed back. The cook grabbed her hand gently and placed a big, yellow flower in her hair. She remembered vaguely seen something like that on Jaya. "Ooh, thank you!"

"You're welcome, my beautiful goddess!"

"Nyaa, don't call me that, it's weird," she puckered her lips and frowned.

"Hmhmm, I'm sorry. Would you like to dance this once?"

She glanced at Zoro, who had won again. There was no way that he would want to dance, and she wasn't even sure if he even HAD that talent. She smiled up brightly at the blonde and nodded a yes.

Sanji proved to be a very good dancer and she ended up dancing longer than she attempted. When the two finally parted Gen advanced at Zoro again, only to see that Nami had cut off her path.

Nami laughed loudly and said something that Gen never really remembered later on. Even through her own haze she could tell the navigator was drunk like a duck. Ten minutes later Nami left to cheat some poor guy from his money in a round of poker and Gen was let to run to Zoro - before anything else tried to stop her.

She sat next to them and grabbed the keg still held in Zoro's hand towards her so she could see what he was having.

"Hey!"

"Ooh, is this that weird berry stuff the wolves had?" she asked.

He raised his keg above his head so she couldn't reach it. "Yes, it is, and it's mine! Get your own!"

"But _Zorooo_," she giggled. "It's _berryjuice!_"

"Oh hell...!"

* * *

><p>The party died down in the early hours of the morning. The grounds were littered with the celebrators and Nora snored loudly somewhere near them. Gen had fallen asleep on Zoro, and when Nami came shaking them awake, she wore a less-than-innocent grin on her face.<p>

"Hmmmh...?"

"Shh! Stay quiet. Luffy wants to take the gold and run." Nami's eyes looked over the two, her smile widening more. "Ah, and wake him up too."

Zoro's arm was wrapped snugly around her waist, and her back was against his chest.

She turned beet read and tried to wriggle free, but Zoro seemed to like how the situation was and tightened his grip. Gen stopped, huffed, and turned around to face him, or more like his pecs...

"Zoro!" she hissed up. Now her right hand was trapped, so with her left she poked his relaxed brow. '_Wow... he's so adorable like this...!'_ "Zoooroooo...!"

He hummed and moved, but didn't stir.

"Zoro, I'm going to-"

"_What?_" his voice was hoarse from sleep and he was irritated.

"It's Luffy." He sighed deep and muttered something rude, before slowly getting up and letting go of her. She missed it momentarily before slapping herself mentally that they had more important stuff to do.

They met together near Nora, where everyone else had already gathered. Robin had her bag, which Greg was already inhabiting.

"You guys got that?" Luffy asked after he told them his plan. "Make the best out of tomorrow. Don't forget to do anything and then regret later!"

They all nodded. Zoro was already snoozing.

* * *

><p>Luffy had found out while in the snake's stomach that, besides rubble, it was full of gold. Nami was excited (<em>what else?<em>) and while Zoro _(in case the snake woke up_), Usopp (_to trade random stuff to dials)_ and Robin _(she wanted to go take a look at the bell and the Poneglyph in its belfry_) were outside the snake, the rest of them were gathering the precious things inside it. Greg had gone in with the bag on his shoulder to help them, taking all the drawing gear with him.

Gloria didn't have any burning urges to go inside the snake so she sat outside and waited. Zoro was doing light training with his swords and he even asked if she would sit on his back while he did push ups. Gen considered it for a while, but then she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

**Reason A:** The way he looked at her made butterflies flutter like a bunch of rabid squirrels.

**Reason B:** Even with the bandages she could see all that _muscle_ and delicious _skin_...

**Reason C:** He was injured and he sure as netherworld was not supposed to train.

Usopp returned in hour and a half whistling happily.

"You look pretty excited, Usopp! How was trading?" Zoro asked.

"A big success! Check out all these dials!" he was grinning from ear to ear. "With so many different dials, 'Usopp's factory' will be better than ever! Hey Zoro! Want me to upgrade your sword into a 'scent sword'?"

"Uhm, no thanks..." he sweatdropped. The boy started going on about all the upgrades he could do with his new toys. Gen hopped down from the broken wall she had been sitting on and peeked into the bag.

"Wow, these are so cool!" she picked up one shell. "What's this do?"

"That's a light dial. You can have it if you want, I got so many of these."

"I can? Yaay! Can I have another one?"

"Um... sure."

"I wanna FLAME dial!"

"No!" both men said urgently.

"Mouu, why not?" she pouted.

"And you seriously have to ask?" Zoro asked blankly.

"Hm. You're no fun! Anyway, thanks for the light! It's cute! And now I can draw in dark places!" she grinned, raising her new treasure up in the air.

"Why would you want to draw in dark places?" Usopp raised his eyebrow as Zoro went back to waving his swords around. "By the way, where are Luffy and the others?"

"I don't know about Robin, but the others are still inside."

"Heh, that snake sure is a heavy sleeper..." the sniper commented.

"That's probably because it's been dancing so much... I don't know why it was so excited though..." Zoro said. "Nonetheless, they should get out of there soon. If the snake wakes up, it'll be... problematic."

"Oh come on, Marimo, Nora's sweet as a thing can be!" Gen patted its scaly lower jaw.

"DON'T-! Don't touch that thing!" Zoro almost yelled, before hushing down to a whisper-yell.

"I agree, it looks so harmless..."

"Idiot! You sound like you have no idea how vicious this thing is!"

"_I AGREE, IT LOOKS SO HARMLESS..._"

"You're just saying that because you haven't seen it when it was awake," Zoro bristled.

"_I AGREE, IT LOOKS SO HARMLESS..._"

"Are you listening to me, Usopp?"

"Hahaha! It's a tone dial!" the sniper clicked the shell again. "_I AGREE, IT LOOKS SO HARMLESS..._"

"SHUT THAT SHIT OFF!"

Gen giggled softly. "Do you guys want to know about the snake?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, you said that the snake had a name," Usopp remembered. "Is this again one of those 'things' that you just 'happen' to know?"

"Hehehe, yeah! No one currently alive knows about this, because it happened 400 years ago," Gen looked at the sleeping snake. It had a happy and content smile on its scaly face.

"400... years... ago?" Zoro's hand stopped mid swing and he turned his head towards her slowly.

"Yup. You wanna hear?"

"Sure!" Usopp sat down to listen while they waited for the others to return.


	44. Last call of the bell, 8th member

Vacation's over and I don't feel rested at all. Weird things happened: I saw a bird die right in front of me. It was creepy, it was confusing and _weird_ and kinda sad too. The bird was cute... I mean, have _you_ ever seen something just randomly _die_ in front of you?_? _It did crash into a window first, but mom wanted to take it inside so nothing would eat it. Another thing that tried to die was the computer: Just as randomly as the bird, it just switched off like a tv during an outage.  
>Anyway, here's the chapter.<p>

* * *

><p>"Robin is so slow..." Luffy stood on a boulder and shaded his eyes when he peered into the distance.<p>

"This place is deserted! Where are the guerrillas and the angels?" Chopper asked.

"It's better this way, now we don't have to worry about getting caught," Zoro cracked his neck.

"Yeah! We won't be able to run fast carrying all this gold!" Usopp said.

Gen rubbed her hands together, looking at one particular statue. "Woo! This means lots and lots of drawing!"

"Do you have enough paper, Gloria-sama?" Greg the bunny asked her.

"Who cares? I'll just continue on some other surface."

"You better not mean the walls..." Usopp glared at her.

"Where did Nami-san and Conis-chan go?" Sanji wondered.

"Back to the ship." Zoro yawned and scratched his head lazily. "Hey, let's go back to the ship now and leave without that woman!"

"YOU BASTARD! WE CAN'T DO THAT!" Usopp yelled.

"Stuuupid!" Luffy stuck his tongue out.

"Stupid marimo!" Sanji made a creepy face.

"Marimo stupid!" Chopper just had to say.

In two seconds the boys were trying to strangle each other.

Greg sighed heavily and shook his head. "Kids..."

"You guys are meanies! Robin-onee-sama is a great woman!" Gen put her hands on her hips. "And if my memory serves me correct, Zoro, you played the gentleman to her once!" she grinned.

"Shut up!" he snapped.

"HEY! ROBIN! HURRY UP~~! We stole their gold! We need to hurry up and leave!" Luffy yelled once he saw the woman approaching. She wasn't alone, and the people following her were carrying something very huge wrapped up in a big canvas.

"DIMWIT! WHY DID YOU BLURT IT OUT!_?_" Sanji yelled. "DON'T YOU SEE ALL THOSE PEOPLE BEHIND HER!_?_"

"Told you we should've left without her."

"This isn't good! They have a huge cannon with them!" Usopp fretted.

"Iyaaaah! So many people and a huge cannon!_!_!" Chopper screamed.

"Cannon? That thing looks more like a huge bento box."

"Let's go back to the ship! We can't stay here much longer! Look at all of these!" Luffy turned his back so Robin could catch a glimpse of the gold in the bag. "We're super rich now!_!_ This sack is filled with treasure!"

Gen heard the people start talking to each other. "Hey, hey! it seems that they're leaving already!"

"HEY! WAIT! WAIT! STOP RIGHT THERE!"

"Shit! We've been found out!" Sanji flinched.

"Run away~!" Luffy started running.

"Hey! All of you! WAAAAAAIT!"

Usopp started telling them off and Sanji called out for Robin to hurry up. Gen just kept on wondering the hilarity of this situation: she knew that the supposed 'cannon' was actually a pillar of gold the angels and the guerrillas wanted to give them as a gift.

She grinned as they were running away: maybe this was for the best. They were pirates, and pirates weren't supposed to be given gifts, pirates were supposed to take whatever they wanted to take.

_'Hahaha, I'm starting to think like a pirate!' she giggled._

**Flashback**

They hadn't been as quiet as they'd thought, and Nami almost screamed when Aisa grabbed her ankle.

"Where are you going?" she asked, rubbing her eyes cutely. The pirates looked at each other in the dark, before Luffy nodded to Nami. She kneeled next to the girl and gave her a smile.

"Aisa... Here's the thing..."

**END**

_'Aah~, she was such a sweet thing~,'_ she sighed. It was a good thing that Aisa had understood and promised to keep their depart a secret.

They loaded the ship, raised the anchor and started sailing. Conis and her father's little weird ship was escorting them. They reached the White Sea, the lower levels of Skypiea.

Nami, who had looked like she'd burst from excitement, finally did, in form of singing. Luffy flexed his arms and told them of his dream to get a giant statue (_of what, he didn't clarify_), Usopp wanted to invest into cannons, Sanji asked for a refrigerator with a lock on it, Chopper wanted to buy medical books and Zoro, as always, wanted rum. Gen was just admiring the big golden cross that was on the pile.

Nami pinched Chopper's cheeks. "Hey, hey, hey, quiet down. We will talk about our spending after we are back in blue seas. And nobody is going to waste my money on trash, okay!_?_"

"Everyone, please look to the front, we are almost at the exit!" Conis shouted. "I can already see it!"

They saw a gate... with a high tower above the arc the ships were most likely supposed to sail under, and two really weird snakes/fish spouting out white... water? Cloud?

"Ehh... these guys don't know anything about architecture, do they?" Gen asked. "That thing's freaky!"

"Aww... we're leaving already?" Luffy was hanging on the figurehead.

"Yeah. I'm feeling a little bit nostalgic already," Sanji smiled and sighed.

"Time to say goodbye to this White Sea," Zoro was sitting on the railing. Gen had chosen a spot right in his feet.

Chopper gazed at the plains of clouds. "Sky Island was fun, but it was kinda scary..."

"Yeah, that was horrible!" Gen frowned. "But I'd do it again anytime!"

"Time tends to gold the memories," Greg said.

The ship sailed closer to the gate in the main stream, the little dial powered boat steered to the side.

"Do we just go through that tunnel... then follow the Milky Way all the way down to blue seas?"

"Yes. This is it," the angels and the cloud fox hopped off of their vehicle and ran on the more solid cloud. "This is as far as we can accompany you, so take care, everyone!"

"Thanks for taking us here!" Nami waved her hands.

"Thanks for everything!" Usopp jumped up and down.

"Conis-chan, take care of yourself, too!" Sanji was mass-producing hearts.

"Keep it cool, birds!" Gen cupped her mouth.

"Birds!_?_"

"Conis, mister, Shiro! Take care!" Luffy yelled.

"Ah! Take down your sails, right away!" Pagaya ordered and they complied in a heartbeat. Then they heard vicious flapping of wings and a very familiar 'choh~!' as the south bird they'd dragged to this mess came flying to them.

"Choh! Choh!"

"Huh?"

"Wh-what the hell!" Usopp asked when it landed on Luffy's back. ...the bird looked kinda big...

"Choh! Choh! CHOOOH!" It looked pissed.

"He's saying 'don't forget me here'..."

"Oh yeah... we took him along with us on our way up..." Nami sweatdropped. Then she shook her head and raised her hand with the log pose. "All right, captain, it looks like the log has locked on to the next island."

"Okay! This is the start of a brand new adventure!" Luffy looked excited already. "Alright crews! Let's go back to THE BLUE SEAS!"

"YEAH~!"

"Netherworld yeah, I miss all that water... and strangely, I miss mom too, even when she's a creepy stalker with magical powers."

"Be careful, everyone! You're going to start falling real soon!" Conis warned them, but nothing could prepare them for what really happened next.

Though the view was nice.

"**AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!_!_!**" they all screamed.

Then Gen heard a sharp voice, like a whistle, and a huge octopus broke from the wall of clouds. It wrapped its tentacles around Merry.

"OH MY GOD~~! A GIANT OCTOPUS!_!_"

"A monster!_?_"

Then the ship's falling came to sudden halt as they all fell with a thud to the deck. Gen groaned and took support from Zoro, since her feet felt like jelly.

"That... was the MOST EPIC free fall EVER!" Gen squealed with a wide, bright smile. "LET'S DO IT AGAIN!"

"_NO!_" Usopp, Nami and Chopped disagreed with her.

"LOOK! LOOK! THIS IS SO COOL!_!_" Luffy was first one to be up and looking at the situation. The octopus had inflated and become a parachute for Merry.

"Okay... a giant octopi parachute. I can live with that," Gen nodded and put her hands on her hips.

"That's the _reason_ we're all alive," Nami hit the girl despite that she was a bit shaky. "We slowed down quite a bit."

"Wow! This is so fun!"

"It's an octoballoon!"

"What the hell!_?_" Zoro asked.

"I thought I was gonna die..." Usopp was playing dead.

After the whining and cheering stopped, there was a content silence. Wind ruffled their hair and the trip was unhurried. Gen closed her eyes and let the occasional rays of sun warm her face.

_CLONGGGG~~!_

The bell rang on the island in the sky, sending pleasureable shivers down her back.

_CLONGGGG~~!_

_'I really wonder if I'll ever see you again, Altur...'_

Zoro had taken his spot next to the mast, eyes closed, hands behind his head and a happy smile on him. She felt her heart swell and swim, and couldn't move her eyes from him. Luffy giggled, but when she turned to look at him he was facing the horizon again, as if he hadn't done anything.

"Ahh, this is so fun! I feel so happy...!" the boy smiled.

"Yeah..." Gen agreed. The silence that followed only lasted for two minutes.

"Oh, and Gen..."

"Hmm?"

"Welcome."

She blushed faintly, but right now she couldn't care less. "Thanks," she whispered. Luffy giggled again.

"What?" Zoro opened his eyes and he looked at Gloria and Luffy.

"Oh, nothi-"

"She finally joined the crew!" Luffy exclaimed with a whoop. The girl could almost see him doing a victory dance.

Zoro sat up more straight and his eyes sparked in interest.

The Strawhats gathered around her and congratulating her (_and Luffy for finally accomplishing the task)_ with smiles, pats and a few laughs. She was feeling self-conscious and had the urge to hide her face into her hands.

Gen felt warm and happy.

"About time!"

"Yeah! Now she's a real Strawhat!"

"If you have any questions, ask me, the GREAT-!"

"Mellorine~!"

The first mate stretched his arms and got up. The others, still swarming around her, gave way to him so he didn't need to push through.

"So..." he started conversationally. "What about the promise number two?"

"What promise?" Luffy asked.

"Ehh..." Gen rubbed her arm.

"She promised that- _OW_!" Zoro was interrupted by a kick to the shin. "Why do you always have to kick me!_?_"

"YOU DON'T NEED TO TELL THAT TO EVERYONE!" Gen shrieked.

"Ah, it's a _secret_ promise!" Luffy was nodding sagely.

"Eh!_?_ A secret promise!_?_" Chopper's eyes sparkled. "So cool!"

"Damn it, you're going to break my leg one day!" there was a tick mark on the swordsman's head.

"Good!" she blew a raspberry and ran away, Zoro not far behind.

"By the way... where is the ship headed?" Robin was leaning over the rail.

"Where? The next island, of... course..." Nami froze when her eyes set on the log pose.

Then she screamed.

Gen stopped suddenly and Zoro tripped in his own feet trying not to run into her. Fortunately he didn't bring her down with him. "What'r'ya screamin' 'bout?"

"What!_?_ What!_?_"

"What is it?"

"What's happened, Nami-swaaaan~?"

"Damn it...!" she grit her teeth. "We hit an air current and we're getting blown off course!"

"An air current?" Usopp asked.

"Come to think of it, I do feel a breeze," Sanji commented.

"Is that bad?" Luffy asked, turning to his navigator.

"Of course it is! Now we don't know where we'll land! What do we do... With the octopus there, we can't unfurl the sails to control ourselves."

"Aaaa," Gen leered, a knowing smirk on her face. _'Suddenly I feel like home again...'_

"You..." Nami's eye twitched. "You know where we're going, right?"

"Hai~!"

"Care to tell us too?"

"Hnn... nope!"

"Luffy! Tell her to spill it!" Nami whined, pointing at Gen.

"Hey! Don't worry about it!" Luffy smiled. "Once we hit the sea, we'll just go to the next island!"

"Yeah... except that it's not probably going to work like that," Gen sat on the rail. "Besides, whatever happens, happens, whether I told you in advance or not."

"What, you mean that we're not going to hit the sea?" Luffy asked.

"WE'RE NOT GOING TO HIT THE SEA!_?_" Usopp screamed. The others looked uneasy too.

"Oh, ya sillies! 'F course not! Why'd you think that? Hahahaha!"

_POW_

"DON'T SCARE US LIKE THAT!_!_" Nami had shark like teeth.

"Uh, hold on..." Sanji was looking up to the octoballoon, making a square from his both index fingers and thumbs.

"Something wrong, Sanji-kun?" Nami asked.

"No... must be my imagination."

"Huh? What?" Usopp looked up too, but didn't see anything.

"No. Never mind."

Gen chose not to say anything.

"LOOK OUT! OI!" Zoro suddenly yelled. There was a silence, as they looked at their green haired friend, before he yawned widely. "What, it was a dream?" and folded his arms again to continue sleeping.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!_?_" Usopp had to hold Nami down.

"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU SHITHEAD!" Sanji fumed. "YOU SCARED US HALF TO DEATH!"

"I'll throw you off! Dumbass! Zoro! What gives!_?_"

"I guess Zoro brought a little of the sky war with him," Usopp sighed and Luffy laughed merrily.

Gen stared at the man and sweatdropped. _'Damn, he fell asleep in such a short time? ...was he having a nightmare? Maybe he wants a _hug_!'_

* * *

><p>It was dark already, and Gen was finishing her picture of the sun set. All they did was laze around, and there was a bottle of whiskey next to her.<p>

Ooops... a new bad habit. Too much around Zoro...

Greg didn't like this habit. The bunny was sitting on her knee, and they were having a conversation about whatever came to mind. Chopper and Usopp were sitting together and admiring the view, Robin was sitting with her knees bent next to the mast and Nami was worrying herself mad on the rail, feet dangling on the wrong side. Zoro woke up too, asking if it was morning already.

"It's dark out, dumbass."

"It's taking a long time to get down to the Blue Sea," Robin stated.

"I'm still worried about how far we'll get blown off course."

"AYE~! Then, what if I sing you a passionate love song?" Sanji came twirling to her 'rescue'.

"ZIP IT!"

_POW_

"At this rate, we're gonna get blown all the way to Raftel!" Usopp laughed.

"Usopp, that's awesome!" Chopper jumped up.

"That's impossible," Robin squished his enthusiasm. "We still have over half of the Grand Line to traverse before we reach it."

"Oh, yeah, right... I knew that."

'There,' Gen put down her drawing pad and gathered the pens back into the case before putting them neatly to safe. _'...Where's Luffy?'_

"Man, this is boring!" Zoro yawned and stretched his arms up with an audible pop. "How much longer until we land?"

"Go back to sleep," Usopp said flatly.

"You could always amuse me," Gen got up from the steps, stretched her back and shaking her leg to life.

"I'd rather jump off the ship."

"_Plaaaah!_"

"If you're awake, come on up here, Zoro! This is fun!" Luffy's voice echoed from somewhere... _Oh shit._

The others looked around in confusion.

"Huh? Luffy?" Chopper blinked.

"Where'd he yell from?" Usopp asked.

"You honestly want to know?" Gen asked blankly.

"It sounded like he was pretty far off," Nami said.

"Luffy! Where are you!" Sanji called out.

"UP HERE~! You guys come up too! This is fun~!"

"Damn, I knew it!" Usopp leaned on the rail and looked up. Chopper's eyes sparkled.

"It's cool! It's cool!" Luffy laughed.

"Hey, don't do anything stupid, Luffy! Our _lives_ depend on that balloon!" Nami warned him.

"Oh, I need to take these babies under the deck!" Gen realized and pressed her drawing gear against her chest before disappearing through the door.

In her room, everything was just as it should've been. Her things were around the floor and the table. The cactus Zoro had given her was perched there, and it had suffered from the darkness. The room didn't have windows, so there was no sunlight in it.

"Aah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Maybe I should plant you in the mikan grove, what do you think?" she talked to it. The flower on it had wilted long ago. "Then again, I don't know if Nami will like that much... the galley, then? _Eh_!_?_"

Suddenly, she felt herself very, very light. So light, in fact, that she found herself back flat against the ceiling. All her papers and stuff was floating, too.

_'The boy is SO FUDGING DEAD!'_

The items in the room started descending again, and she looked around in confusion. Wasn't the ship supposed to crash-land on the sea...? Ah well. She put the plant back on the table and returned to the deck...

...right in time to hear a loud _SNAP_ and see that the balloon animal was gone.

"Ah fu-_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH_!_!_!" she screamed, when the ship started falling like a rock. Usopp was dangling on a rope outside the ship and Luffy dragged him back from the nose.

"Grab onto something!" Luffy yelled only seconds before the ship crashed on the waves.

Gen hadn't been holding on to anything, so the water that quickly flooded the deck snatched her with it and slammed her against the railing. The impact stole away her breath and she would later sport a big bruise on her left arm and hip, but that wasn't what made it painful: when the cool seawater brushed against her skin, she felt like the water was trying to force itself inside her through the contact. Her blood was on fire and there was a drilling feeling at the base of her skull. In pain, she curled on her side.

She sensed it when Chopper rushed by her side, calling her name. He did the mistake and tried to roll her on her back, but he let go of her with a yelp.

"Someone! I need some help with her!" he yelled.

"No... I'm... all good..." she ended the half-assed sentence with a whimper. Gentle hands forced her to face her friends, Zoro, Sanji, Chopper, and behind them was looming Nami. Everyone was dripping wet. Gen saw their lips moving, but she missed the words altogether.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay, Gen-chan?" Sanji asked. She reached her hands up and the boys helped her up on her feet. It hurt, but not as much as moment ago.

"All good, all good. Gee, what the netherworld was that? I felt like a sponge!"

"Oh, she's okay."

"AAAH! BLOOD! AND IT'S TURNING PURPLE!" Chopper's eyes widened.

"Idiot, it's _supposed_ to turn purple!" Gen was tempted to hit the reindeer. She blinked and lifted her hand. True, there were big, fat droplets of blood dripping down her fingers. "...I'm bleedin'? Why 'M I bleedin'?"

Chopper sighed and pulled out - seemingly from nowhere - a roll of gauze. "I can't bandage you myself. When I tried to get closer to you... It was like someone was trying to bite my hand off. It was scary..."

"I would be very happy to-"

"Okay," Zoro took the roll from the reindeer, effectively cutting Sanji off.

"JACKASS! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO HANDLE A LADY!"

"Cook-san?"

"Hai, Robin-chwan~?"

"I'd like to have a cup of coffee."

"Hai, Robin-chwan~! Marimo! Don't think this is over yet!" the cook shot a death glare at him while going to the kitchen.

_'Wow, Robin, smooth...'_

"Sure, sure," the man answered half-heartedly. She didn't have actual wounds to tie, but he dabbed the blood away. It felt like petting and she resisted the urge to start purring like a cat.

"That sure was one weird trip," she looked up to the sky. Then she giggled. "And we were so high~!"

"You're the only one HIGH on something," Zoro said under his breath.

"Now that we're back her that trip feels like a dream..." Robin smiled.

"That's because it really was a dreamy place," Nami said.

"Heh, I wonder if we'll ever go there again!" Chopper smiled.

"Maybe you'll go there after you die. Or somewhere close... hehehe..." Zoro grinned.

"Zoro, are you sure you're going to Heaven?" Usopp asked.

"What was that?" he looked at the sniper with a tick mark on his head.

"'Or somewhere close'?" Gen looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Shut it, Snowbrain!"

"By the way..." Luffy got on his feet and pushed his hat netter on his head.

_FLASH, FLASH, FLASH_

They were suddenly in the middle of multiple spotlights, more being directed at them. The blare of a siren was almost deafening.

"Just... where are we?" the boy ended his sentence.

"Coffee's ready! And there's tea for Gen-chan!"

"Sanji..."

"Yeah, I can see it. But that won't stop us from enjoying a cup together?" He grinned.

"Hahaha!" Luffy laughed.

"AAAH! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO!_?_" Usopp panicked.

"Drink your coffee," Gen pointed to the tray. "Greg, go barricade my room and see that no one can enter it. Ah, and bring Spikey out, she needs more sunshine."

"Will do," he quipped, came out of his vessel and disappeared under the deck.

"And while we have our coffee..." Nami lifted her cup with trembling hands. "...we need a plan."

Zoro looked at the sea and the approaching marines.

"No need for those now!"

"Hahaha, let's just run away!" Luffy grinned and got up.

"I suggest we scatter," Robin said. "That way we can gather more information and the chances to not get caught will increase."

"Let's do that, then! Good luck, 'vryone!" Gen grinned and promptly made a back flip from the rail.

"OI!"

* * *

><p>A man happened to catch something from the corner of his eye. He was in the traditional marine uniform, a rifle giving him secure.<p>

"You saw something?" another man asked him.

"Eh, my eyes are playing tricks..." he dismissed it.

_Sploshh..._

"Hear that!_?_" Marine #1 shrieked.

"I definetly did!_!_" Marine #2 paled.

"_BOOOSSSS_!_!_!" the yelled in unision and ran, making all the rest of the marines turn from already-on-edge to slightly-panicking.

There was a soft giggle from the waves, if someone was listening closely.

* * *

><p><em>'Muhahahah, this is wa-ha-hayy too fun to stop now!'<em> Gloria Erin Kindheart couldn't almost stay in her skins. The water was bubbling around her, mirroring her mirth. A creepy grin was on her face as she glided under the Merry's hull so she wouldn't be caught in the lights. It was a hinder, that white hair, since it almost glowed. From under the water she could hear the south bird's cry and the conversations going on the deck.

Nami had taken the waver, Luffy flung himself and Chopper away and Usopp and Robin left together. The boys had gone swimming just like her.

Picturing herself as a crafty siren or a snake, she slid to the surface with her stomach against the wood.

"It is strange," a pleasant male voice said.

"What is?"

"There are eight cups on the deck. One of them is filled with tea, and the rest of the cups are filled with coffee."

"So what? What's so strange if someone doesn't like coffee?" The second voice questioned.

'_That's what I'd say,_' Gen nodded in approval.

"Strawhat Luffy and Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro. Amongst them, a cook, a doctor and a historical scholar. There was also that room filled with charts, so a navigator, and there was a little workshop in the galley, so someone crafty with hands. But can you find any evidence that there would be an eight person on this ship?"

'_Hmm... he's smart!_' she licked her lips, still grinning. '_But damn, to not find a single thing about me? Greg's _good_._'

"Don't take these pirates lightly. They're young, but they have survived all the way to here from the East Blue," the 'boss', as she called him in her head, said.

_'Ahh... a tactician. I'm squirming already~!'_ she sunk back down and to the shadow of the ship. She had found the air dials still stuck to the bottom of the ship. None of them were on, probably due the force of the hit.

She let out a scream, when something wrapped around her ankle and tugged sharply. She whirled around and socked... her mom.

"Ow."

"S-Sorry! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

They looked at each other for a few tense seconds and then hugged each other to death.

"Sweety~!"

"Mommy~!"

"Was the Sky Island scary~?"

"Yeah~! But Altur was very nice."

"Oh, Sir Terentun?" Herka pushed her back so she could see her daughter. "That's who Poyd sent for you?"

"Poyd?"

"Yes, he's the god of air and sky. You never heard his name before? I would've expected the demon in charge of you to give a tour or something!" the goddess frowned. The frown, as everything she did, looked elegant.

"Well, I did hear some useful stuff... And damn, he was so cute~! Ahh~!"

Herka poked her side playfully. "What happened to the green boy?"

Gen giggled. "I woke up from his arms one morning~!"

Many things flittered over the goddess' face. Gen got the nasty feeling that the man was going to be toast.

Then:

"No waaaaay!"

"Yes waaaaay!"

This went on for some time, as they gossiped. They sounded more like two teenagers than a holy mother and her child.

Gen told her everything that had happened to her, and when she mentioned Kalma (_or Friedrich Harvester_) their conversation sobered. Herka was serene when she said: "And that was the exact reason I wanted someone to be with you all the time."

"Oh, nice," she smiled. A vein pulsed on her forehead.

"But I am glad: when Harvester disappeared from The Judge's halls, Poyd told me about it instantly. We brooded over it for a few hundred years, and then Enel found him. That corrupted him further."

"Hmm..." Gen nodded. She didn't have much more to say to it. "What about the in-between... thingie?"

"Exactly that. Please avoid it in the future, for I don't know if you can die or not," she said like a recorded announcement. 'Please fasten your seatbelts,' or 'there is a malfunction in the plane, please do not panic.'

"Can' promise not to," she grimaced.

"Do you have other questions, my beautiful daughter?"

"You sound like a genie, mom," Gen sweatdropped. "But yeah. My powers were cut off, I could hug Robin, I had a weird dream, why was the first question 'can you do magic tricks?' when I told them that I'm a half god... and that's it."

"You told them? How bold," Herka said. Gen didn't know weather it was a compliment or an admonition. "Your powers were down and you could hug Robin has the same reason: you were simply too far away from the sea, the source of your power."

"Ahh..." Gloria suddenly remembered Wiper, "aaaand I think I blessed someone..."

"YOU WHA-!_?_" Herka would've screeched if Gen hadn't pressed her hand on the woman's mouth.

"SSSHHHH!_!_ There're MARINES all around the place and if you forgot, I'm a PIRATE!" Then she blinked. "Oh yeah, I joined the crew."

"Good for you- WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU BLESSED SOMEONE! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IT DOES TO THE OUTCOME OF ALL THE FRAGILE THREADS THAT THE MORTALS' LIVES ARE!_?_"

Gloria had pissed off a goddess.

"I'm sorry! It was an accident! Stop yelling! Those guys will otherwise catch me!_!_"

"I YELL IF I WANT!_!_"

"THEN DO IT SOMEWHERE ELSE!_!_"

The surface of the sea turned dark and the gently lapping waves turned suddenly very uninviting. It seemed as if the Navarone headquarters had a small, very local little storm rising.

Plus, the water warped the women's voices, turning them into eerie and otherworldly wails and screams.

When they stopped, they both had their hands on each other's necks, panting, faces red and glaring daggers at each other.

Her mother was scary, Gen decided. Herka's hair moved like it had a mind of its own, her blue eyes strong like one of Grand Line's storms. The colour resembled one, too. The threat of death in those eyes was so fierce that Gloria doubted anything she came across could match it anymore.

Then Herka's face seemed to melt, as a lopsided smirk and amusement took over her features. "Really, we're starting to resemble a family!"

Gen burst into laughter and they let go of each other.

Truce was made.

"..."

"..."

They listened to the terrified shouts and screams coming from the ship.

"..."

"...Oopsie..."

"What do you mean 'oopsie'? Wasn't that our goal?" the demigoddess grinned and the full goddess rolled her eyes, giving a wide smile.

"Kids... Really? That's what you were doing? Pulling pranks on those poor young men?"

"Of course. They're trespassing! Besides, until I find something more amusin' than this I'm stayin' right 'ere," she put her hands on her hips in determination.

"To be exact, you guys are the ones trespassing here..."

"Whatever!"

Gen kicked her feet and returned to her job - to scare the crap out of these marines.

* * *

><p>Gregory was very proud of himself. Where there used to be the door of the infirmary was now just plain wall and a classy painting (<em>a seagull perched on a buoy<em>). He had gathered all the Lady's stuff lying around and brought them in before sealing the door to its frame with a thick layer of ice. Now though his human disguise was missing its left hand, but that could be taken care of later. Then he'd put a simple illusion charm on the door. Now only he (_and Her Highness_) would be able to get to it.

When he was ready he slipped from the ship in all silence and swam away. The bag was back in Gloria-sama's room but he had taken the rabbit with him. He was going to scout out the area and see if he could find anything useful, be it information or a new drawing pad.

_'Gloria-sama would be so happy!' _his imaginary dog tail wagged.

He was a loyal man and a demon. He found nothing more pleasurable in the world than serving his divine mistresses.

So had done his father.

Sir Magnofilir Dean Aecorius VI, the previous high chief of the Royal Guard. Yes, he was aware that the name was a little wrong, there was no 'Magnofilir Daniel Aecorius V', but in some point the people of the family just started calling themselves Aecorius + a roman number due their ridiculously long names that no one could remember.

Anyway... Greg had been there when the void demons attacked the Palace. Their goal had been without a doubt the baby demigoddess, vulnerable and crying. No one knew how the voiders had broken into the Palace, but the attack had been a failure to them: the goddess of the sea had already sent the child into another universe. Aecorius V had faded on his son's arms, moving his title to him with a pure conscience.

_"We are... the servants of the sea...! We are... to... protect it!"_

Shaking the memory from his eyes, he sighed heavily and forced a smile on his handsome face. The Ladies wouldn't want to see him sad, now would they?

"I heard something!" a voice echoed in the hallway. No windows, no doors, just a straight hall.

_'Haah... now what to do?'_ he smirked devilishly.

* * *

><p>Back to the sea! And she finally joined the crew. Isn't that wonderful? And you got a glimpse of Greg's life there, too.<p>

Gloria: I hate you.

Snoara: What about the 'second promise'? *_wiggle wiggle_*

Gloria: I'MMA-!

[_END OF TRANSMISSION]_


	45. Us ghosts are bored

Hello people. Wow, over 400 reviews! Thank you for every single one of them! This chapter has not been edited yet, due my dear beta catching a cold... So there might be a crapload of typos and other crap right under this linebreak. Also, this chapter is a bit longer than usually, _and_, there's an **extRRRa **at the end of it~!

* * *

><p>"<strong>No, no, no, no, <em>nooo<em>!**" her voice climbed octaves as she got to the last 'no'.

"**Come on! Let's not stay behind!**" Herka gestured her to follow, as the marine ships were slowly pulling Merry away.

The night had been eventful for the two women. Gen had convinced Herka in to the pranking and she had flooded the deck with tiny, shiny black crabs that were crawling the ocean floor inside the fort. It helped that the crabs had small, red eyes, and they were shooting menacing glares at the marines whenever they had their backs turned. Gloria had caught the name of one of the marine soldiers and then started calling his name in ghastly whispers.

Ah, lots of fun.

But she was hungry.

"**You sure you don't want this delicious kelp-n-clams roll?**" the goddess waved a small green HIGHLY suspicious roll in front of her face.

"**Netherworld no!**"

"**And why do you keep saying that? Wouldn't 'hell' be easier?**" she munched on the roll. Gen was pretty sure that it wasn't just clams inside that thing. Something gooey, something crispy, something that still tried to crawl away...

They followed the Merry, staying under the ships. Gen had insisted Herka to hide her massive tail.

"**A group of battered battleships is coming,**" the goddess stated.

"**Oh?**" Gen looked over her shoulder.

"**Your sweetheart will be the first to get caught.**"

"**Yeah, Zoro...**"

"**Because of the navigator.**"

"**Nami?**" Gen's eye twitched. "**Should've guessed... but it will happen and that's good. Right?**"

"**Yes. Unless you want to go with him? Sit in a cell and have some quality time together?**" the woman's eyes glinted.

"**Mom!**"

"**Go on, if you start swimming that way right now, you'll reach them,**" the woman pointed to the sea. "**Ah... but if you want to catch up with Sir Aecorius VII, I suggest you follow this ship inside the fort,**" she pointed upwards to the marine ship and smiled mysteriously.

"**Ugh... I hate you so much right now...**" her eye twitched.

"**Make up your mind, sweetie, time doesn't stand and wait for you~!**" the goddess turned back into water, leaving her with her own problems.

'_Greg... Zoro... Mouu...!_' she shook her head._ 'What if I just go with the flow...? This marine ship'll go it's way to Greg, Zoro can get his ass caught by himself and I go with Merry? Yosh!'_

The small ship was moored into the dock and in another twenty minutes she raised her eyes above the surface. Her nose and mouth were still under water as she checked the surroundings. Gen froze when a young man in an orange jumpsuit was staring at her. First he looked confused, surprised, and then he looked like he'd seen a ghost - before he screamed.

'_Shit shit shit...!_' she dived out of sight. '_That wasn't my plan! At all!'_

She listened on them from the other side of the ship.

"What happened!_?_"

"What are you screaming!_?_"

"T-T-THERE WAS A PALE FIGURE IN THE W-WATER!_!_"

"A corpse?"

Frantic mutters washed over the spectators as the one still kept on stuttering about something.

'_Wow, the marines have their own Usopp, too...'_ Gen sweatdropped. Then she grinned. _'What a reaction! 10 points!_'

"I don't see any corpses here, Takumi. Maybe you should just take a short vacation like we planned?"

"I know what I saw! I-I-It was a woman, and she was _staring_ at me! She was so-so-so pale that-!"

"Yes, yes..." someone laughed. An older voice demanded to know what was going on and the situation was soon explained.

"So you saw someone in the water?"

"Yes, Mekao-san."

"What did it look like?"

"A beautiful, pale woman... though I only saw the eyes, rest was under water... She stared at me, and it was scary!"

Gen grinned and held in her giggle when she hit the water with her hand, making a loud splash. Then she dived in cover. There were hurried footsteps on the Merry's deck as the marines tried to see this supposedly dead girl.

"**Hahahaha~!**" Gen laughed in the water. She didn't know if the marines heard it or not. The demigoddess swam back to the other side of the ship and quickly with stealth she snatched a bento box someone had left too close to the edge. '_Dinner~!_'

Gen hid under the ship until she couldn't hear a whisper or a whine. It was almost boring, but there were some interesting things at the bottom of the dock. Nails, a bottle, shoe, hammer, a screwdriver... someone's lost fork and a pearl necklace. She kept the necklace, though she could see it wasn't that expensive. Time went on and she even took a short nap.

When it was silent, she swam to the edge of the pool.

Not a soul in sight!

And then her eyes landed on the... thing. She raised her eyebrow and grinned: it looked like a bad excuse of a scarecrow, put together from the stuff in the hall. It had a dirty, orange jumpsuit and a cap on it's head, and it was holding crosses on both of it's hands. It also had a 'scary' frown.

_'What the...? Is that supposed to scare away bad spirits?'_ Gen snickered and squeezed water from her hair. Now that she was out of the water the chilly air made the skin on her arms rise to goose pimples. '_Darn this T-shirt...'_

The bento box was nothing grand, just four rise balls and a small can of strawberry juice.

"Eww..." she scowled and pouted. "I don't like strawberry juice..." The rise balls were okay.

After that she went into the ship to find a towel and dry clothes. She was lucky that the towels were in the bathroom, but she stared confusedly at her door... or actually it was a painting. The seagull stared back at her, but didn't tell where her room had disappeared to.

"Weird. I wonder if Nami or Robin have any shirts... but I might need to go back to the water, so... Aah, I'll just dry this and put in back on," she talked to herself.

"Merry~!" Well that definitely wasn't a marine... "You're safe! I'm so happy~!"

'_Usopp?_' she thought as she pulled on her shirt.

"A caravel," the old voice from before said. She had heard him before he had talked, but it seems that Usopp hadn't. "Lateen sails at the aft, and an axial stern rudder. It may be an old model, but it's a sturdy ship."

"Who are you?" the sniper asked.

"You don't know me? You must be a new recruit. Be careful when you're here, though, the men talked about a corpse in the water and now they all think that there's something supernatural lurking in here. Some poor beast, maybe, or a vengeful spirit."

"A _g-g-g-ghost?_"

"That's why they made that," the old man was heard to say, and Gen was pretty sure he was talking about the scarecrow.

"I-I-I'm not sca-a-a-ared!"

"Never said so," he was clearly amused. "Ahh... but this baby must've seen quite a lot of action. It's been badly damaged, but the repairs are holding firm. The ship is happy to be loved so much."

In her hiding place, she smiled gently. '_You don't know the half of it..._'

"Can you really tell that?" Usopp asked.

"Marine ships and pirate ships are the same to me. I can tell things like that with one look."

_Gulp, gulp, gulp..._

_'Drinking without me! Oi...! I'd love to have a gulp too, I want the taste of oil out of my mouth..._' she sulked. She had never touched the strawberry juice.

"That's great to hear! Thanks a bunch!" Usopp could hardly contain his joy.

"You dumbass! I wasn't complimenting you!"

_'In a way, you were...'_

"Still, I liked the sound of it!"

Her leg was starting to go numb so she decided that it was time to return to the pool. _'I'm so glad that I can breathe in water, hiding is so much easier! I can't believe they didn't catch me! ...Yet.'_

There were footsteps approaching them and the girl decided that now was NOT the time to be making noise. "So you still want to treat marine ships and pirate ships the same way."

"Lieutenant Drake, if you're here about the ship repairs, they'll take at least a week. It seems like marines these days think it's their duty to damage their ships. The whole dock crew is working around the clock."

"Don't worry, I'm not here to bother a veteran mechanic. ...And what is that?"

"Just something to keep the evil spirits at bay."

Gen bit her lip to keep herself from laughing.

"Anyways, I'm here to talk to him. Hey you there!" Lieutenant Drake barked, making Usopp squeak like a dog toy. "What's your attachment?"

"A-A-Atta..." he stuttered.

"You don't even know your own unit?"

"I... uh... think it was Unit 18..."

"Unit 18 is the sharpshooter unit, I believe."

_'He's screwed,'_ Gen mentally face palmed.

"Were you not aware that this dock was off limits to anyone except maintenance personnel?"

'_Hey, what about us ghosts?'_ Gen grinned and tried to not let her teeth clatter.

"Oh, yes, of course. I'll just be getting along back to my sharpshooter unit..."

"That won't be necessary!" Drake didn't sound like a happy camper.

"It won't!" neither did Usopp.

"Arrest hi-"

_**ACHOOH!**_

_'Oh... shiiiiit...!'_

"What was that? You, go check it out! The rest of you, as I was saying, arrest that guy," the lieutenant gave orders.

_'Us ghosts don't sneeze!'_ Gen was furious to herself. '_What to do, what to do... No options, back to the water it is!_'

Quickly, she moved across the deck silent like a shadow and swung herself over the railing. Hanging with one hand, she used the other hand to make the water into a tentacle that wrapped around her mid section. It dragged her under with little to no sound, and just in time too.

All this while Usopp was an inch away from becoming sandwich material. The veteran guy went ballistic over how he didn't want 'a drop of blood' get spilled in his 'sacred' docks.

Without much else to say, the sniper got dragged away.

Gen hummed in boredom and played with the pearls.

Greg had told her to practice with water whenever she had the time, but for now she had been either too busy or too lazy to actually do anything. She swam behind the ship to stay hidden and surfaced. Kicking the water she formed the familiar tentacle from it.

Gen knew how to restrain things with it, or strangle or drown the victim, if need be. Downside was that it had to be kept moving all the time, if not by directing it to somewhere then slowly rotating around itself. Greg had also showed how to throw stuff with deadly accuracy with a thin tentacle. Thin, because when you have to focus on _where_ you aim you can't focus that good on keeping the tentacle intact. It proved that she sucked in it. Picking up an object with water was as easy as with a hand, but trying to aim at the same time? _Screw you!_

In theory she also knew how to make an edge out of the water, but maintaining one was another story. If she could keep it sharp, she could create a drill with it, using the water's need to move to her advantage.

She raised her hand and the tentacle straightened from its slump posture. Slowly, she increased the rotation in it to a level equivalent to exercise and sharpened the point of it. For a few seconds, it went well, but then the structure started losing mass as her focus weakened.

It fell with a noticeable splash.

"What was that!"

She smiled sheepishly and ducked.

* * *

><p>The fort was more like a maze than he would've liked it to be. He was well aware that he wasn't the best one in keeping directions as they were, but he wasn't as bad as that green haired guy who had hots for his Lady. That's why he was severely surprised and numbly confused when he found himself from the same spot for the fourth time already. He had shook off his pursuers some time ago.<p>

"Oh... so this is how it feels like," he muttered and but his lip. "To be lost."

Greg was pretty sure he'd taken all the possibilities there were (_straight, right or left_) and he was still puzzled.

He frowned and sighed, before starting off to the right again. Being extra careful, he walked on and checked the rooms and turns, picking up ways that were unfamiliar to him. And yet...

"You've _got_ to be kidding me!" he hit his head to the wall in despair. He whipped around when he heard a snicker.

"You lost?" a young marine asked. Just from one look the demon could tell that he was one of those guys who got constantly pushed around by everyone. He looked anything but dangerous.

The man was short, he had shoulder-length black hair and a... wooden sword hanging from his belt. He lacked the cap Greg had seen every regular marine soldier use.

"Uh... yes... I suppose so..." he dropped his head.

"Don't worry, that's common in these parts. When it was my first week I spent two days here before someone found me!" he smiled friendly. He looked displeased: "And I'm not the only one. I've been here for enough time to know this place like the back of my own hand. I try putting up landmarks to other people to follow, but somehow they always disappear the next day!"

"That's very thoughtful of you... umm...?"

"Oh! I'm Bashikawa Akio! Nice to meet you!" he bowed. "But everyone calls me 'Cappy'."

The demon bowed back. "Sir Aecorius VII. Likewise. Why do they call you Cappy?"

"Ahahaha..." he rubbed the back of his head. "That's because I always lose my hat- Ah!" he noticed that he didn't have the mentioned piece of clothing on his persona.

"Oh no! I'm going to get in trouble again!"

Akio escorted him through the corridors with confidence. The young marine was a very friendly and chatty, so they had a mostly one-sided conversation. Akio told him about the fort.

Greg could feel him glancing at him every once and a while, and finally after a short pause the boy asked timidly about his missing arm.

"Hm? Ah, I gave it up for a very good friend of mine," he smiled.

"W-Wow, so cool! I wish I was that brave," he sighed somberly. "But I'm not. Frankly, you're everything I admire. Good looking, strong, tall..."

Greg looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell? You have known me only for a moment."

"I don't talk about it, but I'm good at judging character. I'm rarely wrong," he smiled and a light red dusted his cheeks. Greg noted that he was a very cute young marine when he smiled. "And," he continued, "You wear weird clothes. All the higher ups wear weird clothes, so I guess you're pretty strong."

Okay, maybe he wasn't that good.

"That... or then you're not a marine."

Greg froze for a millisecond. "Say, if I was a bad person, what would you do?"

"There's not much I could do," he shrugged. "I'm really weak and I leave most of the things for others to deal with. D-Don't take me wrong! I do what I can, but... it's not a lot. I don't fight."

"You know, your attitude is starting to irritate me. Why don't you try telling me about what you're good at, instead of focusing on things you can't do?" he felt guilt for his own slightly harsh tone.

Akio was silent for some time. "I... I... I'm good at..." he started slowly.

"Yes?" he encouraged him to continue.

"I'm good at... uh... Oh! They say that there's no better listener than me!" he beamed.

"If I can ask, why are you here in Navarone?"

"Well, I take messages and deliver things, sometimes I work at the kitchens. Oh, and I help with the maintenance crew on Thursdays..."

Greg sweatdropped, and the boy continued muttering about his lost hat. Greg silently wondered how many times the boy got molested a day for being so cute and _girly._

* * *

><p>Peek-a-boo with the marines had been entertaining, but only for so long. She had snatched someone's lunch again and left behind the empty tin box. She had given up on the training too, deciding to do something else.<p>

She rearranged the scarecrow, which was now flipping off the passerbys and she washed the Merry's deck with a good wave of water, accidentally spraying someone. She had also found a basket full of little wooden animal figures someone had probably done in their boredom. Now the things were propped up in random places around the dock, spooking the marines further. They also seemed to move on their own, and whoever had done the animals had done a good job, but why did they look so mean? The giraffe was presently giving the evil eye from on top of a toolbox and no one had dared to touch it.

_'Hmmmh... I wonder how long it will be..._' she sighed and plopped a moose on the ground.

Her ears perked as she heard a familiar voice: the old guy who had been praising Merry. Gen was peeking from the ship how the men greeted Mekao (_that's what his name was_) and told him what was going on. Mekao 'hmm'ed and picked up a hammer before walking up to the ship.

She sat comfortably against the railing and let the old man walk around, tapping here and there with scrutiny. It took him nearly five minutes before he noticed the girl. "So? How's Merry doin'?" she asked with a grin. Mekao startled and fell on his rump with a gasp.

"Oi, is everything good up there?" someone asked. Mekao gaped at the smiling, relaxing young woman who raised one eyebrow.

"Y-Yes, everything's fine! I just slipped!" he got up and added with a lower voice: "Who are you?"

"The ghost, accordin' t' those guys," she snickered. "Bu' I guess ya can call me Gen."

"So you're the one who's been scaring them," he eyed her warily.

"Nev'r hurt 'em, though. See th' animals? Wonder who made 'em... Ah, by the way, do you know if 'nyone lost a pearl necklace? I found one from the water," she raised the object hanging on her neck for him to see.

"Pearls...? No, I don't. Wait, who are you? A pirate?" he asked.

She gave the victory sign. "Hai~!"

"Knew it..." he sighed.

"Hm, she's in a bad shape, ay?" Gen looked up the mast.

"You people really haven't been easy to her. The patchwork too, sturdy, but it won't hold well without a splint."

"Hoa, hoa, why are you telling this to me? Go talk to the Wiener-face, he alone could love the ship more than all the rest of us put together! And that's a lot!" she held her hands up. "I know nothin' of fixin' ships."

"He the one who fixed her?"

Gen smiled mysteriously. "Who knows...? Anyway, if you're going to see him, tell the other guy in the cell that I'm missing him... despite his personality and looks."

"The other guy...?"

"Yeah, Roronoa Zoro. Green hair. Not that hard to miss," she combed her fingers through her own hair. "Ewwh, what the netherworld _is_ in that water!_?_"

"Well..."

"Don't **tell** me, for mom's sake!" she grimaced. "Ah well, you should probably go on. I'm getting bored here, and I believe mr. Rhino wants to go ask ms. Hippo on a date!"

"The Hippo's a dude."

"Even better!" she clapped her hands together and giggled.

"Mekao-san? Who are you talking to?" someone asked.

"Take care of your own business!" the old man yelled over the railing. He turned to look at Gen who gave a two-finger salute before he nodded and left.

_'Ahh~ what a great guy! WAIT! I forgot to ask for a drink...'_

It truly became boring after that, and she decided to go clean up all the marine crime-scene stuff from the galley.

_BOOOOOOOMMMM..._

The whole hall shook from the power of an explosion. Gen smirked; Luffy and Sanji were freed and should be coming back in no time. The siren started blaring, and the men in orange were asking around what was happening.

...

...

...

_'IT'S TAKING TOO DAMN LONG!_!_'_

Huffing and puffing she marched down the gangplank and left behind a group of baffled men.

Outside, Gen didn't need to look around to see what was happening: the whole arsenal of cannons of the Navarone's inner walls were being pointed towards the center island.

"Ah, so that's where you people are..." Gen sighed.

Then the first cannonball was shot.

"Okay, now they're not there anymore. What to do... where to go..."

"MIIIII LAAAAAADDDYYYYYYYYYY~~!_!_!" the obnoxious, sing-song voice made her skin crawl. She looked up, and true, she saw him... Greg. There was a young marine boy next to him on a small balcony.

"GREGORY!" she yelled back, much more collected than him. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE!_?_"

"I WAS LOOKING FOR A GIFT FOR YOU, M'LADY, BUT I GOT LOST! THEN I WAS SAVED BY THIS BRAVE YOUNG MISTER!~"

"U-Uh...!" the said young man blushed cutely and denied it, saying that he wasn't brave at all.

"But you were! You led a dangerous man like me to where I wanted and not once called for backup!"

"That's not called bravery..." Gen sweatdropped.

"Gloria-sama! The Strawhats are battling on the bridge connecting that island to the outer fort, and I believe that Nami-san and Chopper are coming this way!"

"Alright! I'll go help 'em out and you stay here and wait for Nami and Choppie, alright?"

"They don't need help, M'Lady!"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!_!_"

Gen's ears perked: she heard footsteps in the hall and someone ordered the mechanics people out.

_Soldiers._

Ten there was a huge crash and a groan of metal. "Damn, can't see a thing, that stupid island is in the way!" she whined.

The bridge came down, she heard the splash and she heard the yelling. Gen facepalmed.

"Those guys..." Greg sighed. "I thank you, Bashikawa-san. You should really start seeing the brighter side of life."

"Ah, no, it was nothing! And I will! And thanks for helping me find my hat..." the marine picked it from his head and fiddled it. Suddenly a gust of wind stole it, flying it high and away. The young man looked at it going with a mortified expression. Greg chuckled and patted his back with his only arm.

"Don't worry, you'll find it!"

"I guess so..."

Gen had jumped in the water to get out of sight, and Greg jumped down and hid. Men in white, pointing their rifles towards the wide entrance, swarmed the hall. Greg heard the same thing the marines did; there was someone coming their way.

_'It's an ambush!'_ he grit his teeth. From the corner of his eye he saw Gloria's figure sliding smoothly towards the Merry and disappear behind it.

Greg heard talking; the Lady's comrades were close now and his hand rested on his sword's hilt.

"They're here!" A man with a fancy jacket said. "Commence operation!"

Just then the male population of the Strawhat Pirates burst in, with Luffy in the lead. He halted, the wide smile turning into confusion and the rest of them almost stumbling on him. They quickly went into a tight formation, poor Usopp in the front, Luffy on his right and Zoro on his left, Sanji keeping the tail.

"Well, this is really something," Sanji commented.

Zoro glared at the marines. "So it was an ambush after all."

"Unit 7, Sharpshooters to the front!" Lieutenant Drake ordered. "Prepare to fire!"

"Just like that!_?_" Usopp cried out.

Since the guns didn't work due Luffy's massive balloon-ism (_was not appreciated by the other two of the monster trio_) the marines pulled out bazookas and shot a round of flash bombs in their feet. Being blinded, the close combats unit was commanded onward.

Greg moved. The hall was now full of smoke that gave perfect conceal against the marines. No one noticed how the demon slipped to the pirates and met swords with a very surprised marine who was instantly dispatched.

The smoke turned out to be teargas.

"Asshole!" the chef was heard to cuss out and kick a bunch of soldiers. Usopp was fine, he had goggles on, and Zoro seemed to do just fine without his eyesight.

"Whoa!" the demon ducked away from Sanji's leg. "Calm down, Sanji-san! It's just me!"

"Sorry, I just associate everything white and moving to these bastards."

"Well don't."

"Is Gen-chan okay?"

"Yes," Greg stabbed someone. "She's by the Merry."

Luffy's gatling gun took out many of the soldiers, and a whip swept them aside.

"Huh? Where'd Sanji and Zoro go?"

"YOU WHIPPED THEM TOO!" Usopp yelled.

"You shithead!" Sanji fumed at the captain. "And you, moss ball! What'd you say before!_?_"

"_*cough*_ If he wasn't a friend of M'Lady's, I'd drag him under and fed him to the jellyfish..." Greg growled and got up. Behind him Sanji and Zoro were trying to kill each other again.

"Why the hell are you fighting!_?_"

Luffy laughed. His attacks had cleared the stinging smoke away, and now they could see Greg too. "Oh, the bunny guy is here!"

"'Bunny guy'!_?_"

"FIRE!"

A net was shot on Luffy, who rolled on the floor and stopped against the metal wall. The commotion broke the two fighting idiots back to the reality, as the boy struggled in the net.

"What the hell!_?_ What is this!_?_ I can't get it off!"

"Luffy!"

"Stay right where you are!" Drake boomed. "The wanted posters say 'Dead or Alive', but G-8 generally takes its prisoners alive. Nevertheless! If you continue to resist, I will not guarantee anything."

It looked bad however one looked at it.

"O-Oi, Luffy! Can you get that net off?" Usopp asked.

"It's not even budging!" the boy struggled. "And for some reason, I'm feeling weaker..."

"Kairouseki!" Zoro realized.

"What!_?_"

"Exactly. Those who possess the power of the devil's fruit will find that net to be a prison!"

Greg smirked and approached Luffy, staring down and to the small beads that were in every knot. These beads were the source of Luffy's discomfort, but to him they were like a chilling breeze in a hot summer day. "And I wonder... what about us demons?" he asked with a self-satisfied tone.

Gen had been peeking from her hiding spot and had seen everything that happened. Once Luffy had been down, the marines were sure that they would win, but what Greg did next...

His skin seemed to bubble and he seemed to melt grotesquely right in front of their eyes. He became a lump of moving liquid, the turtle shells floating on it. The mass lost its colour, turning clear, and rough, thick arm sprouted from it. The limb had four claws like fingers, and the shoulder pads took place on top of it. It really looked like a big mouth, the chain hanging from the side of its mouth. The one with the lines was lower, and she didn't see any kinds of eyes on it.

Come to think of it, where was his left arm?

"**Well, then...**" his voice was warped and bubbly as he flexed his hand. The demon was a head taller than Drake. "**How many would like to try me?**"

The marines cocked their guns at him, and Gen was pretty sure he was grinning - though one couldn't be sure for the mask his face was.

"UAAAAAAH! A MONSTER!" Usopp's eyes bulged out. Sanji and Zoro looked at the demon too.

"So cool...!" Luffy's sound of excitement turned into a tired moan.

"**I cannot let you harm the ones close to M'Lady,**" he snarled and attacked. Both bullets and swords went cleanly through him without making any real harm, but he in the other hand delivered punches around.

"He must be the 8th member of the crew!" Lieutenant Drake said.

During all this, Gen had almost missed Mekao climbing up a ladder.

There was a girly 'kyaaaaa!' and Gen snickered, seeing how Usopp was sent flying. No, it wasn't him who was screaming, it was Nami, dressed in a pink nurse outfit.

She wasn't alone, and she and another woman with pale lavender hair and round glasses were pushing a... hospital bed?

Greg stopped downing people to see what was happening.

"What's going on!_?_" her eyes bulged out.

"Huh? What was that sound?" Chopper crawled from under the blanket resting on the bed. "AAA! A MONSTER!"

"**No, it's just me**," Greg seemed to scratch the back of his head. There was a sword sticking up in him.

Chopper, noticing the bulldozed Usopp on the ground, went to take care of him. Gen saw that the situation was calm enough and got up from the water. No one seemed to notice her before she pushed through the marine crowd, wet and faintly stinking again, squeezing water out of her hair. The marines were too surprised to really do anything.

"Allo," she greeted.

"GEN-CHWAAAAAN~!"

"Ah, Gloria-sama, you decided to join us," Greg said. She blinked; he was back to a human.

"Oi, where's your arm?"

"Ah, don't worry about that now, but it's heart-warming to see you concerned for me~!"

"Hello, 'M Gen!" She waved at Drake.

"I DON'T CARE!"

"Well, y' should," Gen stuck her tongue out. "_I'M_ the 8th member, _dumbass!_"

"Her...?"

"Kobato?" Mekao recognized the mystery woman who came with Nami and Chopper.

"Ah! Um, Lieutenant!" a soldier next to Drake tried to say.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!_?_" the man cut him off, making Nami flinch.

The woman, Kobato, inhaled and _screamed_.

Gen slammed her hands on her ears to try to hold out the noise.

"What the hell was that for!_?_" Nami asked. She had been standing right next to her.

"WE'VE BEEN TAKEN HOSTAGE! PLEASE HELP UUUUS!"

'_Ah...?_' Gen realized. '_She's helping us._'

"HE THREATENED TO KILL US IF WE DIDN'T COME WITH HIM!"

"Kobato-san..." Chopper looked at her.

"KYAAA! This big man is one of the pirates!" Nami joined in the screaming. Gen just giggled.

"What!_?_ Wait a second there!_!_" Chopper said. He was in his human mode, Usopp hanging limply over his shoulder. "What's going on? Since when was I supposed to be the hostage taker!_?_"

"Who is that lady?" Sanji asked.

"Don't ask me." Zoro answered.

The marines had taken the bait. "You dirty cowards!" Drake grit his teeth. "This is why I hate pirates!"

"Aww, I hate you too~!" Gen giggled, leaning into the man. He was startled to see someone sneaking up to him like that. She laughed and danced away, latching herself on Zoro's arm this time.

"AAARGH! YOU'RE WET ALL OVER! DON'T TOUCH ME!_!_"

"That could be taken in a very wrong way, Marimo, but I'll let it slide this time! I'm too happy to see y'all~!"

"Uhhh... Mmmh..."

"Was that a yes?"

"H-How should I know!" he turned flaring red.

"So it was a yes," she nodded, satisfied.

Chopper seemed to take up the role of a kidnapper.

"That's right! Crying babies are silent when I'm near! I am the Strawhats' most ferocious madman!"

Gen stifled her laugh in time and it turned into a weird gurgle. Zoro grinned and started clapping.

Chopper stomped his leg, using the hospital jacket as a cloak. "If my demands are not met, the hostages will face my wrath!" Nami and Kobato screamed in sync to add the effect. "Yeah! Hurry up and move aside so we can get through!"

Gen tried to wipe her face of any signs of laughter. Who knew that Choppie had a rape face?

Lieutenant Drake didn't like it at all, as he grit his teeth.

"Khhhh...! ..._hahahahahaha_...!" Gen was about to bust a gut.

"I get it." "This sounds like fun," Sanji and Zoro were smiling like cats.

"Hurry up! Otherwise I'll snap these women's necks!"

"He'll really do it!" Zoro pointed at him. "Even when one of us pisses him off, he goes ballistic."

"Yeah, and then it ain' no pretty!" Gen leered. "We have to be on our toes ALL the time, and only one he listens is the cap'n!"

"Would someone sworn to uphold justice let two beautiful women die?" Sanji asked slyly. Nami and Kobato were shaking their heads rapidly.

"Chopper! That's dirty! I'm disappointed in you!" Luffy said.

"Would you shut up!" Nami hissed.

Chopper roared.

"HE'LL KILL US!"

"Please do what he says!" Nami pleaded.

"KYAAAA!"

Oh, to say the Lieutenant was pissed would be an underestimation, but he could do nothing but to order his men to fall back.

"Hey, he's really doing it."

"I hope so," Zoro said and freed Luffy from the net. Gen walked over and picked the remnants up.

'_This'll come in handy later.'_

Mekao walked to his fellow dock men as the marines gave them a clear path right to the Merry's gangplank.

"We've given you way! Now release the hostages!"

"Great! It worked!" Nami whispered. When Chopper just stood there, she elbowed him.

"No! I won't release the hostages until we've escaped!"

"FIEND!" Gen sharpened her ears, when someone came to talk with Drake. It seemed that they hadn't given up yet, and there was a 'unit 17' somewhere ready for them. "Fine, you dirty negotiator! Hurry up and board your ship!"

"That's awfully sporting of him, but does he mean it?" Zoro was carrying Luffy. "Oi, snap out of it already!"

It was eerie how silent it was when they walked between the crowds of marines. From the corner of her eye, she saw movement. Someone was following them midst the marines, but she didn't turn her head.

Zoro noticed it too.

"Nami, Chopper, Gen, Demon, Love Cook..."

"Eeeh?"

"When I give the signal, run to the ship. Luffy, stretch your arms and get everyone onboard the ship. You can do it, right?"

"No problem."

"I see," Sanji's eye moved to look what the first mate had seen.

They all tensed, when someone on their left dropped a rifle.

"Oops, how careless of me!" The guy apologized.

"What the hell?" Nami asked. "Don't scare us like that!"

In a second, Gen was in the 'clumsy' guy's face, glaring down with all her intimidating might. "**'**_**Oops**_**' my ass.**"

He seemed to freeze.

Kobato was taken away from them, and when someone tried to grab Nami, she screamed and punched him in the face.

"_NOOOO!_"

"You idiot! He's trying to save you!" Lieutenant Drake had the shark teeth.

"Oh no! Nami-san!" Sanji said.

"Get to the ship! Let's go, captain!" Zoro ordered.

"There's no choice, then. All troops attack!"

There was a mighty crack and the ship behind them started moving. Merry had been previously in a closed off pool, but now the water level in it rose, lifting the ship above a barricade.

That was when Luffy slung his arm, catching everyone off guard with it and making them plummet right towards the ship.

Oh, poor, poor Zoro, who got slammed head first into the railing with Luffy before bouncing onto the deck. Warning shots rained on them, as they sailed in a bright sunlight. Nami swept the boy in the head with her istaff and Sanji squished his face under his heel.

"Every freaking time... Can't you find any better way to save us!"

Gen was too busy getting her world to stop spinning in Greg's arms (_arm_) to go and strangle the boy for his idiocy.

* * *

><p>Gloria: Why do I always find jewelery from random places?<p>

Snoara: I don't know. Maybe you have a secret admirer?

Herka: Besides Zoro?

Gloria: Snor, you left the door open again!

Snoara: But you didn't deny it.

Gloria: Deny what?

Snoara: Zoro likes you~!

Gloria: S-Shut up!

Snoara: If you people there behind the screens have funny or fluffy ideas for the omakes, do tell! I have a few in the stock, but fresh ideas are always welcome.

* * *

><p><strong>ExtRRRRa<strong>

_-Sparring  
><em>

Sitting on the edge of the mikan grove, Gen was grinning from ear to ear and eating chocolate covered dried strawberries. Sanji was good at making them, so she had a big stash of them. The others - now talking about the idiot trio - liked them as well, and a hand or a hoof dug in the little bowl from time to time.

"Kick his ass!"

"Way to go!"

"Wah! So cool!"

"Pass me the candy."

"Take off your shirt!"

"They're not wearing any, Gen."

"Oh yeah... Take off your pants!"

"No, no, that'd be weird," Usopp sweatdropped. They were cheering for Zoro and Greg.

Zoro was a true workaholic and always training himself until Chopper came along and chastised him for ripping a stitch for the umpteenth time that morning. The man never asked for anyone to train or spar with him, but when the chance to whip the demon's ass arose, he jumped for it. They had gained audience too, and damn if he was going to lose!

This was very, very okay with Gen. Fine, hard muscles, glistening in sweat under the afternoon sun? Graceful moves and the exhalirating clashes of swords? The intensity in their eyes and the feral grins?

"I need a cig after this..." she sighed in bliss.


	46. Missing gold, rabbit and each other

**I KNOW!** I KNOW! IT'S LATE and please don't kill me? Usually I know what's been holding me back when the chapter is late, but this time... I don't have a clue. I can't remember what I've been doing this past week, but the two last days were because my beta's having some problems. That's also why the chapter hasn't been edited, so there might be typos and such.  
>(<em>As a side note, my brother's in Spain and I have the room all for myself~!)<em>

So... errr... yeah. Again, don't kill me? _*Hides*_

* * *

><p>The ship sailed out of range of the guns and Nami steered the ship to go along the cliffside so that instead of two walls full of cannons, they only had one to take care of. Usopp gained consciousness and read the situation quickly: Nami was playing a hostage and Merry was moving.<p>

Gen asked Greg about his day and he told her how he sealed her room from outsiders, how he had to escape marines and how he got lost and met Bashikawa Akio, the young man/boy whose whole being almost screamed to get... yeah. He was a civilized man; he didn't say it out loud.

After that, the demon unsealed her room, getting back his lost arm, and she got to change out of her Sky Island clothes into something more warm and dry. She wrapped a towel around her head and emerged from the door to the deck in time to see the ship sailing right under vice admiral Jonathan's balcony. The man was leaning on the railing, and now Gen saw him better for the first time.

He looked like a hardcore marine, yes, but at the same time... he looked almost gentle. He had somewhat faded orange hair and big fat mustache and eyebrows, but his beard was curiously the same as his hair. All he did was gaze down at Luffy, who was grinning victoriously back at him. No one else seemed to see him.  
>Suddenly she remembered something, and she climbed up the mast to the crow's nest and from that she balanced towards the end of the mast, almost slipping once.<p>

"Oooi~!" she waved her hand and the pearl necklace in it. "Mr. Marine boss~! Has someone lost a necklace~?"

Now that they seemed to notice him, Usopp and Chopper started shrieking and went into hiding.

"Was your head so full of air that you finally floated away?" Zoro asked.

"Oh shush you, moss-between-the-floorboards! It's _helium_ that makes things float!" she replied and saw how Sanji tried to kick him off the ship. "So, Mr. Marine boss! Do you know?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Oh, what a shame," she sighed, grabbed the side of the sail and slid down.

"HEY! DON'T HANG ON THE SAILS, IDIOT! YOU MAKE THE SHIP GO OFF COURSE!" Nami had a big tickmark on her head.

"Sor-ry," Gen rolled her eyes.

Nami continued to stare intently forwards, standing next to the figurehead. Sanji was still swooning about the nurse outfit as the navigator muttered over the fact that they didn't have the needed information for an escape.

"Chill, sis. Robin-onee-sama is still out there, isn't she?" Gen pointed out. Just in time, Sanji called Robin's name as she slung towards the ship with a vine created from her own disembodied hands while carrying a big roll of paper under her arm.

"You look so cool~!" the cook was over spilling little, pink, floating hearts.

The roll of paper was a map of the stronghold and Nami was praising the woman for getting her hands on it. Gen was more interested in the clothes she had on; a dark pink/maroonish (?) long overcoat and a pair of purple sunglasses.

"Where did you get these? So awesome!"

"Haha, I took them from the commander inspector."

"Woooow... They look so good on you!" she had sparkles in her eyes.

A cannonball made the ship lurch. Usopp rushed to the railing with bulgy eyes. "I thought they didn't shoot us with a hostage!_?_"

"They were bound to figure it out sooner or later!" Nami answered.

"The battleships are on our tail!" he wailed.

They sailed quickly around the little island in the middle of the fort and saw what they were looking for - the sea gate. "That's our only way out!"

"Looks heavy," Gen frowned. Greg was sitting, slumped on the stairs. If he was tired, why hadn't he returned to his vessel yet?

"Usopp, man the forward cannon! Chopper, do exactly as I say!" Nami ordered around, getting a nod from him. He was steering the ship. "If that's the only exit, we'll have to force our way out. The only thing that concerns me is the amount of shallow water on the map. It's not suitable for a port, so why build it here? That's bothering me."

Then they faced another problem: the gunpowder and the cannonballs were all confiscated by the marines, which meant that they wouldn't be able to shoot the gate down.

"What do we do?"

"We'll just have to cut our way through," Zoro said.

"We just have to gain control of the thing that opens it," Sanji suggested.

"I like both ideas," Gen nodded.

"Don't make it sound so easy!" Usopp fretted.

"Don't worry! I've got a nice idea!" Luffy said from the Merry's head, and the next time the marines shot a round at them, he caught them all with his inflated stomach and directed them towards the gate. It blew up, sending a thick cloud of flying dust and gunpowder over the sea. "Yosha~!"

Nami's face turned pale and her eyes widened. A nervous sweat broke on her forehead as she ran the stairs down and flew open the storage room's door...

"KYAAAAAAAAAAHH!_!_ We've been had! _THE TREASURE IS GONE_!_!_!"

"Greg, where's your vessel?" Gen asked him sternly with a worried expression. She shook the demon's shoulder since he seemed to be asleep. He opened his eyes tiredly, and gave an apologetic look.

"I... lost it... in the fort..."

A big, cold stone fell to the pit of her stomach.

"GREEEEEEG YOU DUMBASS!_!_!" she raised her fist ready to hit him, but then remembered that maybe she shouldn't do it. Instead, she kneeled in front of him and drew him into a tender hug. His forehead rested on her collarbone as she petted his head and untied the ponytail, letting the shining black hair free. She had noticed that he had a thin lined, glowing deep blue symbol on his forehead, consisting of a C with a line going from the top upwards and another starting from the center of it going down. In the corner of the downward line and the C-line was a dot.

"I can see the sea!" Luffy announced. "If we keep going, we can get out!"

"_WE CAN'T LEAVE!_" Both Gen and Nami yelled in sync.

"Huh?" Luffy turned to look behind him to Nami.

"Turn the ship around! We're going back! Hurry up! We have to go back to the stronghold!" Nami was fretting. "They took all our gold!"

"_What_!_?_" Zoro asked.

"Are you serious? Nami, we already risked our necks once trying to get out!" Usopp tried to reason with her.

"Seriously serious! Dead serious! What's the point of escaping if we leave our gold behind!_?_"

"Hmmmh, she's really persuasive when there's money involved," Chopper said. He was still in his human mode.

"Nami-swan is so beautiful when she's persuasive~!"

"But look! We made that big hole in the gate! Why can't we just leave?" Luffy asked.

"We're PIRATES, Luffy. Wouldn't you call it a disgrace for pirates to be robbed of their gold?"

This got through his thick mind. "Oh, I see."

"That's not the only reason!" Gen raised her voice and got the attention.

"Hey, what's wrong with him?" Sanji asked. Chopper walked over and took a peek at his face.

"You guys do know what a vessel is?" Gen looked at them and they all nodded. "And you all know what happens if a demon is without one?"

"They lose their minds and, eventually, die," Robin said calmly.

"It's a death sentence," Greg coughed. Everyone's expressions turned serious as the graveness of the situation sunk in.

"What are the odds that we find the vessel?" Robin asked.

"All we can do is try. We don't know otherwise," Luffy said cheerily.

"It's settled then! To get the gold! And save him." Nami placed her hands on her hips and started dishing out commands. Right before the narrow pathway to the open sea they made a sharp U-turn with the ship. It made everyone still standing on the deck squish against the railing because of the centrifugal force.

Gen heard continuous clanging noise, and Nami told them that the big marine ships were telling each other where they were so that they wouldn't crash into each other. It turned out to be a good thing for the crew of pirates too, and they could hear the ship right in front of them before things became ugly.

That one ship was only a leader to a whole lot of other ships that came right behind it. Gen heard them clearly, and so did Nami, who ordered Sanji and Chopper in the rudder to turn harder to port. They were lucky that Merry was smaller and more agile than the marine ships.

"We made it..." Nami released a shuddering breath. "Now just keep us on this course! We're getting out of this damned smoke as soon as we can!"

"They'll see us!" Zoro pointed out.

"And they'll start shooting at us the moment they do!" Usopp said. "They'll blow us apart and send us to our watery graves!"

"..." Gen could've said something to that, but she was too worried for Greg. '_There's not much time, I need to find that bunny before it's too late!'_

Gen gently untangled from her guardian and tapped on his cheek to get his attention. "Gregory... can you hear me?"

"I can..."

"Good. I'm going to look for it," she said clearly and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Gloria-sama... you're too kind," he whispered and closed his eyes again, a smile on his face.

"Yeah, she is," Zoro nodded, walking to them and making her flinch. "And whatever adventure you're planning, you're not going anywh-"

"_What!_?" Gen hissed. "You mean that I shouldn't save him!_?_"

"I never said-!"

"You _asshole!_"

"LISTEN TO ME ALREADY!" Zoro yelled.

"..."

"_As I was saying_, I'm not letting you go anywhere _alone_. So... if it's okay to you, Luffy, I want to go with her," the man turned to the captain.

Luffy looked at Greg who was really in a bad condition right then, but it was Usopp who talked. "Well, he does feel like nakama, doesn't he?"

"Sure!" the captain grinned. "Yosh! Zoro! Gen! Go look for... what are you going to look for again?"

"Something that will cause me to lose my sanity and kill you all before suffering an agonisingly slow death if I don't have it," the demon groaned, but it could've been classified as a growl too. Usopp scooted away, taking Chopper with him.

"Oh... then you really have to find it!" the boy pointed at them.

"Then we need some planning," Nami nodded.

From some old archives Robin had found out that the stronghold used to have more people stationed in it. That also meant that it had been able to man numerous battleships, but then it got downsized. "That's why there are so many unused docks along the gulf."

"Unused docks... I get it! Robin! That's some nice information!" Nami smiled brightly. They were going to find a high dock from the outer ring of the fort to hide the ship, and they dropped the two off before doing that.

Zoro and Gen were to go and find Mekao again from the dock that the Merry had been in before. Now they were hiding behind some big crates and scouting the area for the one man they were looking for.

"I don't see him..." she sighed in disappointment and sat down at the same time as he did.

"Let's not give up. When he visited Usopp in the cells, one thing I got the feeling about is that he loves this place. And talking about that..." he locked his arm around hers. "What was with that message?"

"Oh, you know me, I get so bored without entertainment!" she grinned, but it was just a mask. As subtly as she could she tried to free her hand, but he held firm.

"You missed me," he stated with his deep voice. "And strangely... I missed you."

Gloria's brain decided to suddenly switch off, and while she was in a frozen state he let go of her arm and patted her shoulder before continuing with the search.

"Hm, there he is. Should we go to him now?"

* * *

><p>Mekao had given them directions and by what he told them, the place was somewhere pretty far away. Mysteriously, Zoro didn't even disappear during this all, even when one half of her really wished he would. Mulling over his weird words she almost forgot where she was, before the swordsman yanked her behind a corner when a normal patrol walked by.<p>

"Eyes open, Snowflake!" he panted.

"Shut up!" she scowled and stepped away from the hand on her lower back.

She pushed the train of thoughts towards the matter at hand and tried to calm down. Gregory's only hope was that the two of them managed to find the vessel. And Zoro didn't particularly like him, so...

"Why are you helping him? You don't even like him."

"I'm not helping him, I'm helping _you_ help him," he answered and smirked.

Can you spell 'train crash'?

Despite Mekao's directions, they still found themselves lost in about twenty minutes. From the windows they could see that it was already dark, which made her restless and worried. She became frustrated, when she saw the same rubber duck sitting on the floor for at least the sixth time, and groaned loudly before collapsing on a chair.

"I'm sooo tired... I'm going to sleep for two whole days after this... if the world lets me..."

"Come on, don't give up now. I'm pretty sure we had to go left from here..." Zoro tried to keep her thinking positive, but he too looked like he was ready to start cutting holes in the walls if the normal pathways didn't get them anywhere.

"We did that already."

"Oh... go right?"

"That too."

"Crap... and I'm sure we went that way at least twice..." he sat to the chair next to her. "Where next?"

Two minutes went by, but to her that felt like forever. Soon she got on her feet and started pacing. "Okay! That's enough! Let's wreck something!" she hissed. "Zoro, gimme a sword!"

"I'm not giving you one, you'd probably do more damage to it and yourself than the wall," he got on his feet and gave a scrutinizing look at the surroundings. "...But perhaps I could, just a little-"

"Shh!" Gen suddenly hushed, put a hand on his arm and listened closely. "We're not alone."

Footsteps came from the right and they hid. Some guy with brown hair walked by, and he blinked confusedly. "I'm sure I've seen that duck before..."

"Hello, Randall-san!" a vaguely familiar voice said. The one called Randall turned around and greeted the man Gen recognized as Bashikawa. "You lost?"

"I guess so!" the man gave a lopsided smile.

"Where were you going?"

"To the dorms, but I think I took a wrong turn somewhere," he looked down to the tips of his shoes.

Gen grinned and cooed in her head. '_Isn't that just so adorable?'_

"Go back from here and when you reach the potted flower go left. From that on you should know where to go."

"Ah, thanks a lot. See you later?"

"Hahaha, sure!"

Randall left and Bashikawa walked the other way. When he came by their hiding place, two sets of arms snatched and gagged him.

"Hi, you remember Greg?" Gen went straight to the point. He looked slightly scared, but anyone would in this situation. From his eyes she could see he didn't know what she was talking about. "Sir Elmo-Gregory Vaughan Aecorius VII?"

"Mmmhm," he nodded and blinked in acknowledgement when he connected the name with a face.

"Oh, sorry, I'll just remove my hand now... Good evening and sorry for the trouble," she smiled.

"Same to you... are you Sir Aecorius' friends?" he asked timidly.

"Yeah. Hey, do you-"

"Good! I was so worried, I found this from the floor half an hour ago, and I didn't know what to do with it!" he beamed and pulled out the object they were looking for.

"..."

There was a weird, short silence, and after it passed she hugged him to death.

"_thankyou-!_"

"**Shhhhh!**" Zoro hushed, and they stilled again to hear if the commotion had been heard. "Okay, no one heard. But that sure was quick."

Gen smooched him on his cheek and hugged him one more time before pushing him at an arm's length. "Really, thank you. This bunny means life to Greg, and I don't even want to know what could've happened if you hadn't picked it up when you did."

"Well, it was nothing," he rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. "He did help me find my hat, and he was great company."

"What kind of marine are you, befriending pirates?" Zoro cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh..." Bashikawa seemed to deflate.

Gen shook his shoulders slightly. "Don't listen to him. We're all the same: humans! ...Well at least you two are. A pirate can become a marine and a marine can become a pirate, but a complete asshole can never be a nice person."

He looked at her and stared for a while, mulling the sentence over, and then he gave a beautiful smile. "Yeah... I think I'm a nice person!"

She had the sudden urge to just grab him and take him home and feed him cream and cookies.

"Stop looking at him like a creep and let's go," Zoro grumbled unhappily and started dragging her away.

"Buuuuuut! I wanna take 'im 'ome 'n' feed 'im cream 'n' cookies~!" she wailed while hanging upside down on his shoulder and reaching her hands towards the slightly weirded out young man.

The first mate didn't put her down even when she started trashing, and once she got tired of it she just hung on him as he upped his pace to a light jog.  
>Somehow... they ended up outside.<p>

"You're the only person in the whole effin' world..." Gen facepalmed. "At least we got out."

"What are you talking about?" he blinked, finally sliding her to the ground and rolling his shoulder. "Come on, we need to get back to the demon," he started walking along the balcony. Something in his voice made her ears perk.

"You can correct me if I'm wrong here," she said slowly, "but are you acting like a jackass because I happened snuggled a cute little marine boy?"

"I'm not jealous!" he snapped.

"I never said anything about that," she replied innocently and walked past him. "But you're right, let's go."

By Gloria's suggestion, they stayed outside and kept dodging patrols and stayed out of sight of the battleships littering and lighting up the place. She knew vaguely where the ship had been hidden since Nami had shown it from the map, but otherwise there was a blank gap in her memory.

"Zoro, you have any idea what they could be possibly planning to do?" Gen asked him.

"Get the gold and run. Easy and simple."

"Hmm... I already knew that... Ah! And Nami wanted to go retrieve the waver! Now it's coming to me again..." she muttered and nodded to herself.

"Hey, speak so that I can hear you too!"

"Sorry, I don't usually have other people besides Greg when I'm recalling the future like this," she waved her hand.

"'Recalling the future'...?" he sweatdropped.

"You wouldn't understand that," she sighed. "But anyway... Sanji and Nami went to get the waver, I remember a few scenes on that. Also, the vault they went for... let's see..."

"Luffy, Robin, Usopp and Chopper are left," he helped.

"Thanks. And if someone has to stay at the ship... It's either Usopp or- No, it has to be Choppie," she snapped her fingers, "Because only Nami and Usopp can open vaults."

"So Chopper's going to be there?"

"Yes. And... oh... and the vault is empty, by the way," she held her chin in her hand.

"What!_?_ And you couldn't tell that earlier!_?_" Zoro yelled. "You airhead!"

Gen looked at him seriously, gears in her head whirring rapidly. "My hands are tied, I have to get back to Greg, but you could always go there... no wait, you can't. Damn, I can't remember how they'll get out of there either."

As they wondered what to do and where to go, her sharp ears caught something coming. She turned to watch and saw a small speck of light moving fast, zigzagging big rocks to stay hidden from the marines.

"Hey... Isn't that the waver?" Zoro was trying to see the thing better.

"Could be! We're lucky if it is!" Gen grinned.

It was. They managed to get their attention discreetly. They agreed that Nami and Sanji returned to the ship and took the vessel to its owner as Gen and Zoro went to find the others. It took off noticeable amount of stress off of her, but Zoro couldn't help but ask why hadn't she told them anything about the plan failing and that the vault was empty.

"Because that's how it goes and that's how it has to go in order to keep the plot true," she answered seriously. "Can you understand that?"

"Not really," he grumbled. "But if you say so."

"I say so."

"Wait, what do you mean by 'plot'?" he asked. Gen knew she had to fix the situation, she hadn't needed to conceal things in some time and it had lulled her into a sense of secure.

"It just is, okay?" she sighed. "Compare it to a book: you're on page twenty and I'm on page forty."

"A-ha..." his eyebrows knit together in a way that made her doubt that he really comprehended it fully.

"And if one little but somehow important thing is either changed or removed altogether, the rest of the future becomes uncertain and unsafe."

Zoro grinned. "I like my future uncertain."

"I believe you," Gen returned the grin. "To know the future is both an aid and a pain in the ass."

"I believe you," he mimicked her. "...You know where the gold is?"

"Yup. But all I can tell you is that it's in a ridiculously obvious place."

"A vault?" he snorted. "You said it was empty."

"Stupid, I didn't mean the vault," she stuck her tongue out.

* * *

><p>Their lucky streak wasn't over yet. Some time later they had found Luffy and the others. The captain with Usopp and Robin had come across Kobato and her father, Mekao, in the fort's infirmary. What were the odds that they were related? To Gen it wasn't surprising, but in real life it was very unlikely thing to happen.<p>

"With all this happening we didn't form any kind of plan," Robin looked over Navarone, basking in the numerous lights of the battleships and spotlights. They were high up on the mountains where they had a nice view to the place.

"Shit! Are we gonna have to start running all over the place to look for it?" Usopp whined.

Zoro gave Gloria a pointed look that she answered with a little shrug. Something else caught their attention and his earrings chimed nicely together as he shifted. One hand was on Wado again.

_'Amazing how he can go into alert mode in a fraction of a second,_' she marvelled. It never ceased to amaze her.

"Something wrong, Zoro?" Usopp asked.

"No, I thought I heard something. A bug?" he then relaxed again.

Gen hit his shoulder. "Never question if you heard a voice, many have died when they belittle small voices that others can't hear."

"Are you talking about the little voices in your head or...?" he let the end of the sentence hang.

"Swordsman-san, you weren't hearing things," Robin said and looked down the rocky slope.

"Hey! Something's coming!" Usopp went to the edge and laid flat on his stomach in case it was an unwanted visitor, but that wasn't the case. "It's Nami!"

'_Why didn't he recognize it from the earlier? Oi...'_ she sweatdropped.

Robin told Nami what had happened at the vault and how 'Condoriano' aka. Marine Commander Major Inspector Condo- Shepherd had unintentionally helped them away from the sticky situation, and she told her about the meeting in the infirmary.

"Oh, Dr. Kobato and her dad," Nami was sitting on the edge of the waver. She had left Sanji at the ship.

"Hey Nami, is Greg okay?" Gen asked.

"He is. He turned into smoke and went inside that bunny again."

"Oh thank gods!" she let out a long breath.

"That's still only one of the objectives done," Usopp said. "We don't know where the gold is."

Luffy yawned. "I'm getting sleepy."

"Me too," Gen nodded.

"Morning's going to sneak up on us if we don't hurry up. It'll be harder to move in daylight," Zoro stated and turned his gaze at Gen. "Why can't you be a little helpful here? You'd get to sleep sooner too."

"Hey, are there any other vaults?"

"Who cares, it's not in a vault," Zoro said.

"How would you know?" Nami eyed him.

"She told me," he nodded towards the demigoddess.

"Shhhh!" She hushed. "They're supposed to find it out by themselves!"

"_WHAT!_?" Nami got up and marched to her. "YOU KNOW WHERE THE GOLD IS!_?_"

"Ahhhahahaha..." Gen averted her eyes. "If I said no?"

"You DO know! You little weasel! Whose side are you on!" the navigator seethed.

"I walk the land between," she answered calmly and looked her in the eyes. This seemed to douse her fire some and she sat back down.

"Come to think of it, Ossan was saying something before we left. Something about bait," Usopp remembered. By Ossan he must've meant Mekao.

"Wait, what did he say?"

"I wasn't sure what he meant, but I think..." he scratched his chin and repeated his words of wisdom about fishing and bait.

"That's it, Usopp!" Nami exclaimed, hitting her palm with a fist.

"Huh?"

"The bait to lure us to him. In other words, the gold has to be somewhere in plain sight."

"Plain sight?" Usopp repeated. Luffy yawned again, making Gen yawn too.

"Damn, that's contagious," she muttered.

"Well, plain sight could mean that it's somewhere we'd expect it to be," Nami continued with Usopp.

"'It's in a ridiculously obvious place'," Zoro recited. "Or at least that's what the Snowflake told me."

"Yeah, it kinda is," Gen grinned.

"Why can't you just tell us so we can all get out of here?" Luffy asked her.

"Because~," she stuck her tongue at him.

"Oh, I see," Robin said.

"What?"

"To put it simply, who is trying to lure and capture us?" the woman asked.

"The Navarone Commander," Zoro answered it.

"Right. The Navarone Commander is the fisherman. That means there's only one place where the fisherman could keep the bait so it would be close to him," Nami said.

"Hmm, he does have a name, you know...?" Gen sweatdropped.

"You mean...!_?_" Usopp finally caught the hints.

"That's right," Nami got up and took out her staff, bopping the half-asleep Luffy on the head.

"OW! What was that for?"

_'Wow, he's really sleepy.'_

"You said you knew where the Commander's room is, right? Take me there."

"Huh? Sure."

Nami turned the waver to where she wanted it to go and Luffy got in. Gen stalled them for a moment to give them the pearls she didn't want to keep and told them to bring the Commander her message to find its owner for her. The boy nodded and stuffed it in his pants pocket.

"Ok. Luffy and I will go," Nami announced. "Robin and you guys should go the edge of the water, Sanji and Chopper will come to pick you up."

"Will you be okay?" the archaeologist asked.

"The waver can only carry two people," Nami reminded her. "We're off!"

They looked how the vehicle made a short free fall and landed to the water. Nami didn't even bother to stay hidden and Gen was pretty sure that the promise to get the gold back was speeding her up too. The marines started shooting at them immediately.

"Whoo, there they go~," Gen shaded her eyes just for the habit. They almost got hit by a cannonball, too.

Soon the waver started going up the central island and disappeared through a balcony window.

They soon saw a ship approach them, but it wasn't Merry. At least, it didn't look like one at the first glance, but the closer it got she saw the truth.

"You guys disguised it as a battleship?" Gen laughed. "You did a pretty good job!"

"Thanks!" Usopp grinned.

The 'battleship' sailed around boldly and no one even bothered them. The girl wanted to check on Greg, who was lying on the table in the kitchen like any other inanimate object would. There was a note underneath it saying that he had to stay in underworld for a day or so, and he told her not to worry for him. He was going to be all right, and she sighed in relief.

Soon Nami and Luffy came back, this time with a big bag full of their gold. How the tiny waver was able to carry that all was a mystery unanswered. Luffy had also left the pearl necklace at the Commander.

"He said he'd do what he can," Luffy told her what the old marine had said.

"Good. Thanks, Luffs!"

"No prob!" he slung his arm over her shoulder... and collapsed.

"Mouu, I really hate this," Gen pouted. "I can't even play fairly with you or Choppie..."

They steered the ship to follow a group of battleships so that Nami could find the currents more easily. Gen laughed at the stupefied marines as they shook off the battleship camouflage and thanked the ship they had followed. The marines were not happy, but they had bigger problems when the rubble left behind by the pirates hit the ship and disabled it.

"Yosha! This time we're getting out of here! We've got our gold back and Greg is still alive!" Usopp was in the rudder.

"Yeah! We did it!" Chopper grinned widely while hanging on the rail in front of the galley.

"Okay, let's blast through that sea-gate!" Luffy yelled from his perch on the Merry's figurehead. He got answers from the others.

Gen knew that they weren't going to get out just yet. She remembered this part very well.

The ship was finally steadied and they had a clear course. Nami was looking behind the ship instead to front.

"It seems like the navigator isn't very interested in where we're going," Zoro said.

"Nami-san! Is something wrong?" Sanji asked from the edge of the mikan grove.

"Is there something behind us?" Usopp asked worriedly.

Chopper went to the aft and next to Nami. "The Navarone battleships are right behind us!" The ships stopped abruptly and took in the sails. "Thank goodness! It looks like they're not chasing us!"

"They've dropped their anchors?" Nami asked.

"They're probably given up," Zoro grinned.

"I wonder..." Robin spoke to herself. Usopp cheered that they had been blinded by their brilliance or something like that, but Robin wasn't fooled. "Why aren't they at least firing at us?"

"Wait, you mean that they're planning something?" The sniper asked nervously.

"That's what I worried about!" Nami frowned.

"Nami-san is beautiful when she's worried~," Sanji smiled.

"Hey! What time is it?" Gen asked Usopp. He looked to the clock on the galley wall.

"Almost nine!"

"Oh... I see," she said darkly.

"What!_?_ Is something going to happen!_?_" he asked.

Gen jumped and turned to face the front of the ship. She had already been tired, but now her energy was just plain draining away. In what point she fell on the deck, she didn't notice, but the next thing she knew she was staring up to Zoro's worried face.

"Did I just... faint?" she blinked and he nodded. "Help me up, I feel kinda numb."

"Is everything okay there?" Chopper asked.

"Yeah! Snowflake just fell," Zoro answered for her.

"It's not that... it's the sea..." she muttered in surprise.

"Hey, what's that sound?" Nami asked finally.

"It sounds... like a river," the reindeer said.

"There's a river on this island?" Luffy tilted his head and held on to his hat. "I didn't see one when we were running around this afternoon."

"Can you see better now?" Robin asked, picking up the lantern from the crow's nest and holding it close to the water with a vine of her hands. The navigator leaned closer and made a little horrified sound.

"Nami-san, what is it?" Sanji asked.

The waves became unsteady and sailing turned ridgety and difficult and Usopp was desperately trying to steer the ship. "The rudder isn't working!"

"Something... is causing a weather anomaly inside the stronghold!" Nami looked like her spirit had left her.

Suddenly Gen started laughing like a maniac. She was again on her back on the deck, giggling and cackling uncontrollably. She rolled around, holding her sides as if she was being tickled by merciless, invisible hands.

"What the hell!_?_"

"Hey! What happened to her!_?_"

"I don't know! She just started laughing suddenly!" he looked helpless.

"Zoro! Do something! That's creepy!" Usopp yelled from the rudder.

"What am I supposed to do!" the swordsman asked. Soon enough the laughing fit subsided and the girl fell down on her back and panted harshly, still chuckling and gasping for breath.

* * *

><p>Whooo... This chapter was very close to becoming a lot more romantic there, but then - I guess - I chickened out on that. So no, no kissing here.<p>

Gloria: That Bashikawa guy is SO uke... -_-'

**EDITED**


	47. Love can be seen

Today: The answer of The Riddle about the hedgehog.

* * *

><p>"<strong><em>Strawhat Luffy! And your crew as well!<em>**" Jonathon, the marine Commander, spoke to a loudspeaker. The Merry was sitting on rocks, out of the water and flooded by light. The poor thing had several tears and holes in it from the water suddenly draining from under them, making it unable to float anymore.

Every single cannon from the walls were pointed towards them and Luffy, their beloved captain, stood bravely between the battered ship and the Commander's gaze.

"_**Even among the marines, this is a great stronghold, under the command of the G-8 Division. I congratulate you for fighting so well.**_"

Gen was over her weird fit of laughter, and was now leaning to the railing on the aft deck with the two other women as the boys were stood outside, next to the ship. Robin had asked her if she was okay, but Nami had just shook her head and said that as long as Gen wasn't bleeding she was just fine.

"**_You possess admirable conviction and are worthy adversaries, but this is checkmate. Strawhat pirates, I think you understand. You don't have even a glimmer of hope escaping._**" There was a moment's pause in Jonathan's speech as he let the words sink into their minds. "_**I have already anticipated any action that you might take.**_" Luffy pushed his hat closer to his head, shadowing most of his face. His mouth was set in a thin line. "**_Yosh, that's a good lad. The Navarone stronghold is an officially established base. Strawhat pirates, we offer you a respectful proposition. Give yourselves up peacefully!_**"

Gen scoffed. "Dude sounds like a commercial for the summer camp that eats little children... and after this is the introduction of Pedobear."

"Luffy!" Nami looked like she could've panicked any minute now. The boy smirked and let the brim up to show his defiant gaze. Like hell he'd given up just yet!

"**_Strawhat Luffy! You and Roronoa Zoro are wanted criminals, so we must turn you over to Headquarters! I give you my word that the rest of your crew will not be harmed! However... If you try to escape, I might get angry~!_**"

"_'Aaaaand welcome our old friend, Pedobear!'_" Gen was laughing again. The last part, really... If it had been a young girl, maybe it could've been even a little cute, or acceptable, but when an old man like him says ANYTHING with that tone...

It became a standstill situation in which the marines waited for their answer. The boys came back in and the crew started fierce planning. Soon, Usopp came up with something good.

"Here's the answer! The impact dial! I managed to absorb several impacts with it when we were escaping from the stronghold! We might be able to lift the ship off the ground with it!"

"Wooow!" Chopper was impressed.

"I see! We can use that to get us out to the open water!" Nami nodded. "But it'll take more than one shot," Sanji said. "And with that huge hole in the hull, we'd just sink as soon as we landed."

"It would be nice if we could use the octoballoon to fly again," Robin suggested.

"Yeah, that's a good idea!" Zoro agreed.

They were sitting on the deck in a circle, Luffy still out somewhere. Gen was lying between Robin and Zoro with her head towards the middle of it.

"If we use the flame and breath dials, the octopus would inflate again, right?" the navigator asked.

"Yeah! That's a great idea!" Chopper said.

They laughed, now they had a plan. The laughter died down. "We don't have the octopus," Usopp said.

"The octopus."

"Yeah, the octopus."

"Shitty octopus."

"Yes, the octopus."

"Chicken."

"Damn chicke- uhh, octopus."

(_"Hahahah! You almost said it!"_)

"I have it."

"He says he's got it."

"He has it?"

"He's got it."

"Shit, he's got it."

"He has it!"

"I want cheesecake."

"You have it?"

"Yeah! Right here!"

They all stood up and stared at Luffy who had snuck behind Zoro's and Usopp's shoulders with a big grin.

Luffy stuck his both hands down his shorts and rummaged around for a moment before pulling out the octopus they had just talked about. "See?"

"_WHY THE HELL DO YOU HAVE THAT!_?" Nami asked.

"Well, y'know, he helped us get down from the sky."

"Well, yeah, but..." Zoro made a face.

"Didn't it feel weird down there?" Sanji asked.

"Down where?" Luffy asked confusedly and made Robin laugh.

"Luffy, nothing in the world would justify you nor anyone else for that matter to stick an invertebrate in your pants..." Gen sweatdropped. "And thank you Sanji, now the mental picture won't leave my mind!"

"Anyway, let's have Mr. Octopus help us one more time. Right, Long Nose-kun?" Robin's face was lit up in mirth. Gen grinned, this suited her much better than the closed off mask she usually wore.

"Huh? Yeah. But, wait a second, I haven't seen the flame dial for a while..."

"It was so cool so I was playing with it in the kitchen!" Luffy grinned, pushing the dial and activating it next to Usopp's head.

"That's hot! Idiot!" the sniper dodged the flame. "Okay! Now we have to decide who will fire the impact dial-" Everyone's eyes were gleaming and set on the sniper.

"Why are you looking at me!_?_"

"Whose dial is it?" Luffy asked.

"I believe it's Usopp's," Zoro answered.

"It sure is," Gen grinned like a true maniac.

"Right, Long Nose-kun?"

"Well, since he said it, he'll have to do it," Sanji smiled.

"You're a wonderful man, Usopp!"

"I have so much respect for you!" Chopper's eyes were sparkling cutely.

"What? We'll help you!"

"That settles it!"

"**NOOOOOO~!**" his cry echoed through Navarone.

They furled in the sails and plopped the octopus in the middle of the deck. Chopper quipped from the crow's nest when everything looked good, and Nami sent the message onwards to the boys under the deck. Robin was staring at the octopus.

"Everything's ready up here! Now it's up to you guys!"

All the three monsters were holding Usopp down with grins near a hole in the wall of the men's room.

"I can't do this! Firing this hurts like a _bitch!_"

"Life is, Usopp-kun~!" Gen was sitting on the couch.

"_YOU'RE NOT HELPING ANY!_"

Sanji started the counting from three.

"Two!"

"ONE!"

The power behind the impact kicked them all to the opposite wall and the ship moved onwards... and up. Gen fell from the couch.

As gravity would, the ship started falling and to everyone it looked that the Merry would most likely crash into the mountains. Robin used her devil's fruit ability and stretched the octopus across the deck and Nami, Robin and Luffy filled the octopus with hot air. Gen watched how Zoro and Sanji made Usopp use the impact dial again.

"Usopp-sama, one more time!"

"I'm not made of used parts!"

"I'll make you a shitty très bien tofu after we get out of this! Okay?"

"OKAY!_?_ LIKE HELL!"

"Go on, Usopp! You're so brave~!" Gen giggled. Outside, Luffy and the two other women were still trying to make the octopus inflate properly.

"Look! We have to do something!" Zoro said.

"The water's starting to come in!" Sanji noticed.

"I'll take care of that!" Gen raised her hands and took control of the water that was flooding the floor. The boys looked at her in awe, as she used that water to push back at the invading sea. "What are you staring at!_?_ This is very hard! Do it already!"

"Ah, damnit! Usopp-sama will fire it once again! But give me the shoulder and arm support again, please..." Usopp snapped out of it.

"Nicely said!"

"That's the way to be!" Sanji and Zoro grabbed him again and held onto his arm.

"This pain is the Going Merry's pain!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"**FLY!**"

The balloon finally got to its limit and the impact dial's power launched it upwards. Gen pushed the rest of the water out and sat down. Luffy's cheer rang from the deck as they floated over the mountains and into the new, beautiful morning. There was a whistle of air and an explosion when something hit the slope and made the rocks fall on some cannons that were dangerously close to them.

Gen and the boys came up, Usopp holding his abused arm and Gen feeling a bit numb. She had slightly overdone it, but she was happy that she had done something for them. Zoro, who stood next to her, nudged her with his arm to get her attention. She looked up and returned his smile, before he ruffled her hair.

Luffy turned to look behind. "Wow! It really does look like a hedgehog!"

"What a cool stronghold!" Chopper admired it.

"See ya, Ossan!" Luffy waved his hand.

"Adieu, Jessica-swan~!"

"BYE-BYE, CAPPY-KUN!" Gen yelled.

"Hey, shouldn't we be worried?" Usopp asked. "At this speed, won't they be able to shoot us down?"

"The stronghold was designed to defend itself from an attack by sea. They don't have any artillery capable of shooting this high," Robin told them.

"Ahh, I see."

Gen looked at the marine island and giggled.

"What is it?" Zoro asked.

"Oh, just thinking back... What this experience did for the Navarone and its people."

"Is that again something only you would know?" Usopp asked flatly.

"No, not exactly. That place is very secure and there's rarely any real action. It was this close to becoming discharged," she held her forefinger and thumb an inch apart.

"Ne, Gen, it doesn't matter anymore, but what was the answer to that hedgehog riddle of yours?" Nami asked.

"I don't like that riddle," Luffy pouted.

"Can't be helped, he just isn't meant for thinking... But what he lacks in wit, he wins in heart," Gen finished with a smile.

"That's true!"

"So what was the answer?"

She thought for a moment and then said silently: "The hedgehog cries... because whoever tries to hug it only gets hurt."

"That's... pretty sad actually," Nami frowned.

"Mmhm."

"Don't worry! I'll hug you even if I'd get hurt!" Luffy grinned and slung his arm over her, resulting in him becoming limp.

"Idiot! I'm not a hedgehog! But thanks anyway."

Some time later, just as before, they laid around drowsily watching the sunrise. Luffy, Sanji and Chopper were hanging by the railing on the ship's right side and Nami and Robin on the left side of the mikan grove. Usopp and Zoro were leaning against the mast.

"Ah, it feels great to fly!" Chopper sighed.

"How far are we gonna fly?" Luffy wondered out loud.

"Who knows? Ask the octopus," Zoro answered.

"It's nice to be able to enjoy a trip by air," Robin smiled.

_'Why is this such a déjà vu?'_ Gen yawned. She was very tired.

"But, I don't ever want to see another marine base again," Nami scowled.

"We will," Gloria muttered.

"Anywhere Nami-swan, Gen-chwan and Robin-chwan are is Heaven for me~~!"

"You dumbass."

"Eh?"

"I called you a dumbass!"

"Eh!_?_"

"Dumbass!"

"Okay, I'll go fix the hole in the hull," Usopp announce while the chef and the swordsman engaged in another fight.

"Ah, I'm starving! Sanji, food! I'm hungry!" Luffy called for him.

"Okay, okay, I'll go start a breakfast. Do you wonderful girls have special wishes?" Sanji asked.

"Anything goes," Nami answered for both her and Robin.

"Gen-chan? What about you~?"

"Hehehe, I think all she wants now is to sleep," Zoro grinned as he pointed to his lap and to the white haired half goddess who had made herself comfortable on him. Sanji's jaw went slack and the cigarette fell. After muttering some unintelligent things about 'shitty green swordsmen' he retreated to the kitchen to do what he did best.

Gen shifted to snuggle his haramaki and her hands wrapped around his middle. He knew that her grip was tight and so he was a little cautious, but other than that, he felt like he'd won something.

"Damn you, stupid Snowbrain..." his hand hovered uncertainly over her, but then landed softly on her upper back, secretly, like a thief.

* * *

><p>By the nightfall Usopp and Chopper had nearly finished the hull's repairs. Gen had woken up somewhere around three in the afternoon in her own room and crawled to the galley just in time for a late dinner.<p>

Now, she was in the mikan grove and looking for a safe spot to plant her cactus. Nami gave her permission for it, as long as it wasn't in the way. No one wanted to get a surprise puncture while tending to the trees. '_But I don't know how they move around them, so... I should ask Sanji or Nami about it_,' she wondered. "Ooooi, Sanji, where exactly can I plant this?" she raised the cactus so he could see it better. The chef swooned and was soon by her side.

"I can plant that for you, Gen-chan! Ah, there would be a great spot, right?" he offered.

"No, it's alright. I want to plant this by myself. Thanks anyway, Sanji!" she smiled and crouched to dig a hole.

"Hmm, where did you get that?" he asked and lit a cigarette.

Gen removed the pot and planted the cactus. "Zoro gave it to me in Alabasta."

"Oh. Him again. Gen-chan, if I may ask..."

"Ask away."

Sanji seemed to be in thought, and he took out his cigarette before he spoke. "Why?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, what do you see in him?"

"What are you talking about?" she tilted her head.

Sanji gave her a small smile and took a drag. "I know love when I see it."

She turned red. "I- I- What!_?_"

"Damn, that shitty Marimo..." he chuckled. "Curse him. But, Gen-chan, I promise to you and vow on my chivalry, that if he _ever_ was to hurt you in any way, I will be there to beat the living daylights out of him~!" His eye had turned into a heart towards the end and he was now 'mellorine'ing (_if that's an acceptable word_).

"Sa-Sa-Sanji! I'm NOT-!" she was sputtering nonsense. "I- But- Uhh..."

"Gen-chan is so cute when blushing~."

"Go to netherworld!" she tried to cover her cheeks and stormed off.

"Hai, Gen-chwan~!"

"DON'T TAKE EVERYTHING SO LITERALLY!" she fumed.

Sanji grinned and went to ask Nami how their heading was.

Gen sat on the railing and looked up to the octopus. It was like a big pink roof, and the flame dial that had been put on two sticks was lighting up the deck cosily.

_Psssshhh..._

"So much for that..." she sweatdropped.

"It went out!" Luffy exclaimed.

"It's out of fire?" Zoro's head rose. "Oi! Usopp! We're gonna be landing very soon!"

Luffy climbed up the mast for a few feet and tried to help the octopus with what looked like Sanji's lighter. "Keep us flying, octopus-balloon!"

"You dumbass! Get down here and brace yourself!"

The octopus made a sound like someone would've been rubbing a normal balloon with a rubber glove and the ship started falling with increasing speed. Gen felt the familiar feeling of falling, but now she wasn't scared of it anymore. Everything that had happened to them before was making her used to certain situations like these. She just grabbed on to the nearest rope and held on until the ship was safely on the waves.

"We... we made it!" Usopp was relieved.

"Why would've we not made it?" Gen raised one eyebrow.

It appeared that the octopus had hurt one of its tentacles while falling onto the deck, and it was sitting on a crate while Chopper was padding the bruise with antiseptic.

"You'll be okay," the doctor said. The octopus was jiggling and waving its tentacles around. "Huh? Gen, came over here for a while."

"Me? Why?" she blinked.

"I don't know. He wants to speak with you..."

She came over and looked at the big, fishy eyes. They were lidless, but not as creepy as Kalma's had been. "Yeah?"

_*Jiggle jiggle, bubbly noises*_

"Uhh..." she sweatdropped.

"He says that it's been an honour to meet you all, but he thinks that you're the prettiest two-legs- sorry, human, who he's ever seen," Chopper translated for her.

"Aww, thank you, Mr. Octopus!" she smiled. "You're the first octopus who have ever said so kind things to me!" _'...And the first octopus I've ever talked with...'_

Luffy grabbed the thing and hugged it against his cheek; thanking it for saving them the second time and then tossed it over the rail.

"Bye bye!" Gen waved back to it.

"Take care! Go meet some good nakama for yourself in the Blue Sea!" Chopper said.

"Or you could just crush all the other octopi in the Grand Line instead!" Zoro suggested with a grin. They all bid their farewells before the thing went away.

"Okay!" Luffy stood up. "Guys, unfurl the sails! We're off to the next island!"

"Oi, j-just hold on, Luffy! Can't we rest for a bit?" Usopp asked.

"No, silly. If we could get away with that on this sea, everyone would be able to sail here as they please!" Nami walked up to the upper deck.

"Yeah, but still..."

"I'm with Usopp there," Gen crossed her arms. "I'm seriously in need of a good rest... possibly a massage too, and Greg's still gone for who knows how long."

"I could give you a massage right now~!" Sanji offered. Gen was very tempted to take it. He sure was a sucker for women, but he knew where the line was.

One glance at Zoro though squished all her resolve to get a massage from Sanji - she was sure Luffy didn't want to go through the burden to get a new cook.

"The waves have been moving in a strange pattern. So be on your toes! Steer us to port!" Nami said.

"Aye, Nami-swan~!" Sanji turned his attention to her.

They all heard a swooshing sound, a roar that could only be associated with the sea. This sound was becoming more noticeable, and suddenly there was a wall of water coming right their way. "See?"

"FULL SPEED AHEAD!_!_!" Usopp screamed.

"We're in trouble!" Chopper wailed.

"And there's something inside that wave!" Sanji pointed out.

"Those are sea monkeys!" Usopp identified them.

"What the fudge are sea monkeys...?" Gen wondered out loud as the ship started riding the wave.

The boys went into their seamless teamwork, and even Gen found something to do: in her mind, she reached out and embraced the wave, not to manipulate it, but to just see what it was like. Greg hadn't exactly taught her this, but every time she bent the water to her will she could feel the energy that scoured through it. Each wave and mass felt different to her, and she wanted to find out herself if she could use that knowledge to her advantage.

This 'monkey wave' was wild and cheerful, yet ready to crush any ships that happened to come to their way. She had noticed that all the water she handled was somewhat uncaring to near nihilism, but like a layer, there were always other things on that base.

But still, a wave is just a wave.

When the said wave passed with its surfing monkeys, everything turned calm again. In this point everyone agreed that a small pause would do everyone good.  
>It really was a short pause, too, and Gen grumbled when Usopp called from the crow's nest that there was a ship coming right towards them. "Who is it? Enemies?" Luffy asked. He too was a little tired.<p>

"At a time like this?" Chopper asked. He was sopping wet and lying on his stomach on the deck in his human form.

"Well... no, they don't have a flag or sails! I can't tell what kind of ship it is!"

"What's with that? They don't have anything?"

"Nooo! I don' wanna go through this shit!" Gen whined.

"What? Is something interesting going to happen again?" Luffy turned to her.

"I'm going to sleep," she started walking away, but Luffy's hand grabbed the bottom of her shirt. She shrieked when the cloth rode high, revealing the back of her blue bra. For this, Sanji kicked him in the face.

Luffy turned his attention back to Usopp's report. "So, if they don't have anything with them, why are they at sea?"

"I don't know! But more importantly, the crew seems unusually small... and they're all moping around! It's like they've lost their will to live!"

_Splasshh..._

"**KIKIKIII~!**"

"_RUUUUNNN!_! IT'S THE SEA MONKEYS!_!_!" Luffy yelled.

"Not again!"

"Did they follow us!_?_"

"Damn, there's no wind!"

"Take in the sails!"

"Man the oars! Row for your lives!"

"_What the netherworld are sea monkeys!_?"

"TOO RANDOM!"

Sanji, Luffy, Zoro and Chopper started rowing like crazy, but the ship with no sail or flag was still passively gliding towards the monkeys and the tidal wave. They did try to warn them, but once they all were out of their gloomy clouds, they just started bickering against each other over what to do. One wanted to rob the Strawhats, another (_someone little smarter_) wanted to escape the wave.

"They don't have any idea what they're doing," Luffy blinked.

"They said they wanted to steal our treasure. They're a bunch of crooks, let 'em be," Sanji said.

As they rowed, they could do nothing as the wave swallowed the disorganized ship. Gen sent a little prayer for it so her mother would escort it to the ships' graveyard with no problems.

The sea monkeys disappeared with it.

"It's just one thing after another!" Zoro sighed and sat down.

"Things are under control for now," Sanji nodded.

"That wave was just the sea monkeys being mischievous," Nami told him.

"_Mischievous?_ More like creepy-ass monsters out to sink all the ships they see! And then they pick up all the bodies of the crew and take them to their lair, where they'll eat their brains and poke out the eyes...!" Gen rambled on and Nami's eyebrow was hiking up her forehead the further the girl spoke. "Buuuut that could've just been me~!"

"Oh... She's back to that..."

"Back t' what?" Gen looked confused.

"Anyway, the humidity and temperature are now stable so we've probably entered the next island's climate zone."

"Oi, Robin!" Usopp was spread eagle on the deck. "Can you see anything?"

"The island's been in front of us for a while," the woman answered from the crow's nest.

"Why didn't you say so!_?_" Luffy and Usopp sweatdropped.

"Don't you know your job? Listen; when you see an island, you're supposed to say something! Now demonstrate!" Usopp waved his hand to Luffy.

"GUYS! I SEE AN ISLAND~!" the boy yelled and cheered, jumping around a little.

"Now you!" Usopp pointed at Robin.

"There's a dense fog ahead."

"You're ignoring me again!"

"Fog? That could be dangerous," Nami said. "Chopper, keep a lookout for anything."

"Aye!"

"Hey! Don't you know how eager we are to get to the next island!_?_" Luffy yelled upwards to Robin.

"I'm sorry. I'll keep that in mind."

"Ah, if you do, then it's okay."

Oh, the ever forgiving nature of his... Well, the matter wasn't big either, but it got points from her.

She went to her room to get her bag and her vest. It had started gathering dust in the few unused days, but she smiled fondly at it. A brief picture of the maids flashed in her head and she slipped the thing on. The bunny was again hanging on the bag's zipper when she slung it over her shoulder. Humming, she returned to the deck.

"-good look at their ship," Usopp was saying. The others had gathered up to talk about something.

"Did I miss somethin'?" Gen asked.

"You came out in time," Nami said. "Usopp, you were saying?"

"The ship - there were no signs of a battle, and yet, there was nothing on the ship that pirates would need to live."

"Then they weren't pirates," Sanji said with a small reassuring smile. "Don't let it bother you."

Usopp crossed his arms. "Hrmmmmmh... But they sure seemed like pirates to me... I just can't shake this uneasy feeling."

Nami looked after Usopp before going to do other stuff, namely telling Luffy that they couldn't land just yet. Usopp was muttering on his own when Gen talked to her quietly so that others didn't hear her. "Hold on to the suspicion. It's only healthy on this sea to always be a little wary, but don't stress yourself over it. What comes, comes, and you can't help it."

"Gen..." He blinked and seemed to only now notice the girl. Then he frowned. "What happened to that ship?"

"You were right: it once was a pirate ship, but not anymore. They were robbed... for not every ship can survive the games we play," she was smiling mysteriously.

"Wouldn't it be a lot more easier to just answer the question than start giving out crappy riddles?" he asked flatly.

"It's not crappy if you can't answer it~!" Gen winked. Suddenly the air around them grew humid as the ship plunged into a cloud of mist. She walked up to stand next to

Luffy and Chopper, who were guessing what kinds of adventures they were going to get into.

"I wonder if a nice shipwright will be our nakama!" the reindeer smiled.

"We're getting close to the shore! Prepare to drop anchor!" Luffy told the others. Sanji, who was sitting on the rail that prevented people from falling to the deck below, glanced down over his shoulder.

"Ooi, Chopper! Usopp's having an attack of his I-can't-land-at-this-island disease!"

"Nothing can fix that!" Chopper waved his hoof as he looked at the sniper.

The milky white veil was left behind as they made it to the island. They all looked at it in a moment of absolute silence, before...

"What the hell?"

"There's nothing here! What is this place? It's cool!" Luffy exclaimed, shading his eyes. "There's grass as far as the eye can see!"

"What a plain-looking place," Sanji commented with a disappointed, dull face.

"I wonder if it's inhabited," Robin said.

"I like how it looks like," Gen smiled. Luffy, with one final whoop, jumped from the figurehead to the shore and was soon followed by the rest of the idiot trio.

"HEY!" Nami yelled after them with a tickmark on her. "Jeez, those guys... They just merrily jump onto an island we know nothing about."

Zoro dropped the anchor with a splosh. "From the looks of things, there's nothing dangerous here."

"Is that a challenge?" Gen asked with an amused glint in her eyes.

"That's not something to compete over!" Nami bared her sharkteeth.

Gen glanced behind towards the sea, into the mist. Somewhere there sailed the Sexy Foxy with her cheating rat of a captain.

"Hnnnn...!" she narrowed her eyes to the point they hurt.

"What are you looking at so intensely?" Zoro poked her back, making her arch away from the intruder and let out a weird gurgle between surprise and ticklish.

"Bastard! Don't poke me like that!" she seethed. "Anyway, I was trying to see through this fog. Something's there, and I don't like it one bit."

He looked at the sea now, too, eyes looking for the possible threat. "I don't see anything... but if you say that there's something, then there is something."

"So blindly you believe me?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I've known you for long enough to trust your word... on some rare occasions."

"Awww, aren't you a darling!" she giggled teasingly.

"Yeah, I am," he replied with a grin.

"Hmh. Self-centered bastard, you took all the fun out of that," she sulked.

He slung his arm over her shoulders and hunched a little because of the height difference. The grin never faded, instead turning wilder and boyish. She felt her cheeks turning red and the gaze of his dark eyes held hers in a grip. She wanted to turn away but at the same time she couldn't, and so she was stuck staring at his face only inches away from hers. She was very aware of the situation, her heart beating loudly in her ears.

"_Aargh!_" she pushed his arm away when it became just too much and jumped off the side of the ship, but not before hearing Zoro's laugh.

Gen followed the shoreline to a rock sitting some distance away from the ship and flopped on it, turning her back towards the Merry. After she cursed Zoro to the lowest levels of netherworld, she rummaged through her bag with unnecessary violence, and took out her sketchbook and pencil case. Calming down and taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and flipped to a new page to start drawing the island.

In all its plain view, it was a beautiful, peaceful island. A pity the fox-guy was going to ruin that... And then Gloria's mouth twisted into a shit-eating grin as a picture of her swiping the floor with the weird pirate.

She sighed, that would probably not happen, but one could always wish, ay?

Behind her, the rest of the Strawhats had stepped off board and were talking about something she didn't bother to remember later, but it seemed like Nami and Sanji were ganging up on Zoro, either teasing him or scolding him, or maybe both. Gen knew that they were talking about her because Nami pointed at her once. Robin didn't go in, she seemed to be distracted by something. She was stealing glances at the sea.

She shook her head and scowled, a smile still gracing her lips, and turned back to her drawing. Not before long, her attention was ripped away from her favourite past time when a sound cut the air. First she thought it was cannonball, but then she saw that there was a big ship behind the Merry, shooting two thick chains to the shore and trapping the smaller ship between them.

The ends of the chains were like huge paws. Gen had to get up and walk around the paw to get back to the others.

"We are the Foxy pirates!" a voice announced. "We are here to challenge you to a duel!"

"_Thiiiis_ is not going to be good..." Gen muttered to herself.

The Foxy pirates expressed their will to challenge the Strawhats and since neither Nami nor Zoro were familiar with the Davy Back Fight, Sanji filled them in. If Robin knew of it, she didn't say. The other pirates also bragged about their latest win against the Fang Frog pirates - the ship they had previously come across - and showed off their prices: the ex-captain, a navigator, a doctor and a shipwright. Instead of sad, they looked awfully proud of what they'd done.

"What's so funny about abandoning your nakama, asshole?" Zoro asked.

"Got that right. That ship's already met its fate at sea," Sanji told them.

"Met its fate? Heh, so what?"

Gen felt an angry tide of foul words rising in her system, ready to burst and burn.

"He doesn't get it," Nami wasn't happy about this. "But, we won't participate in your ridiculous game!"

"You fool! The crew members don't decide that on their own!" the Foxy pirates laughed. "The game starts after the captains agree to the terms! You can scream about it all you want! If the captain gives the nod, your crew will all become contestants in the game!"

Nami's jaw hung slack and forgotten, a tired expression on her face. When Sanji spoke, her attention shifted towards him.

"He's right, Nami-san. This is an implicit rule in the world of pirates."

"Yeah... that's how it goes," Gen sighed, silently comparing pirate crews to wolf packs.

"If we run from this, it will be a humiliation," Sanji continued coolly.

"Who cares about humiliation!_?_" Nami yelled.

Zoro grinned ferociously. "I'd rather die than live with shame."

"Death before dishonour, eh?" Gen gave a crooked smirk.

"Same goes for me," the chef said without regret.

"What are you talking about!_?_ And you too, Gen!_?_"

"There's nothing you can do. This is how men are," Robin smiled enigmatically.

"You count me as a guy?" Gen sweatdropped.

"Jeez... Then I have to stop Luffy!" Nami turned and started running.

"It's already too late! The game will begin when the two captains simultaneously fire two shots into the air! Now just quietly..." one of the pirates grinned non too kindly.

...

_..._

_PANG, PANG!_

The two gunshots seemed to echo throughout the island and dispersing the calm atmosphere in seconds. It was all business from then on.

"Oh, shit..." Nami squeaked and held her head.

"Aw, he accepted," Sanji just stated.

"I couldn't be happier."

"This sounds interesting."

"Mouu, are we never given any peace?" Gen pouted, though she had already known that this would happen.

* * *

><p>There you go. And still no kissing... But there will be before the 50th chapter! I will try!<p>

Gloria: _*sweatdrop*_ You just can't write a scene about that...


	48. Leeeeeeroy!

Damn, I like Itomimizu, but... I turned him evil! Gen's about to get-

Gloria: SHHHH! Don't spoil it all in advance! And again, I _seriously_ hate you.

Snoara: Ehehehe... *_nervous_* Yeeeaaaahhh...** Let the games begin!**

* * *

><p>After some short cheering, the Foxy pirates were all ready and bustling around to pull up a carnival tent.<p>

Truth be told, Gen was actually starting to enjoy the festivities and the stands all around. She bought some snacks and skewered chicken thingies that were a little over seasoned but still awesome. Some of the pirates had their eyes on her and someone even offered her company (_which Zoro declined for her before she even got a word in)_.

How in the netherworld Robin had donned a cup of coffee though was beyond her, but then again it was _Robin_.

Luffy, Usopp and Chopper returned from their little misadventure with some old weird man that went straight for the yakisoba stand. Usopp didn't look to be enjoying this at all, but Luffy didn't stress it out and Chopper was riding his leisure waves.

Finally when everything was up and going, Luffy was called up to the big platform they had put up, and the captain of the Foxy pirates was sitting next to him. A young woman with an open coverall, a woolly hat with a huge, soft looking, pom-pom, shiny sea blue hair, and a long, pointy nose worked as the hostess.

"Alright, boys!" her voice was... Gen couldn't name the trait, but something made her voice unpleasant to her ear. "Settle down, 'kay? We will now swear to uphold the three rules of losing a match. First, any nakama or Jolly Rogers taken through a Davy Back Fight may only be retrieved through a Davy Back Fight. Second, selected crew members must immediately swear loyalty to their new captain." Gen giggled when she saw that Luffy had a plate of something in his hands, and he was most likely not paying any attention to the hostess. "And third, if you lose your Jolly Roger, you may never raise it again**_._**"

Sanji came running to where Nami was welling in misery on a crate, carrying cotton candy in his hands. "Nami-san, they have cotton candy!"

"How can you all be so indifferent about this!_?_"

"Are you still thinking of chickening out?" Zoro asked.

"Any of those who break these rules will forever be shamed and thrown into Davy Jones's Locker," the hostess continued. Gen snorted. "Do you swear to uphold them?"

"I do!" "I do!" the two captains got up on their feet.

"Now then, Strawhat, I'll let you choose," the other captain held a hand up. "One-coin, two-coin or three-coin. Choose whichever you like!"

"Oh, Oyabin, you're so kind!" the hostess cooed.

'_Oh, so THAT'S what's making her sound so annoying... she speaks a little too high pitched and she stretches some of the words out._'

"What's that?" Luffy asked.

"The number of events. Oyabin is letting you choose the number of events - from one to three."

"More games are more fun, so of course..."

"Luffy!" Nami and Usopp called him, both holding up one finger. Luffy stared at them for a moment and then grinned.

"No problem! We'll do the three-coin!"

"DUMBASS!" they yelled, noticing one of the Foxy's crewmembers standing next to them, holding up a finger like Usopp and Nami had been doing. "WHY DID YOU ADD THEM!_?_ _AND_ YOU INCLUDED THE ENEMY'S FINGER!"

"He's an idiot!" the pirate said and giggled.

'_No... That's actually pretty good. One lose, one win, and the last one takes everything,_' Gen grinned. "He may be dumb, but we can say that he's got the Davy Jones on his side~," she winked.

"That's true, but still!" Usopp's eyebrow twitched.

"We will have a three-coin game under the orthodox rules! Now to inform Davy Jones!" and the captain threw the coins in the air, all three falling into the water. A wacky picture of her mother waiting under the surface with waiting hands popped into Gen's mind and she just had to giggle.

"You're awfully giggly today," Zoro stated.

"You're one to talk, if you keep grinning like that your face just may fall off!" she said back. She was in a good mood, and the excitement was contagious.

Chopper turned to ask Robin who Davy Jones was. She kneeled down to hand him a stick of cotton candy. "He was a pirate who was cursed by the Devil long ago and still lives down on the ocean floor."

"He's alive at the bottom of the sea!_?_"

"According to the legend. And because he was a boatswain, he takes all ships and treasure that sink and locks them away in his locker."

"The bottom of the sea is scary," he commented.

"Chopper, you say that only because you haven't been there. True, there lurk many dangerous things and it's pretty cold and lonely down there, but all in all it's a wonderful place," Gen smiled down to him.

"You've seen the bottom of the sea? Have you seen Davy Jones?" he bit off a piece off the cotton candy.

"Yeah, I've seen it, but no, I haven't met him. Who knows, I might one day!" she wondered. She had read a short chapter of the same man, under a different name, from the history book Greg had brought her. The story had been altered a little bit but the end result was unchanged.

"Using the name of Davy, who takes everything that sinks into the sea as his own... The game lets you take whatever you want from your enemies. The pirates call it Davy Back," Sanji said. Luffy was fired up, yelling 'let's do it!' on the stage.

Later when the opening ceremony was over, Usopp and Nami were fuming at their captain. "You've screwed us bad this time, Luffy!"

"We just have to win!" was Luffy's defence.

"Oi, you forgot this," a piece of paper fluttered near Zoro's boot. "Write your order on that sheet and give it to the games official. Each crew member can only enter two events, and once the entries are submitted, no changes are allowed!"

The swordsman picked it up with mild curiosity, the others gathering around him. Gen didn't bother, and instead fell on the soft grass on her back and looked at the high sky. It sure was a long time since she'd seen Altur...

"The order of the events is a race, a ball game, and a team competition," Zoro read out loud.

"Let me see... The race has no entry limit, the ball game has a limit of three and the team competition has a limit of five," Sanji scratched his stubbly chin.

"Yosh! I'll enter all three!" Luffy grinned with his arms behind his head, unsurprisingly relaxed.

"You can't enter all three, it's in the rules," Robin reminded him. Nami and Usopp were sulking under a huge cloud of depression that threatened to steal her sun away.

"Hey!" Gen scowled. "Take your gloom somewhere else!"

They came up with the order: all participated in the race, Sanji, Zoro and Chopper were in the ball game and Luffy, Robin, Gen, Nami and Usopp were in the team part. They had just the right amount of people, and Gen was happy about that.

The race was simple and fun: make a boat out of barrels and sail around the island with it.

"**_It's time to get underway! Are all you ready! You will soon see the consequences of defeat in the merciless Davy Back Fight!_**" the host was speaking to a portable den den mushi, hanging in a blue shoulder bag. It was smaller than hers. "_**I will be providing live coverage of the events! I am the Foxy Pirates' game official, Itomimizu! We'll start with the first event, the Doughnut Race! Boats for the Doughnut Race must be hand-made and may consist of only two oars and three empty barrels! Use of any other materials will result in disqualification! This is your chance to show off the skills of your shipwright!**_" Itomimizu ended up his speech by tapping the barrels and telling that they were all free of charge. They had even numbers, but Gen had a clear plan and she wanted to do this alone. Once the contestants were sent off to build their barrel boats, she went to find the games official and be absolutely sure of the rules of the race. When she returned, she wore a calculating grin, a grin that said that she had something in her mind. It was a tad bit unsettling to the others.

"What are you up to now?" Usopp asked, narrowing his eyes and poking her head. She snapped her teeth at the hand playfully.

"Hehehe... Ne, would you mind if I raced alone? It's not against the rules," she asked.

"Hmm... I don't know. It might be better that we all had someone with us but..." Usopp looked at her carefully, "...I'm not really comfortable with you grinning like that..."

"Then it's settled!" she patted his back. "Nami! Robin! Care t' take Usopp on yer team? 'M racin' 'lone."

"Alone? Does the rules accept that?" Nami asked.

"Mmmhm. I checked it!"

"I guess it's okay then..."

There was a one little thing in the way though: Gen wasn't very good at building boats. She had never done that before. "Well, it's a first for everything!"

Since the barrels seemed sturdy enough as they were, she didn't feel like breaking them apart. Damn, she hadn't asked if all the barrels had to be used...

She looked how well the others were doing, and decided that she couldn't do worse than them. Luffy had busted his first barrel to planks and Sanji was yelling at him for that. Usopp was doing good, and Zoro and Chopper... well. It _looked_ good, but how it would work was another matter. The games official explained the rules of the race while everyone worked: one whole lap around the island, destroyed boats were disqualified and all weapons were allowed.

Then she looked back at her barrels and clapped her hands. '_Time to get to work!_'

* * *

><p>In the end, she was pretty satisfied for what she'd accomplished. Giggling, she dragged the thing to the shore where the others were already with their boats. She had kept her creation in secret.<p>

"What is that?" Nami asked as the demigoddess pushed it on the water and stepped on it.

"My boat! Her name's _'Leeeeeeroy'_!"

"Isn't that a man's name?" Usopp asked.

"HER NAME IS 'LEEEEEEROY'!" she glared at him.

"Fine, fine, her name's Leroy."

"_LEEEEEEROY_!_!_!"

'Leeeeeeroy' was a small, aerodynamic boat with shortened, enforced oars sticking out of it, the ends of it inside the 'cockpit'. It had a shark like fin at the back of it, as well as a sharp edge on the underside to make it swim like a dart. It had been hard to make and she'd broken off numerous planks, but it was there and it was pretty.

"How are you going to move that thing?" the navigator asked doubtfully. Gen didn't answer, but just smirked and held a finger on her lips.

The starting order had been voted based on their popularity, and in the lead was the same blue-haired, annoying girl with the huge pom-pom, Porche. In that team was also a fishman and an orange shark with yellow stars... what kind of shark was that?

"Ooh, we'll win for sure!"

"_**She is joined by the swordfish fishman, Capote, and the starshark, Monda!**_" The crowd burst into cheers. "_**They'll be riding the Cutie Wagon!**_"

"Hey! A shark is a fish!" Nami pointed at the animal.

"Ooh, but there's no rule against that!" Porche giggled. Gen was still looking at the weird shark... Monda... and it was looking right back at her with its evil eyes and grinning toothily.

'_That one's not feelin' the sea,_' Gen thought flatly.

"_**And the second favourite is... Well, well, well, this is a surprise! It's the Strawhats' three-person team of Nami the navigator, Usopp the sharpshooter, and Robin the archaeologist! They'll be riding the Barrel Tiger!**_" The games official announced. Gloria's sharp ears caught their comments on the two girls. "_**Well! It seems that the ruffians of the Foxy pirates have a thing for cute girls! We're a bunch of perverts~!**_"

Nami stomped on their Barrel Tiger. "This thing looks ready to sink! Give me a break!"

"I'm not a shipwright!" Usopp frowned. "Or... would you rather be riding one of _those_?"

By 'those' he meant the Luffy+Sanji's team and the Chopper+Zoro's team's boats. Gen sweatdropped.

"It's a miracle they stay afloat..." Robin was sweatdropping too.

Nami facepalmed. "We'll have to handle this ourselves..."

"What about Leeeeeeroy?" Gen asked.

"It looks like a crappy canoe," the navigator waved her hand.

"It looks fast," Robin commented. "Added to your skill with water, you do have good chances to win."

"Thanks~!" she beamed.

"Oh yeah! I already forgot about that!" Usopp realized.

"How can you forget something like that!_?_"

"_**The third favourite is the Harlem Dango!**_" A team of four on what seemed like a floating flower glided next to them. "_**A boat of beauties made by beauties for beauties! Number four - also a lady! Another one of the Strawhats' competitor, Gloria the White is racing alone on Leeeeeeroy!**_"

From that on she wasn't that interested, but Chopper and Zoro's boat was third from the bottom, that leaving Sanji and Luffy's little... thing... the second to last. Its name was Well Whatever.

"And the last one is the giant Mother-ship Coaster."

Upon announcing the last ship's name, they saw the last one sailing behind them... behind everyone... and it was at least as big as the Merry. Usopp freaked out, and Gen felt her jaw drop.

"Isn't that too big for the oars to reach the water?" Zoro cocked an eyebrow.

"How do they move it?" Chopper asked.

_Blah blah blah_, some crook-talk, something about it filled with seawater... Wait, weren't the barrels supposed to be empty? She was pretty sure that the last ship (_it wasn't a boat anymore_) was borderline illegal.

Gen paddled Leeeeeeroy to her place. The boat was sturdy and the front was a bit heavier than the back, so she had to balance it out by sitting at the back of it. It was pretty easy to manoeuvre, and the oars were lifted up to the sides for now.

"_**All boats are at the starting line! Meanwhile, I'll be covering the race from the sky on a rare bird from the South Blue, the giant sparrow, Chuchun!**_"

The Foxy pirates were cheering again, calling Porche. "Sink that Nose-man guy!"

"Me!_?_" the said Nose-man guy yelled.

"Anyway, we're doing this, so we have to win!"

"Oww, come on, Nami. Live a little! Enjoy this!" Gen dared to lean back on her boat and crossed her arms behind her head.

"SHUT UP!"

"We can sink the other contestants, right?" Robin looked excited, yet calm all the while.

The others were having their last moment talk with each other, or just taunting each other. Gen tested that her oars moved and rolled in their places.

Chuchun soared above their heads. "_**Now, catch! These are your eternal poses in case you get lost!**_" little glass orbs in wooden frames rained on them and Gen caught the one meant for her. "_**Try not to row too far away from the island!**_"

"Row away from the island? Why would we want to take a longer path?" Nami scoffed. "We'll just stick to the coast and take the shortest route!"

"I don't think it's going to be that easy," Usopp said.

"Huh? Why?"

"Just look! All the boats except the huge one behind us are facing away from the course."

"Hmm..." Gen narrowed her eyes. She didn't remember what this was all about, she hadn't been that close with this filler. She could estimate though, that if the mother effin' _hugeass_ ship behind them would move, their little rafts would be history. Only... that mother effin' _hugeass_ ship looked mothereffin' _slow_, too.

"_**Now, on your marks! Ready...!**_"

"What do you mean it won't be that easy?" Nami asked the sniper.

"Grrh...! There's no time! Guys, when the race starts, get away as fast as you can!"

"Why?" the navigator asked him fervently.

_PAM_

"**_GO!_**"

Gen threw herself down to the bottom of her boat and grabbed the ends of the oars, flinging them out. The added weight to the already unstable boat threw it off balance and made it dive front first like a waterfowl. She looked up and saw that the big ship that had been the last had let out a huge wave of water and barrels. She was deep enough not to get touched by them, but she kicked in her power and got away in time when one randomly exploded right next to Nami's ship, flinging it high in the air. Someone on it had probably poked it...

Finally in move, she was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to steer with a little flick of an oar. Gen made a few quick circles before propelling herself to the air. Nami and they were little shaken but otherwise in good condition. Gloria saw Porche and the other two speeding up ahead of everyone, and since the others seemed to be swamped by the barrel bombs she saw it best to just go on without them. With one more high arc she started catching up.

Then she heard the loud explosion. Stopping to see what was going on her eyes bulged out.

"Grab onto your boats! We have to ride that wave!" Sanji was yelling over the roar.

"RIDE _THAT!_?" Usopp screamed.

Wave... more like a tsunami! It must've been at least as high as the sea monkey wave had been, if not higher, and the marker for the starting line stood no chance against it when it started moving.

Luffy, Zoro and Sanji rode on the wave.

"_**Oh, the Strawhats' boats have suddenly converged on to the other contestants! And it seems that Leeeeeeroy has finally surfaced! What an extraordinary way to race, and how is she holding her breath so long!**_**?**_** Did she get a motor on her boat when no one was looking? No, I'm just kidding, I saw it earlier!**_"

Once the wave was over, the weird tavern-boat and the harem girls went to Luffy, Sanji, Chopper and Zoro. She felt like facepalming when she saw that they completely fell for it. The games official was talking again.

Nami and her boat had been pushed further than the other two boats, and now the navigator had a big fat tickmark on her head. "HEY! GET BACK TO THE RACE!"

"Nami! Look out!" Gen shouted out a warning, but Capote's fishman karate still hit. It cut off one portion of the boat, forcing Robin to change place. It sobered the others and they finally detached from the tavern, starting off towards Nami and them.

"We can't balance the boat!" Usopp grit his teeth. Gen sped up next to them and gripped the side of the Barrel Tiger, preventing it from falling over.

"Thanks, Gen!"

"No prob, Nami!"

"That bastard!" Usopp steadied himself and stretched his slingshot. "**Hissatsu kaenboshi!**"

"Useless!" Capote just slapped the firestar off. His smug grin turned into confusion when suddenly several pairs of arms restrained him and flipped him on Monda.

"Now's our chance! Okay Usopp, start pulling!"

"ARE YOU CRAZY!_?_"

"Aren't we all?" Gen smirked.

"I can see now why you wanted to race alone," Robin said, lifting her eyes from the book she'd brought with her. The Cutie Wagon wasn't moving because both the shark and Capote were out of it for the moment.

Gen nodded proudly and patted Leeeeeeroy's side. "She's fast 'cos I power her myself, but I can't defend us and keep moving at the same time. Takes too much divided attention."

"Then you should go just now, and we'll slow those down as best as we can," Nami said after she thought about it.

"I don't recommend that," Robin frowned slightly. "None of us know what's ahead waiting for us, and it's not taken that they wouldn't try to cheat."

"I get what you mean," Gen nodded in understanding before pushing off carefully with an oar. "I'm going on ahead... so don't get trashed!"

Right before she could dive, they heard a crash and a yell.

"_**The All-Barrel and Rudder King #1 and #2 are in pieces! Sorry guys, but you're disqualified!**_" Itomimizu's voice announced.

"Damn... that was Zoro and Choppie..." Gen said.

"Don't dwell on it, get going!" Nami tried to smack her with her own oar, but the demigoddess squeaked and escape under the water.

"**_Okay, the race is really moving now! The Cutie Wagon is still in the lead, followed by the Barrel Tiger! In third is the Crab-Crane! ...Huh? I can't see it... Oh, THERE it is! What's this!_****?****_ The Crab-Crane can no longer continue the race! What happened!_****?**" There was a slight pause as the man looked around. "_**There!**_**!**_** And, it seems that Leeeeeeroy has disappea- No! She's still in the race! I correct myself from the earlier; **_**Leeeeeeroy**_** is in the lead! Watch out, racers, you have a lot to catch up on!**_"

Gloria was making dolphin jumps for her own entertainment and one spiral-jump for showing off before vanishing under the waves again.

Then she saw it: the forest of corals rising right in front of her. She could hear the roar of the sea currents, and headed back to the surface.

"_**The course obstacle, the Long Coral Reef, has stopped Leeeeeeroy and others are finally closing in! Just beyond it lies the Long Cape where the swirling Long Ring awaits! How will everyone conquer this? And- Oh? What's this?**_"

"Huh?" Gen turned her head towards the beach where she saw the split-head captain of the Foxy pirates riding on the closet-sized, giggling idiot (_Hamburg the Sasquatch, Itomimizu said_). The girl sneered and pushed her wet hair from her face. '_It seems that you were right, Robin-chan... I need to clear this before he comes up with anything. I'm so lucky that the devil's fruits don't work on me!'_

She looked at the swirling water and sweatdropped. How the hell was she supposed to get through that? Go around? No, that'd take to much time and effort.

Deciding that she could only try, Gen went towards the forest.

"_**Leeeeeeroy has entered the Long Coral Reef after a short thinking pause! Aaaaaaand now she's coming back, the currents just spat her out! So sad!**_"

"FUCK OFF!" Gen had a tickmark on her head as he shook his fist at him, but he had just spoken the truth. "**_She's feisty!_**"

Once she had entered the currents, she had stolen the control of the boat, swirled her around for a few moments and then thrown away. That had been a little dangerous too: even when the corals were considerably far away from each other, she had still gone a little too near one.

'_Oooh, I'm no navigator, but I get what's happening... that vortex works like a vacuum and some of those currents are going towards it, and the rest of them are just to piss me off like that. Hmmm... what if..._'

"_**It looks like Leeeeeeroy is moving back and starting to swim in a circle! Has she lost her mind or has she come up with something?**_"

The latter. Gen was accelerating and once she thought she had enough velocity, she shot back into the reef.

Leeeeeeroy cut cleanly through the first swirl, but lost the built up energy when she came to the seconds. The girl let out a scream when she got tossed between currents, and all that could be done was to keep the front towards the goal and struggle with the current.

Suddenly, she didn't have to. The boat was going right without a problem.

"_**For a moment there it looked like Leeeeeeroy was in serious trouble, but now it's going through like a fish!**_"

"Wooo-! Oh shit."

Now through the... what's its name? The effin' huge vortex in front of her, and she still had to think about the wall-like cape behind it.

"The Cutie Wagon has been pushed back too! Doesn't this current like cute girls or what!" the games official said. '_They're that close already?_' "_**What's this!**_**?**_** The Strawhats' teams have picked up speed! It seems that everyone will be entering the Long Coral Reef at once! The Barrel Tiger and the Well Whatever haven't been pushed back!**_" There was a moment before he spoke again. "_**There you have it! This is one of his devilish acts of sabotage!**_"

'_Wait, why are they sabotaging them? _I'm_ in the lead! This is more than just _little_ suspicious..._' Gen narrowed her eyes and concentrated then to the vortex, listening half heartedly to the host.

She dived all the way to the bottom, where the whirlpool wasn't as strong as in the surface. It didn't reach the seabed, so that was easy to pass.

'_Now uuuuppp up up up_,' she encouraged the boat in her mind as she made a very sharp turn, drawing in the oars. She hoped that she'd get over without much trouble, but she was starting to get tired. The headache pounding behind her eyes was breaking her focus, but she gathered herself up and jumped out of the water.

"_**Amazing! You'd have to see this with your own eyes to believe it! Leeeeeeroy is jumping like a fish! It's like the sea itself is lifting her up! Look at that tentacle, my, my! But she has slowed down, and the Barrel Tiger is sailing through the Long Coral Reef with a lot more grace than Leeeeeeroy!**_"

The water rushed around her as she returned to the sea. No time to lay down, we all know what happened to the hare when it raced with the tortoise.

* * *

><p>Luffy and Sanji didn't make it further than the Long Cape when the boat crashed down on it and broke apart. The Cutie Wagon stepped up their pace and rushed on. By that time Gen was already past the sign telling to go right (<em>which she ignored<em>) and zigzagging through the weird water columns that were not only completely random but also unnatural. Making dolphin jumps again, she saw a goal... frowned, and went past it. What the netherworld were those guys thinking she was? An idiot? This was nowhere near where they had started off!

Itomimizu had been quiet for some time, so she didn't know what was going on. Gen thought the guy had forgotten about her already, and it kinda hurt too, even when he was technically an enemy.

Then she reached the bamboo forest.

* * *

><p>"<strong>Here you go, sir. Aecorius VII, your last dose<strong>," a nurse in a white uniform said firmly and held a spoon of sparkling stuff in it. It wasn't something a human had ever seen, it wasn't actually liquid but it wasn't completely solid, either.

The young commander of the Royal Guard opened his mouth like a good boy and swallowed the enhancer.

"Thank you, Miss Sheey."

Miss Sheey nodded but didn't smile. The female demon, who resembled a jellyfish, had scolded him for losing his vessel. An idiotic amateur was what she'd called him.

"**You can now get out of bed if you want to, but you're not ready to go out. And don't even THINK about going to the human world,**" she said sternly.

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. She'd seen through him... like he could see through her head how a young man, back like a ramrod, stood there with his hand in a formal salute and waiting to get noticed. From the flare of his nostrils and the tremble of his chest he could tell he had ran all the way. The short cape on his shoulders was lined with silver, and he had no shoulder pads like most. Instead he had a forehead protector with a familiar insigna carved on it.

A messenger.

"Yes?"

"**Sir! An emergency word from the Divine Hall! Her Holiness has requested your presence, immediately!**"

"**Now hold on there-!**" Miss Sheey turned color from her usual calm bluish to a dark, angry black in a matter of seconds.

"**Her exact words were... ahem... 'Get here like you'd already be, and go save her or I'll have your head'...**"

"Sorry, Miss Sheey, I really need to be going now," Greg got up and flung his cape on his human shoulders (_He had to stay as a human: to hurt water was just as easy as to heal it._) before storming off, a serious expression on his face. Was Gloria-sama in trouble?

The doors were wide open, and through it he could already see Her Holiness slithering anxiously around on her marvellous tail, tying it steadily in a gigantic knot. The lights were on on the pillars lining the walkway. Behind her, at the end of the room, stood a big, comfortable chair. It wasn't the Throne of the Sea, but a normal one. No one except the goddess knew where the original was.

He fell on his knees, but stood back up when she waved a hand, frustrated. "No time for that bull shit. You have to go back there before something very bad happens! The hound that the old **CCCOOOOOWWWWW**_**!**_**!**" she stressed the word "sent in Alabasta after Gloria is going to be back! _Why the hell did the vision come this late!_?" she ranted.

Gregory growled the name under his breath like a vicious curse.

"You have exactly twenty minutes! Get going!" besides anger her voice now held a tint of desperation he had never heard before, but he understood. His Lady had lived for a long time, and nothing before Gloria had made her live truly like this.

Gregory nodded when he already was halfway turning away and running down the hall. Out through the corridors, turn here and there from habit, dodge people and ignore their mutters as he went. Inside his mind, a mental clock had been set to twenty minutes, and he had already wasted two.

Last surprised yelp behind him he pushed his transition pass to the guard's face before lunging through the gate. The poor guard struggled to direct the gate towards the correct vessel and mark out the time of his leave.

* * *

><p>She groaned in pain and lay still on the ground so she wouldn't jar her brand new injuries. Gloria saw that there was a nasty sharp end of a bamboo way too close to her and she could only be happy that it hadn't pierced her gut. There was another right next to her thigh.<p>

She had pulled up to the surface and let go of her oars to have a little breather. She heard that Nami was now at the sign telling to go right and then being foul mouthed about it, or something like that... Gen had chuckled about it, but then yelped as there was a big yank and suddenly she was crashing through bamboo, bringing her to where she was at the moment.

Itomimizu had said _nothing_.

Pushing the splintered bamboo off her she found a shallow gash on her upper left arm. It stung, but she forgot all about it when there suddenly was a drooling face in front of hers, twisted into a feral grin. Two rows of yellow teeth, two eyes locked on hers, and two seconds before she started scream her brains out.

"**Scream, little bastard, scream! Let's see if anyone'll be here!**" it laughed. "**Oww, but it seems that little bastard doesn't recognize me! Well, it is long since we met... at least for you, stupid inferior being. And you never saw my real self, either! Would you like to see my real face?**" his voice was mockingly sweet.

"No! Get off me, fucktard!" she hissed and tried to push against the monster's chest. It was like a huge, warped dog with wide jaws, small eyes and pointy ears. The fur was messy and a shade darker than sand, the shoulders were wide and a thick mane was hanging on them. His tail was a bit longer than what would've look good on him, and it was hairless. The tip of it was burnt black.

The demon grinned even wider. Suddenly, she didn't feel like a demigoddess of the sea, but a little girl. And this was the Big Bad Wolf.


	49. Boys will be boys

Late again. BUT! There are now pictures of Gen and Greg in the Deviantart, if you'd like to see (username Derej)!

* * *

><p><strong>FLASHBACK<strong>

"Come on! We need to be quick!" a young girl, the age of ten, was gesturing with her hand. She had brown hair in two piggy tails and a pink shirt under her red jacket with a star at the back of it. The girl's name was Elizabeth, but everyone knew her as Betty.

There were seven girls, including her, and one of them was Gloria.

"Move it, lazy-bones!" Kathy hissed at her.

"Yeah, Genny, grow some legs! You're so slow!"

"Hey now, don't be so mean to her," a girl with a magnificent cloud of blonde curls stuck her toung out at the others. "You might... hurt her feelings!"

And all the girls started snickering as if she'd told a private joke.

Gloria was only six, turning seven in the next week. She wanted to be friends with these girls, wanted bad, and they'd take her in their tight-knit circle soon. Very soon!

At least, that's what the girls promised.

The leader of this herd of young sheep, the queen-bee, was Anny. As you might've already guessed, everyone changed their names to resemble hers. They wanted to be like her, the cute eleven-years-old 'angel'.

"I'm coming!" the blue-eyed girl panted her small lungs out, her braid bouncing up and down when she ran.

"Jeez..." someone muttered.

They were going to mr. Mickerson's house. He was a mean old man, who had taken Anny's bicycle because she had been driving it in his flowerbed. Now the seven girls were going to brake into the man's garage and take the bike back.  
>Finally, they stood in front of his gates in a deathly silence. They were listening closely to every little noise and jumped every time they heard a dog bark at the distance.<p>

They had a very valid reason to be cautious: _Candle_.

Candle was the biggest and meanest dog in their young lives, and it was said to eat kittens for breakfast. Anny's older sister had been wise enough to tell them that it was a mix of a rotwailer, bulldog and the three headed... _what was it's name?_ Anyway...

Someone shoved her and whispered in her ear: "Go on! What are you waiting for? It's not there."

"But, but, what if-? Aren't you coming too?"

"Do you want to be our friend or not?" Anny asked.

Bracing herself, she tried to swallow her fear and opened the gate. "I'll do it!"

"_Shhhhhhh!_"

"Yeah yeah."

The remaining six girls hid into the roadside bushes while she stepped to the yard and it's shaggy grass.

It was such a large place in her eyes, eerie quiet... cold... _what was that noise!_?

Her little heart almost leapt out of her chest when one of the girls threw a pebble towards her. HURRY UP, DON'T JUST STAND THERE.

Quickly tiptoeing through the front lawn, she went to the garage. '_It's locked!_' she realized.

Gen went back to the gate and asked through it: "What am I gonna do? It's locked!"

"Go through the window! There must be a door leading inside from the house."

"No way! What if Candle is there!_?_"

"Just be silent! You're _veeery_ good in it, aren't you? You are, and now go on! I want my bike back!" Anny said.

"...how am I supposed to drag it through the house?"

There was a thoughtful silence.

"I know! I bet the door can be opened from the inside!" a girl with black hair had a good idea.

"Yeah! That's it! Genny, go in there now!"

"I- I don't know-"

"You want to be my friend, right?"

Again with that card.

She did just that, and luckily she didn't see the dog, either.

It was dark in the garage, but she wasn't afraid of it. She kinda liked darkness, unlike most of the kids she'd met. There was something soothing in it. Right now though, she couldn't see where she was walking at and that ment she couldn't see where the bike was. She tried to look for a switch, but then wisened. No, that'd be a very bad move.

Blindly, she walked around in the cold garage, trying to ski through the things left on the floor. Gen stepped on something sticky on her way and she tried to muffle her wild imagination from running up the walls.

And then, she noticed, there was a small sliver of light dribbling in from somewhere, and it seemed to fall on something...

"Yes! Found it!"

No warning, no growl nor bark, she was suddenly down on her back and on top of her was a dog, Candle, in all it's glory.  
>In the dark, it's eyes gleamed hellish light of irritation, the beared teeth white. She could feel it's hot breath on her face like a scorching wind. Candle was very heavy, and she felt like she couldn't breathe, she didn't want to breathe, because then it'd see that she was a living little being. Then, then it'd kill her, surely it would!<p>

But she had to breathe, and when she did, out came a terrified scream.

**END**

Gen blinked and the memory dissolved. This was no much different situation to then, but this time there was no scream. She just couldn't. The fear petrified her insides.

When she'd screamed, mr. Mickerson had come to her rescue and she had to tell him why was she in his house. Meanwhile, Anny and the others had fled from the crime scene. Later questioned, they had denied everything and she'd looked like a fool, a liar. A week with no tv, no dessert and no going outside the home yard, but besides that she'd gained something worse from that night: a month full of nightmares.

_Abandonment._

_Big dogs._

Her two fears she would never spell out to a living ear.

The head above her stopped growling as it's attention was drawn somewhere else. She tried to use that second to her advantage and push the demon off of her, but it didn't even budge. It jumped off, grabbed her from the ankle with the massive jaws and started dragging her carelessly further away from the waterline.

"**_I can see Leeeeeeroy! Well, at least half of it. Gloria is now out of the race, and this puts the Barrel Tiger to the lead, the Cutie Wagon a strong second!_**"

'_That stinky rat BASTARD! He KNOWS what happened!_!' she seethed. '_When I get my hands on him...!_'

Snapping back to the reality (_by an unpleasant rock digging in her shoulderblades_) Gen narrowed her eyes. The further she would get dragged away, the slimmer her chances were to survive. Her free leg kicked the dog in it's ugly face. It did the trick, but only because she'd caught it off guard.

Swiftly, she got on her feet and glared darkly at the demon. Only now she realized HOW big it actually was. The fear nested in the pit of her stomach again.

"**_Grrrrrhrhrhrhr..._**" the demon chuckled. "**You're aaaall alone now, no annoying little servants saving you.**"

She tilted her head in mild confusion.

"**Hm? What are you staring at me?**" it looked at itself and seemed to understand. A grin broke on that drippy muzzle again. "**Oh, that's right. You don't know me... at least like this!**"

The demon jumped on it's hind legs - Gen flinched back - and started changing. The demon shrunk and tufts of fur fell off to reveal a man. This one she remembered well.

"You!"

"Yes! _Me!_" he raised his hands, yellow cape swishing by his move. He looked at her again with those cruel, brown eyes and stretched his armored left hand.

"I... don't remember your name..."

He seemed to trip on thin air for this.

"It's Sir. Roylton, you dumbfuck!" he growled with a tickmark.

"Ack! _YOU!_" she pointed at him.

She didn't have much time to react when he was suddenly on her, his right arm tightly on her neck. This forced her to stare directly in his eyes, and she noted that he had a scar running down from his cheeck to his throat. He caught on her gaze.

"Something that mofo left behind last time. He sure is a one, big, maggotty piece of rotten ass, but guess what?" he held a pause. "I talked with that slippery guy, that Silver Fox. That guy on the bird is being selectively silent today, eh?"

"You... bribed Fox...!_?_" she managed to hiss.

"No, no... I merely made trade with him! He'll leave you to my nonexistant mercy and I'll provide him one of my own men! He kept his end, so I'm keeping mine: once you're dead and cold _like a fish_, hehehe, he'll just crush those filthy pirates... _all_ of them!" and he topped it off with a too wide grin. His hand squeezed tighter, cutting off her oxygen and sending her to the edge of complete panic. Pain exploded in her when she noticed that his iron claw was dug deep into her middle, blood instantly pouring out and turning purple before it reached the ground. She felt lucky that she never went with her vest pulled closed, otherwise it would've been ruined for good. The shirt was too far gone, though.

Sir. Roylton 'hmm'ed in appreciation and liked a splatter off the claw. "A wolf is a wolf, even in sheep's clothing."

Her world turned dark and the pain nulled right before the hand suddenly let go. In her messed up state she still heard the soft '_ziiiinnngg..._' sound and some crashes after that. Her mind and body seemed like two different beings and she couldn't control her limbs at all when she fell down.

"Hey, are you still alive? Gen?" a voice whispered in her ear after a moment. All the muffled senses came back - as did the pain. There was a big, warm hand comforting on her cheek and she just had to open her eyes.

"Zo... *_cough, gasp_*!" she tried to say his name, but her throat didn't want to co-operate and her mouth was full of blood. She was vivdly reminded of Arlong park. '_I can see myself lucky if I have any kind of voice for singing after all this..._'

"Damn... I knew there was something suspicious going on," he murmured. She could see all his concern displayed in his dark eyes that were focused solely on her.

"Where... Royl... Roylton is?" she let out a shuddering breath. It hurted so much, but his attention gave her chills.

"That bastard had a name? Ahh, Luffy's taking care of it. He was pretty mad. By the way, we-"

"Lost... the race, I know... It was to ha- happen."

He frowned, but then he gave a small smile to her. "Let's get you patched up, I think I can see your liver like this. Not that there's anything unattractive in you but...!" He coughed awkwardly when he realized what he'd said and a rosy color took over his face.

"You dumbass..." Gen chuckled, but grimaced right away.

Zoro picked her up and she placed one arm clumsily around his neck as she pressed on her wound with the other. The swordsman didn't say anything about the blood soaking in his shirt, but he did tell her that if it wasn't for Greg's appearance, none of them would've known that she was in trouble. Luffy popped out in some point and he was both pissed and dirty. There was a bleeding injury on him that looked more like a punch than a swordstrike, or claws.

Otherwise he was fine.

"That jerk! He just disappeared! And he didn't even fight properly!" he wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks," she closed her eyes. "Sleepy..."

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't sleep! You won't wake up again!" Luffy was poking her.

"Ow!"

"Sorry! You had a bruise there or something?"

"Luffy, do that one more time and I'll cut off your hand!" Zoro growled and the boy retrackted his limb from his zone.

"Ne... That was a demon, right?" Luffy asked a moment later.

"Uh-huh."

"Why did he try to kill you?"

"'Cos 'M a 'alf goddsss..." she slurred.

"Why would he kill you for that?" he frowned. She tried to shrug.

"Dunno. Not 'mmortal rrr smthi... **x_x~**"

"_Aaaah!_" Luffy's eyes bugged out.

"Shit, she passed out."

* * *

><p>The second Zoro'd heard the bag's desperate yell that '<em>Gloria-sama's going to die!<em>' he had almost drowned in his sake. Then he was already on his feet and running, the rare feel of true dread clawing his steely nerves. On the way, he'd found Luffy and Sanji. The captain had with a serious face told Sanji to stay put and left with the first mate.

Now Gen was laying on a blanket and getting treated by Chopper. Zoro hadn't left the girl's side, not once. Greg was still too weak to come out of that eerie bunny (_no, time had not improved that fact_) and the bag was now working as a pillow under the girl's white head. Her fair skin was even paler than usually. The lashes on her closed eyes were like white lace.

"So... how is she?" Nami asked the reindeer.

"She'll be fine, but won't be able to participate the games anymore," he sighed and directed a long stare at the swordsman. "At least I hope she won't..."

"Why are you looking at me?" Zoro frowned in confusion.

"She looks up to you more than you think," Usopp answered. "She pulls the bigger pranks on you."

"When she draws, she sits in a place where she can still you when you sleep," Robin said. "She moves when you do."

"Yeah, and she eats nearly the same things you do, mosshead," Sanji flicked his burnt cig away and pulled out a new.

"Uhh..." he was a bit speechless and didn't even grab on to the 'mosshead' part.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she attempted a miracle recovery," the reindeer said, the tone indicating strongly of what his opinion on that was.

"I'm not sure if she really notices that herself, though," Nami tilted her hip and placed a hand on that. "For a seer she's pretty blind."

Luffy giggled.

"You know something we don't?" Usopp raised an eyebrow.

"Shishishi, I was just thinking. She _reeeeally_ likes to draw!"

Nami and Usopp sweatdropped at his random answer.

Zoro just stared at the sleeping girl. He had never had much experience on love because of his choise of profession and all the time it took, but he knew that he was screwed with this one. Even when she had an angry mark on her neck, even when her hair was full of things she caught in the race and in the bamboo forest, she was the prettiest female being he'd ever layed his eyes on. The word beautiful didn't really describe her, except maybe for her eyes. They reflected light like the sea and they changed like one too. When she was angry, they darkened and turned a little gray. When she was happy or just mischivious they were closer to a playful turquoise, and in boredom they were dull, like the fog that lingered on those lethargic days with no wind nor wave.

Blinking, he only now noticed that his hand was carefully untangling her hair and picking out small debris.

"Hey..." Nami scoweld.

"Yeah?"

"That announcer acted weirdly..."

"You're right!" Usopp scowled. "He even had the time to bicker with you, but he didn't say a word about what was going on with her!"

Zoro's eyes had been locked on her, so he was the first to notice her lips moving. His hand froze, but then he bent closer to her to hear the words she was saying. "What?" he asked softly and wanted to bash his head in on the spot. He was ridiculously emotional today.

"...bri... bribery... there's another... demon... here somewhere..."

* * *

><p>Gen had been awoken by Zoro's touch, though at the precise moment she hadn't been aware that it was him. She'd just been enjoying the contact to the real world outside her pain and listened to the others talk. Her input had set everyone on alarm.<p>

"Roylton's back from the Otherworld..." Greg sighed from under her head. Her eyes snapped open and she regretted that instantly when the afternoon sunlight tried to drill into her brain.

"_Aaargh!_"

"You stupid marimo! Don't be that close to her face, no one wants to see it the first thing they wake up!" Sanji's teeth turned sharp.

"You're one to talk. If I didn't know for a fact that you have a dick I could've sworn that you were a girl."

"WHAT!_?_ I'LL KICK YOU SO HARD YOU'LL _BECOME_ ONE!"

"OH YEAH!_?_ WITH WHAT MUSCLE!_?_"

In this point Nami whacked them with her staff. "STOP THAT YOU IDIOTS! We now have a lot more important thing to worry about! We lost the Doughnut Race!"

The demigoddess blinked and slowly got used to the light, but when she tried to get up, both her own body and Zoro's hand prevented her.

"So that you won't forget, I'll tell you this again: no more games for you in that condition!" Chopper stared down to her with his serious little reindeer eyes after he made sure she didn't have a concussion. "You hear me!_?_"

"Yeah yeah, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere," she sighed. '_We'll see about that later..._'

The Foxy pirates gathered noisily around the stage and Itomimizu was speaking again. "The first event is over! With no further ado, we shall commence the awarding of the prize! The winning captain will select one member of the other's crew!"

The split-head stepped on the stage, his laugh grating her ears.

"The first one I want is... YOU!" he pointed at the Strawhat pirates. "The doctor, Tony Tony Chopper!"

"_ME!_?"

The reindeer was dragged away, screaming and struggling (which didn't help much) as the crowd cheered.

"No! Chopper!" Nami called out to him.

"What a rare creature!" Foxy rubbed his face into Choppie's fur. Gen felt a shiver run down her spine, getting that up close and personal with the man? Hell no. "He's even softer than I imagined!"

"Ooh, Oyabin, let me feel him too!"

"Oh all unholy, that sounded _sooo_ wrong just now..." Gen facepalmed when Chopper changed arms.

"He's so damn cute~!"

"You're ours now!" Porche cooed.

"Can I puke now?" Gen asked blankly. Luffy and the others didn't look pleased at all.

"Chopper!"

"That bastard wanted Chopper?" Sanji glared. "When I think about it, he's a rare animal among rare animals."

"Is he a cute animal maniac?" Nami wondered.

"Perhaps more of a fur maniac," Robin said.

"What are you guys talking about!_?_" Usopp was fretting. "This is no joking time! We've lost one of our nakama!"

"Could someone slap him? My head hurts as it is!"

Chopper was put down to a chair on the stage, tears wetting his face. Foxy loomed over him. "Oi oi, Dr. Chopper. You're _our_ ship's doctor now. You must swear loyalty to me. Now, don the mask!"

"_G-Guys...!_" he whimpered, the black fox mask over his face.

"I'm sorry, Chopper!" Usopp was crying. "It's our fault for losing when Gen's boat was crashed! Shit!"

All except for Zoro were looking at the scene. Gen noted how there was already two empty bottles next to Zoro, and the one he was downing right now was already at half. '_He's feeling it too, and trying to cover it with booze and indifferency...'_

The man's eyes found her's, and it looked like he was trying to find some indication as how this would end up, but she closed him out and turned her head away. On the last second, the sides of her mouth twitched up.

At the stage, the Foxy pirates were welcoming Chopper to their ranks, but the little one didn't look happy. "GUYS!" he broke. "I went out to sea because of _you!_ No! I refuse! Luffy! I went out to sea because you asked me to! I won't go with these guys! I won't! I'm the doctor of the Strawhat pirates, Tony Tony Chopper! _NO!_!"

_SLAM_

"That's enough of your bellyaching, Chopper!" Zoro had slammed the bottom of his bottle deep into the ground. "It's shameful!"

"Z-Zoro..." Usopp and Nami were both surprised.

"Going out to sea was your decision. The place and time you die will be your decision too. No one can change that. We accepted the game. Gen, Usopp's team and you did everything you could!" he got up and forgot the bottle to where it was. The pirates were all quiet, and Gen found her heart swelling because of him. "In a world of pirates, no one will sympathize with those tears! As a man, you're going to suck it up and watch the rest of the events!"

His glare silenced the weeping reindeer.

"How can you say that!_?_" Nami yelled. "Don't you know how he feels!_?_"

Zoro's somewhat harsh words had just the opposite effect on him. "Boil me or cook me! Give me your worst!" Chopper had wiped his face and crossed his hooves over his chest.

"Chopper?"

"Yosh," Zoro nodded in satisfaction.

"Hey, that swordsman's cool!" someone from the crowd said.

"Yosha, Zoro! Go get 'em, you jerk!" Usopp said.

"Get Chopper back!" Luffy smiled.

"Heheheh, Zoro, our Pridekeeper," Gen giggled. He had so much of it that it alone was enough for all of the crew.

"Let's get on with the second event," he said coolly and rested his arm on the hilts of his swords, walking away.

"I couldn't agree more. There's still two events left. We're taking our emergency food supply back," Sanji took a drag of his cigarette.

"Sanji! We're counting on you!"

"**_The deal is complete! The Davy Back fight is building up steam!_**" Itomimizu bellowed.

"Wait, Chopper was supposed to be on the next team, but he got taken," Usopp spoke to Robin.

"Indeed."

"That's another great part of this game!" some random pirate said. "Remember the rules: no changes can be made to your order. You can't substitute anyone."

"**_Which means that the Strawhat pirates will only have two of their remaining participants in the next round, the Groggy Ring!_**"

"What!_?_" Usopp's eyes bugged out.

"Actually, you can sit out too," Zoro told Sanji as he walked towards the game area.

"No, thanks. But I don't mind if you do, you shithead."

"I can't see those two having any sort of teamwork," Nami sighed.

"What was that!_?_" they turned to each other.

"KNOCK IT OFF!"

"You'd be surprised..." Gen giggled._  
><em>

"What? Are miracles possible?" Usopp asked.

Chuchun flew over them and Itomimizu started explaining the rules of Groggy Ring.

"Grrrh..." Gen growled. "I'm gonna snap that bastard's jaw in two... All the same if it's him" she pointed to the announcer "or him," she pointed to Fox.

"_**We have a field and two goals! The first team to knock their opponent's ball into their goal wins! However, the ball isn't actually a ball! It's a person! Both teams must pick a person to be the ball!**_"

"Usopp, I wanna watch this! Help me up," Gen reached her hand to him, and the boy helped her to the audience.

On the field, Sanji had a red and white striped ball on his head, and she fell back on her back and laughed even when it hurt and she felt blood seep through the gauze.

"_**Ah, this music must be their entrance theme!**_" Itomimizu spoke as a song started playing. Sexy Foxy's figurehead's mouth opened and lowered like a lift. "**_These are the undisputed elites of the Groggy Ring! Yes, this team is unbeatable!_**"

The Foxy pirates were cheering again (_did they even stop some point?_) as out came three huge men. The biggest of them had the ball mark, and he was as tall as a giant. Also, he was only wearing a yellow speedo, gloves and boots.

"**_They are the Groggy Monsters, and they are now entering the field! First is Full-Dash Hamburg! Following him is the Tackle Machine, Pickles! And last, but not the least, the half-giant, half-merman, Bigpan the Wotan! This is truly the parade of monsters!_**"

"Ahh, that explains the size. I was right about the giant," Gen said.

Luffy laughed in awe. "What are those?"

"That merman is huge!" Nami looked kinda pale and Usopp's eyes were almost popping out of his head.

"Aaaah! He's wearing the ball marker!"

"Fwee-fwefwefwefwe! I'd like to see you win this!" Foxy laughed as the three men took their places on the field. Gen strained her ears and heard Sanji and Zoro talking.

"Disappointed?" the chef asked.

"Nope!" Zoro crakced his neck, sporting a shark-like, bloodthirsty grin.

'_Boys..._' she shook her head, '_will always be boys._'

"Our powerful Groggy Ring team will be facing the two guys who beat up our sabotage teams in the first event! The violent cook, Sanji!"

"It's _first-class_ cook!"

"_**And a man worth 60 million, Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro!**_" The teams were talking amongst themselves, and a referee walked up to decide the players' field positions... with a coin. It was in the enemy's favor. "**_Our Groggy Monsters have chosen to receive the ball! The Ballman from the Strawhat team must go to his opponen'ts mid-circle. In this game, there are two Ballmen, each wearing a ball marker. You win by knocking your opponents' ball into their goal!_**"

"Hurry up and start!" someone yelled from the audience.

Sanji and Zoro were talking, and all she waited was when they'd be at it again.

"You think I'm going along with this?" the cook said. "I haven't agreed to be the ball. I don't want to wear this lame thing!"

"Quit your bitching!" The swordsman turned to look at Sanji. "Whoa, that ball looks good on you!"

"That's not gonna fool me, dumbass!"

Luffy cheered from the audience to his crewmen, but Usopp was still weeping for Chopper. Robin was eyeing the spectacle with a small frown.

"I've never seen a wotan before," Nami said.

"He's not quite as large as a pure-blooded giant," the archeologist said.

"I'm not weirded out by many things anymore," Gen said. "I'm hungry."

"Fwee-fwefwefwefwe! Cheering won't do them any good!" Foxy walked near them. The intense Gloria put in her glare could've make water combust. "Our team members are experts at the Groggy Ring."

"What do you want, Split-head?" Luffy asked.

"He said it again~," the guy fell on his knees.

"Ooh, Oyabin!" Porche cooed and helped him up. "Hey, Strawhat! Don't pick on him!"

"Oh, and it seems that I won't have to sabotage this event. I'm just going to sit back and watch! Any problem with that?"

"This event's been sabotaged too!_?_" Nami asked.

"You fool! Every event is sabotaged! But, even among our crew, we have those who prefer to win on their own. They can be pretty particular about their _gamesssss~_..."

Nami, Usopp and Porche looked bewildered, when Fox seemed to sway and fall on his face on the ground.

"Oyabin! What's wrong!_?_"

"Unh..." Robin's knees were weak too, and she leaned heavily onto Usopp.

"_Hey!_" Luffy jumped away from the demigoddess.

"Huh?" Gen reluctantly stopped staring at Foxy and turned it at her captain. He was pouting.

"Whatever it is you are doing..." Robin started, while gathering her wits again.

"Yeah, stop it! Captain's order!"

"Stop what? I didn't do anything... yet..." she muttered and focused again to the field, where Sanji and Zoro were bickering over who was going to be the Ballman. She didn't see Luffy sweatdrop.

"Come on guys, just pick your Ballman!" Pickles laughed.

"They haven't even decided on that yet..." Nami sighed. "Sanji-kun! That ball looks good on you!"

"I'LL BE THE BALLMAN! No one is more worthy than me!"

"Yeah, it does look good. You look like the prince... _of Dumbass Kingdom._"

And off they were fighting each other.

"JUST START THE EVENT!" Usopp's teeth turned sharp.

"Oi, oi, no wepons allowed!" The referee reminded Zoro. "You'll have to take off your katana."

"Huh? Really?"

_"_**_Yes! This is a ball game! Wepons are against the spirit of it!_**" Itomimizu said.

Zoro grumbled profanities under his breath as he walked to the referee... leaving him blinking stupidly with his arms waiting when he walked past him and towards the audience. He stopped in front of Gloria and took out his swords one by one, handing them carefully to her.

"Urgh, these are heavy!" Gen whined.

"Bare with it," he said, and promptly bent to plant a haste kiss on her mouth. "Like hell I'd trust them with that shady referee."

He walked away, never glancing behind him.

Sanji gasped, before yelling at Zoro, Luffy laughed and Usopp just gaped and broke into a grin. Robin smirked.

"That's not excatly anything impressive, but I guess to them that was," Nami was grinning too. "Look at that, she's totally out of it!"

Gen's face was bright red, her heart was hammering and if her hands weren't full of steel maybe she would've reached up to touch her tingling lips. The closeness had only been brief... yet his scent was imprinted on her memory forever. The whistling of the audience and the announcer's words were nothing but backgrounds buzzing.

'_Wait a minute..._' something occured to her and she shook her head clear. '_HE STOLE MY FIRST KISS! ...but I _did_ promise it to him..._'

"Oi, are you sure about this now? A swordsman losing his swords..."

"What about it?"

"Doesn't that make him... a big wuss?"

It appeared that the marimo was good, even without his swords.

"WORK TOGETHER YOU DUMBASSESS!_!_" Usopp yelled.

Their movement came to a halt when Sanji was suddenly gripping the front of Zoro's shirt and they started talking in low voices.

"...you got that, Marimo!_?_"

"Cheh, like I'd be that stupid."

"Well, now that you brought it up..."

"What!_?_"

"Don't make me come out there!" Nami shook her fist.

"**_Okay, okay, it's time to begin! The Strawhat team's Ballman, Sanji, is in his opponent's circle!_**"

"Oi cook! Go ahead and let them trample you!" Zoro taunted.

"Shut up!"

"**_The spectators are ready for a show!_**" Itomimizu's voice said over the loud cheering. After some more hassle and unimportant delay he spoke again. "_**Will the Strawhat team be able to retrieve the reindeer they lost in the first event? Or will the Foxy team steal yet another of their crew? The Groggy Ring battle is about to begin! Here comes the whistle!**_"

...

...

...

_TWREEEEEEEEE~!_

"**_The event has begun! Now how will Ballman Sanji move in the midst of his opponents? Will he retreat or attack? And here he comes! Tackle Machine Pickles is the first to attack!_**"

Sanji jumped away from his path, using the guy as a springboard and went for the opponent's Ballman. But...

"**_The cook, Sanji, is slipping while trying to run on Big Pan's arm! Well, of course! Pig Pan the Wotan is part loach, and their skin is slippery!_**" Itomimizu explained.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!_?_" Zoro yelled. "YOU DUMBASS!_!_"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING DUMBASS!_?_"

"Goddammit..." Gen groaned. "As much as the thought is interesting, they're going to be toast if they don't start focusing on the game rather than each other!"

"You're right," Nami had her hands balled.

The smaller players of the enemy side were running, and Big Pan sent Sanji flying high.

"Sanji!" Luffy yelled.

"_**Running to receive the pass is the leader, Hamburg! Oh, but Roronoa Zoro is right beside him! And now Pickles has entered his opponents' field! Meanwhile, Hamburg is about to catch Sanji in mid-air! He's got him! And now...**_"

Sanji got tossed around - much like a ball - and Zoro got tackled again. Big Pan ran across the field and bounced Hamburg back into the air, and he caught the cook.

"**_They're within a stone's throw of the ring!_**"

"YOU STUPID EYEBROW!" Zoro growled and grabbed Pickles' leg.

Luffy and Usopp were pressed cheek to cheek, crying out "DO SOMETHING! ZORO! SANJI!"

"**_Is this the end!_?**"

"You're not reaching the goal!" Zoro hefted the huge man and started swirling him around like a shot putter, before tossing him to their end of the field. At the same time, Sanji took control of his situation and kicked Hamburg with force. The two flying men collided in mid air and dropped to the ground.

"_**No goal! Ballman Sanji won't be knocked into the ring so easily!**_"

"Whooooo!"

"Go, guys!"

Usopp, Luffy and Nami were all swept away by the game, and why not? It was good sports, even when their own nakama was in danger. Gen hugged the swords tighter to her chest, as chills ran down her spine... as if someone was watching her.

* * *

><p>There! I promised a kissing scene before chapter 50, so there it is... it's tiny... miserable... and damn OOC for Zoro... *<em>wants to die<em>*. Anyway, it's a start.


	50. Precious

**WHOOO! IT'S CHAPTER 50, BABY!** And the story has +500 reviews! I thank you all, for I'm most certain that this story would've never come to this point without your encouragement! Sepcial thanks for **Nomsujet**, my wonderful beta!

Gloria: *_confetti* _Yaay! And I'm still alive!

Snoara: It's snowing thick outside (_scratch that, it's a frickin' BLIZZARD~!)_, I'm going to dad's tomorrow and my sister just came in and randomly told me to 'Suck a "rooster"'...

Gloria: ...lovely...

* * *

><p>The game had turned out into a brutal fight, especially when the referee was 'looking the other way' when Big Pan brought out spiked shoes and an <em>axe<em>. While it was funny to watch Zoro run around and trying not to get squished/skewered, Sanji earned a yellow card for throwing one of his shoes at the referee. Usopp was trying to prevent him from doing anything more stupid than that, but it took Nami's words to convince him back to the field.

Big Pan did something that he called Loach Racing Circus, but Gen would've probably named it something else. Like, 'Eel Donut'. Basically, the big man bent himself into a loop with the two boys spinning inside of it because of his slick skin, unable to escape on their own.

Pickles and Hamburg returned to the fray with weapons of their own. The referee... he was stretching with his back towards the game, and Usopp was hanging on Luffy's arm so that he wouldn't pummel the guy.

Gen flinched, clinking the hilts together, when Zoro got tossed up and then slammed back to the ground. Though, what made her whimper was when Hamburg rammed into him with his elbow supporters.

_MADE OF IRON!_

It made his eyes roll back, and there was blood dribbling down his face.

"ZOOOROOOO!" Usopp gripped his head in horror.

"_**There it is! A direct hit! Obviously, the Groggy Ring has no penalties for killing another player! The Foxy team is continuing their relentless attack!**_"

Sanji was bulldozed by Pickles' shoulder pads, now enforced with spikes, _also_ made of iron.

"Sanji! Look out!" Luffy yelled.

The chef was hit by Hamburg, and Pickles was there to slam him up again. Last hit was from Big Pan, who sent him to the ground next to Zoro.

"_**The Groggy Monsters have completed an attack combo that leaves the spectators gawking!**_" the announcer said.

A cloud of dust rose on the field, and from that emerged the two Strawhats. Zoro and Sanji stood for a moment, but from the way they swayed, Gen knew they had been bested. At least for now.

The sun was covered by a big cloud, shadowing the field and the two men laying in the grass. Luffy was shocked, Usopp looked like the world had come to an end and Nami covered her mouth.

"Odd-chan... are you fine?" Robin asked with her calm voice, and to that Gen anchored herself.

"Y-Yeah... I know they can, can take all kind of abuse. That doesn't mean that I'm comfortable with it," the girl felt her arms shake because of the swords' weight and she had to lean the ends of them to the ground. Her body had by now recovered from the use of her ability during the Doughnut Race, and Chopper had given her painkillers to ward off the pain from the wound Roylton had given her.

"_**The Strawhat team isn't getting up! That was a cinch! The enemies are now groggy! Now, all they have to do is dunk the Ballman into the ring to easily win the second event! They are unbeatable! Invincible! The Groggy Monsters!**_"

"We win again!"

'_Get up, get up, get up!_' Gen was tightly staring at them. _'Please, just get up!'_

Slowly, oh so slowly, they finally got up after good two minutes. Both of them were battered and in a bad shape... but they were standing.

"_**The Strawhats' team is up! What fearsome endurance they must possess! The swordsman, Roronoa, and the cook, Sanji, are heating this game up!**_"

"Oh thank God!" Nami sighed.

"Yeah! You gotta win!" Usopp wiped his face. Luffy was pumping his fist.

"Marimo! Sanji! Do your best and show 'em what you're made of!" Gen yelled.

"_**But do these two have enough strength left to fight?**_" Itomimizu asked.

"Oi, monsters," Fox got their attention. "One Monster Burger, please!"

Everyone went silent.

"Huh? What? Are they going to start selling burgers?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"No, dumbass!" Usopp said.

"_**W-What's this? Oyabin has ordered a Monster Burger!**_"

...

...

"UAAAAAAAAARHH!" the pirates roared in one voice, their spirits lifted up.

"Hey, now..." Gen sweatdropped when Pickles and Hamburg started roaming around in their pants. They pulled out a pair of swords and maces. Big Pan had something that looked like cymbals... and they didn't look friendly at all.

"Hey, what are they doing!" Nami asked, outraged. "They're all drawing wepons like it's nothing!"

"Mince up the meat, Hamburg~!"

"Slice them up, Pickles~!"

"Who are the guests?" The Foxy pirates audience asked way too cheerfully.

"Some green lettuce and a slice of yellow cheese~!"

"All crushed together in a Big Pan bun~!"

"MONSTER BURGER~~!"

"Here we go!"

"_**The most powerful and lethal triple-weapon attack! This can't possibly be allowed! This is a violation that clearly deserves a red card! The Strawhat team appears to be doomed! But what's this? The referee is coincidentally poised in a back bridge and is facing the other way!**_"

Both Usopp and Nami were holding Luffy back, and Gen sighed. "Maybe I should take care of him?"

"Maybe."

"_**Everything is set! The Groggy Monsters are beginning their attack! No one knows how this game will end! They will be targeting the Ballman Sanji! After being minced, sliced and crushed, will he be nothing more than a burger topping!**_**?**"

Sanji was tapping his right leg's toes to the ground. "With third-rate ingredients like you three, I can't really make a satisfying dish... But nevertheless, you're about to get served!"

With a few acrobatic moves the chef was on Hamburg, kicking him around for some before sending him past Pickles and straight to Big Pan's crusher.

There was a resounding _CLONG_.

"Leader!" Pickles gasped, then turned to Sanji. "How dare you!" The man started spinning like a top for the umpteenth time that day and advanced at the too-cool-to-care cook.

Zoro went between the two and went down to his knee, catching Pickles the tornado from the... tail? The place where a tornado touches the ground, you know. The swordsman was pushed back for some ways before he stopped. Wind combed his hair back.

"Don't forget this is a team battle."

"You...! I'll cut you to pieces!"

With calm accuracy, Zoro took a stance and hit. The impact made Pickles hurtle towards Big Pan and drill into the huge man before coming to a stop. Sanji finished it off with an Anti Manner Kick Course to Big Pan's shoulder blade.

"_**W-W-W-What's going on!**_**?**_** He kicked Big Pan's body as it was falling! His legs must have unbelievable explosive power! Big Pan is not down, and is now groggy! What will you do, Pickles? The Foxy team is in a pinch! Oh, and now the swordsman, Zoro is charging in! He's running toward the Ballman, Big Pan!**_"

Pickles, who was still in between Zoro and the enemy Ballman, got kicked to the side by Sanji...

...right into the referee.

Gen had the feeling that that was not the brightest thing to do. When the referee dragged himself from under the bigger man, he reached his hand up to give Sanji a red card, except that he was not holding a red card, but some lame card with Sanji's picture. She couldn't see from that distance that what it was saying, but in the pic Sanji looked like he always looked when talking to Nami... Heart-eyed and all that stuff.

"Huh? My cards and whistle are gone..." the referee fainted.

"Such a naughty girl," Robin said with a smile. Gen blinked, looked at Nami and grinned.

"Nice new whistle, Nami-nee."

"Old habits die hard," she posed and pulled a red and a yellow card from her rack.

"_**What are the Strawhat team up to now? Are they going to start fighting each other right in front of Big Pan?**_"

"Huh!_?_" Nami's and Usopp's jaws dropped in disbelief, but Gen grinned. No way they'd do something so risky in this point, and she was proven right when Sanji raised his leg up to meet with Zoro.

In one perfectly executed move, Big Pan was brought down head first into the goal ring by Zoro.

"_**GOOOOOOOOOOOOALLL!**_**!**_**!**_" Itomimizu yelled.

"WHOOOO!" Gen threw her hands up, but remembered her responsibility and caught the three swords before they fell.

"_**They have scored! Goal, goal, goal!**_" the announcer went nuts.

"Nice, Zoro, Sanji-kun!" Nami cheered.

"That was great, Zoro! Sanji! You're awesome!" Luffy and Usopp danced with their arms slung on each other's shoulders.

"They did it! Yeah, dammit!"

"They won!" Choppie was crying all over Porche and struggling to get out of her grasp.

"Ooh, do I have to give Choppie back?"

"THAT'S MY NICKNAME FOR HIM, YOU BITCH!" Gen yelled with a tickmark.

"They won! _THEY WON!_"

They awed even the Foxy pirates. That must've been because most of them had been won on the crew like this, and none of them would have perfect loyalty to their captain. Who, by the way, was gritting his teeth in anger.

"This is a humiliation! The Groggy Monsters lost!"

"Ahahaha! Stupid Fox! Don't you know any rules of this existence? The main character always wins!"

"What are you talking about?" Usopp asked a bit doubtful of her... ah, right. _R.I.P._

Nami returned the whistle to the referee, since he finally woke up. "Hurry up and blow it!"

"Oh yeah. That's right. His lack of sportsmanship toward the referee is a clear violation of the rules. I'll eject him from the field!"

_TWREEEEEEEE~!_

"_**And there's the whistle signalling the end of the event! The Groggy Ring is over!**_" Itomimizu announced.

"Well, good game!" Nami smiled and waved goodbye to the ref, who could've not looked more dumbstruck.

"_**The second event of the Davy Back fight is over! The invincible Groggy Monsters have been defeated! In an upset win, the Strawhat team has come through with a spectacular victory!**_"

Sanji and Zoro dragged themselves off the field and the cook went immediately to prance around Nami and Robin despite the injuries.

"Nami-swaaan~! Gen-chwaaan~! Robin-chwaaan~! Did you see me? So, do you love me?"

"You were wonderful," the archaeologist provided him with a smile to go with the praise.

"Dammit, you guys! You had me worried!" Usopp was weeping and slapping Zoro with his arms.

"Hey, that hurts!"

"You did well to follow my orders!"

"You didn't do anything."

Gen walked to Zoro with a wide grin, but her feet slowed down the closer she got.

_"BEAR WITH IT. LIKE HELL I'D TRUST THEM WITH THAT SHADY REFEREE."_

What happened between those two sentences suddenly projected on her white screen of memories, clear and in slow motion, making her feel many things at the same time. She was giddy, squirmy and little bit afraid and awkward to go to him now, as if he'd suddenly become the most attractive boy in the class, or a celebrity you'd suddenly spot in a restaurant, or-

Okay, now stop with the stupid rambling.

_OMG HE JUST LOOKED AT ME!_

Oh, right. The swords.

Zoro was walking now to her, and she arranged the swords in her arms so that it'd be easier to give them back.

"That was awesome."

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow at her timid voice. "Weird. I thought I'd given my swords to Gen, but I wonder where she went right now."

"Bastard," Gen stuck her tongue at him.

"Ahh, there she is!" he secured Wado on his hip.

"You know, it's pretty weird when you talk to your sword like to a living being," she smirked and handed out Yubashiri. "It almost makes you seem _crazy_."

"Don't talk about crazy to me, Snowbrain. I was talking to you, though now that I think about it, I can see the similarities: both are white, sharp and-" he bit his own lip to stop himself from talking too much.

Gen raised an eyebrow. "And...?"

"And sharp." He coughed and attached Yubashiri next to Wado. "Just... yeah."

"What? I didn't think it'd be that hard to come up with a third adjective."

"Shut up," he reached for Kitetsu, but she took a step back.

"Nu-uh. Not until you answer me!"

His eyes narrowed, the airy tone gone. "Give it here. That thing's still cursed, you know."

"Yeah I know. But I'll give it back if you tell me a third adjective describing both me and Wado Ichimonji that's NOT white or sharp!" she grinned devilishly.

"I'm not joking, Gloria."

Gen and he had a staring match, but him using her real name and that stern stare made her thinking twice. She wasn't stupid; she knew that Kitetsu was dangerous _(to anyone that wasn't Zoro, anyways)_.

"Me neither," she answered with a solemn gaze. They were locked in the staring contest for at least fifteen seconds, before Zoro's eyebrow twitched. His patience was wearing thin. "You know what to do."

He sighed and rubbed his temple. "Okay, just let me come up with something."

"No! I wanna hear what you were about to say!" Gen said childishly. Zoro turned an interesting shade of red and refused to meet her eyes.

"...Precious..."

A warm feeling flood over her whole soul and a stupid grin grew on her. "You... think I'm precious?"

"Hn..." he scratched the back of his head. "I think I did it pretty obvious earlier."

"Ahh..." Gen fiddled with Kitetsu's hilt. The sword hummed lowly, an ancient song not heard by many. Zoro closed the distance between them with two steps and took the dangerous weapon from her nonresisting hands and put it in its place.

"_**Now, because the Strawhat team won the second event, the Groggy Ring, they may select either one crew member or the symbol of the Foxy Pirates! Whom does the Strawhat captain want?**_" the bird flew over them, carrying the announcer. Zoro and Gen walked to the rest of the crew in odd silence and she focused on the scenario.

The drum started playing to build up the suspension. "It's obvious, isn't it?" the captain frowned, as if asking himself how stupid these guys could be. His eyes swept over the pirates, some flinching under his stare, and Chopper on the stage was sitting tightly in anxiety.

Time went on... and then Luffy smiled. "Yosh, here goes-"

"Hold on," Nami interrupted. It broke the tense atmosphere and everyone made a very relevant animefall.

"Why, Nami?"

"Oyabin's going to sabotage the third event, right?"

"Yeah?"

"If we have to deal with his Noro Noro Beam, any game under any rules would be hard to win. Therefore, if we take Oyabin, we can easily win the third event. Even if we take Chopper back now, if something bad happens in the third event, they might end up taking him again. So, for now, we'll take Oyabin, and set ourselves up to win the next game! That's the easiest way to get Chopper back!"

Gen blinked. That was smart, but she had the inkling that Luffy didn't get a word of what the navigator said.

"_**Gyah! W-What did she say!**_**?**" Itomimizu sounded shocked. "_**They want captain Foxy!**_**?**"

"That's peanut battling!"

"I didn't know you'd stoop so low!"

The pirates were starting an uproar for this.

"_**There's no rule against it, but... Taking the enemy's captain after the second event is nothing short of a cheap trick to back out of the challenge! This is traversity! I can't believe my ears! That woman has offered the Devil's temptation! She is the anarchist navigator, Nami!**_"

The girl looked guilty now...

"Watch what you say about Nami-san!" Sanji's vein throbbed. "I'll kill you all!"

"_**Never in the long history of Davy Back Fight - even in the earliest times - has anyone attempted this!**_" Itomimizu went on and on about what a blasphemy Nami'd let out of her mouth, and Gen was pretty sure that they were _not_ the first ones to ever come up with this. It was simple: take out the biggest bump in the road and perhaps your car would make it. Right now though the navigator was sobbing against Robin.

"Wah, I hate them!"

"Even if it's against the rules, it appears to go against the aesthetics of piracy," Robin said.

"What's with them? They're starting to piss me off," Luffy frowned. The pirates were chanting 'Peanut! Peanut! Peanut!'.

"I agree with Nami!" Usopp said quietly from behind Zoro.

"That's not how things work," the man said. "Nami, that was a bad idea."

Gen wanted to hit him, but Nami beat her to it. Now the guy was laying on the ground spread eagle with a big bump on his head, eyes rolled to the back.

"That's enough out of all of you! Don't get carried away," she said with menace, the earlier crybaby gone.

"WE'RE VERY SORRY!" the pirates said in sync.

"_**Now, whether it causes tears or laughter, the game has given the decision to the winning team's captain Monkey D. Luffy! He may choose any member of the Foxy team whom he wishes!**_"

"Didn't they just start complaining when Nami suggested to take Foxy?" Gen asked under her breath.

There was that stupid silence again in while the pirates were flinching back again, thinking that they'd get picked. Foxy wasn't any different from then.

"Well, Navigator-san, your plan would certainly give us a clear advantage, but then Oyabin would be our nakama," Robin said. Nami held her hand on her mouth when she understood the situation.

"We don't want that!" All the boys said in unison.

"Ah! The weight of Oyabin's depression has forced his head to the ground!" the guy was angsting over their 'cruel' words.

"How can they be so cruel to say they don't want Oyabin?"

"Ooh, Oyabin, you know that we need you!" Porche and the other pirates were trying to cheer him up.

"You guys..."

"Let's show them how we do things!"

"That's right! Everything's going to happen in the next round!"

"We love you, Oyabin!"

The captain started glowing with happiness.

"Yeah, Oyabin!" Gen said with a sweet smile. "It doesn't matter that you're rotten to the core and butt-ugly!"

She could hear the splatting noise he made when he fell back down to the ground.

"Well, now that the Strawhat team is done bullying Oyabin, it's time for the moment of truth! Now, who will he pick?"

"Well, you've gotta give back who you took!" Luffy had his eyes shadowed. "CHERIE~!"

Gen facepalmed. '_Who is Cherie!_?'

Usopp and Nami's jaws dropped, but the boy looked satisfied with his choice. Poor Chopper looked shocked.

"_**W-What's this! The captain, Monkey D. Luffy, has chosen Tonjit's beloved horse, Cherie! What could he be thinking!**_**?**"

"Do you know what you just did, you dumbass captain!_?_" Usopp pinched Luffy's face and pulled it back.

"Huh? Yeah, of course."

"Yeah! What the hell is wrong with you!_?_ You keep doing this kind of shit!" Nami did the same on the other side.

Gen wondered what'd she missed. The only truly clear thing she remembered was the race where Zoro was riding the horse for some reason and Robin gave up in favor of sabotaging Foxy for their victory. And of course, there was that idiotic battle where Luffy wore an afro...

"Um... could you please stop pulling my face?"

"This means that Choppie is gonna be with us forever~!"

"THAT'S THE NICKNAME _I_ GAVE HIM!_!_!" Gen yelled.

While Nami and Usopp were stretching Luffy's face in several directions, the old guy Gen'd only seen once came over with Cherie pulled in a small wagon.

Luffy's face was let go.

"Stilt's ossan, you've got Cherie back."

"You guys..."

"You go be happy now."

"Oi, what happened to your two friends?" the old man asked, referring to Sanji and Zoro. "They look like they've been hurt. Are they okay?"

"Some dumbass eyebrow kept getting in my way."

"Eeeh?"

"They still have a lot of energy."

Gen sighed, comparing the two to fighting capercailzies in her mind, when they started going at it, Zoro even forgetting his swords for the moment in favor of just trying to strangle the cook with his bare hands. Luffy just laughed at their antics while Usopp told the old guy what had happened. She didn't left out what had happened to Gloria during the first event.

"Thank you," he finally said from the bottom of his heart. "I owe you a lot."

"Don't worry about it, it was nothing." Luffy grinned.

"But... will your nakama be okay?" he turned to look at the stage where Chopper looked ready to cry again.

"That's right, Luffy! Think about how much Chopper must feel!" Nami chided him once more. The boy turned to look at the reindeer.

"Sorry, Chopper. We're gonna win the next game and get you back! Just wait a bit longer! You're a man, right? Got a problem with that?"

Chopper sneezed and wiped his tears, before sitting with his hooves crossed once more. "No problem!"

"Think of it this way, Choppie: you're so popular that EVERYONE wants you!" Gen gave an encouraging grin and waved to him.

"Chopper..." Nami smiled.

"Leave everything to me, and it'll turn out fine!" Usopp held his head so high that his nose was pointing directly upwards.

"Jeez, what a stupid thing to say," Sanji shook his head.

Robin chuckled. "I wonder what the next game will be like!"

"Let's get to it then," Zoro nodded.

"We're getting Chopper back!" Luffy looked determined.

* * *

><p>The Foxy pirates started up with the roller race's arena. The sounds of chatter, sawing and hammering were heard all around.<br>Gen and Zoro walked around together, commenting on something every once and a while and eating snacks. Zoro had a plate of takoyaki.

All in all, it was nice.

"So..." Marimo started slowly. "When are you planning on keeping the second promise?"

"What? Didn't you already... already... Hmmm..."

"That didn't count."

"What the netherworld!_?_ Of course it counts!" Gen shouted, her face red for multiple reasons. Zoro meanwhile looked perfectly in control of the situation.

"Does not. I didn't even get a proper-"

"_LAALAALAA_ I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Gen quickly pressed her hands on her ears to save herself from getting a heatstroke. The quick movement irritated her wound and she winced, automatically tensing and stilling. When she was sure that nothing would rip nor tear, she started breathing again and forcing the jagged spike of pain down.

"O-Oi..." Zoro's hand found its place on her shoulder.

"Off me, perv," she shrugged it away.

"Excuse me for looking after your sorry ass," he rolled his eyes.

"Hey look! A magpie!#" she suddenly pointed to a random direction.

"What?" he tried to see what she was seeing, but he realized too late that the girl had slipped away.

Gloria walked around alone for some time, passing by other members, and when the pirates started piling in the arena's seats, she went to the lockers. Everyone else but Zoro were there already. Usopp was tending to his roller blades, Luffy munching on something long and furry... she didn't want to know what that was. Usopp and Luffy had already pulled on their yellow race vests.

"Hey, we thought Zoro was with you?" Luffy asked, cheeks full.

"No, I ditched him," she waved her hand dismissively.

"Ah, Gen-chwan is so cute when she's harsh~!" Sanji swooned.

"Are Nami and Robin here already?" she asked.

"Yeah, they went to change... wait..." Usopp lifted his eyes at her and narrowed them. "Chopper told you not to participate."

"Oh? Really? But he's not here now, is he?" she grinned like a cat with a canary, shading her eyes and acting to look for the doctor.

Luffy poked her abdomen and made tears well up in her eyes. "You're still hurt."

"Wha'evah. It's not like I'd die."

She earned three eye pairs worth of dubious stares.

"Even if Chopper's not here, it doesn't mean that you're okay, Gen-chan," Sanji told her.

"As much as I hate to agree with that curlybrow, he's right." They saw Zoro walking towards them. "And what the hell? You just left me there!"

She stuck her tongue out. "I can race, and I hate being useless. Besides, it was my fault for sitting there like a decoy and letting Roylton lasso me."

"And why do you know his name again?" Zoro muttered and she chose to ignore that.

"You're not useless," Luffy said with wide eyes, as if not understanding her words. "You're funny!"

"..."

"Ah, that's not exactly very useful..." Usopp sweatdropped.

"...Compared to how relaxed these idiots are," Nami opened the door and came out with Robin.

"Oh! You both look adorable~!" Sanji made a pirouette, clasping his hands together and bending his leg upwards in an unnatural angle.

"Are you guys ready?" Luffy asked.

Nami promptly hit Sanji out of her face. She didn't look happy. "What are you eating, Luffy?"

"It's a long kiwi! The Horse Ossan gave it to me. It's really good!"

"That's a _kiwi!_?" Gen asked.

Nami and Luffy were having a staring contest.

"You can't have it."

"I DON'T WANT IT!"

"Mellorine~!"

"GO AWAY!"

"My, my, she's volatile. Weeellll, I'm off to change-"

"You're not going anywhere."

"Mouu..." her head drooped.

"_**Okay, the third event is the Rollerskate Race, Round All-Around. It's a match-based race which will take place on the track below me. The rules for this event are simple too...**_" and Itomimizu proceeded. The bird made one more circle and landed on what looked like a big perch. The announcer climbed off and into a tower. "_**...And by the way, I, Itomimizu, will be covering the event live from my special seat by the starting line. Now, it's time to introduce the teams!**_"

"Well, it's time to get Chopper back."

"Ay!"

"Let's do it!"

"_**Oh, a raised-arm appearance! Here are the Strawhat Dangers! And waiting for them is the most powerful of teams, the Foxy Devils! First, we have the team captain, Porche-chan! Following her, we have the high-speed runner, Chiki Cheetah, the master of defence, Mashikaku, and two mermen, Jubei and Girarin! Oh, and we mustn't forget the coach, Foxy, or the manager, Hamburg! This is a group worthy of being called powerful!**_"

They eyed each other for a moment, before Chiki, a lanky made-for-speed Cheetah, walked over to Luffy with his nose quivering and started sniffing him curiously.

"W-What?" the boy tried to lean back.

"_**What is Chiki Cheetah doing!**_**?**"

"Molesting him?" Gen tilted her head. Nami slapped her.

"_**Is he attacking before the first whistle blows?**_"

"What's with that guy? He's got some issues." Usopp raised an eyebrow.

Foxy laughed. "He's not only fast, but also has a keen sense of smell! You must've eaten something with a strong odour!"

Luffy was pushing against the silent cat. Actually... it was kinda cute. Have you ever seen a house cat with his whiskers puffed out? That's incredibly cute. Though this was not a house cat, but a cheetah, and his pupils were dilated...

"Maybe it's because you ate Ossan's solidified milk!" the sniper joked.

"Oh, is that why?"

"He _what_...?" Gen grimaced.

"YOU ATE IT!_?_"

"Grrhh!" Luffy and the big cat were still pushing, Chiki breathing in his scent. He even had his mouth open a little*****. The rubber captain managed to finally push him off. "What a rude jerk! Shoo! Shoo!"

Cheetah walked back to his own team. "_**It seems that nothing bad happened. Now, I'll continue explaining the rules. Each team has a coach and a manager, who are not permitted to directly participate in the game! Each participant may only be designated as the Point-getter for one round, so choose carefully!**_"

They sat down to plan a little, Sanji writing down to a clipboard with his surprisingly good cursive. Gen was still sulking that she wasn't going to race.

"_**Ah, but the Strawhat Dangers have now only four participants, since there was an unfortunate accident during the Doughnut Race-**_"

"AND WHOSE FAULT WOULD THAT BE!_?_"

"_**Ahh! She seems to hold a grudge against me!**_**?**"

"FUCKIN' YEAH!"

"_**Such crude language... Ahem... So, the Strawhat Dangers are one man down. What will happen I wonder!**_"

Foxy called from their side. "I guess I have no choice! I don't mind allowing one of you to go twice! We have our pride and reputation to uphold."

"Why can't I race!_?_" Gen whined and tugged on Zoro's sleeve.

"You're injured, you idiot!" he hissed.

"You call this an injury? It's just a paper cut, see?"

"_Don't take the bandages off!_"

Nami commented on Foxy: "The way he said it pisses me off."

"Oyabin, you're so generous!"

"Seeing your sportsmanship toward your opponents has moved me!"

"Yeah! You're a real man!"

The pirates were cheering.

"Oh...! Fwee fwefwefwe, I guess so!" he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"He's just reacting to what he hears without thinking what it means," Nami piped up.

"Split-head is just a simpleton," Usopp nodded.

"It's like watching a low-budget actor," Sanji sighed.

"And he's so _short_," Gen shook her head.

With each passing comment, the man sunk lower and lower. "Ooh, Oyabin, stand up!"

"But, hey, since he offered us a handicap, let's take it," Nami decided.

"Well, I guess we'll need it, but it still seems degrading," Usopp agreed. Gen opened her mouth to say something, but Zoro kicked her leg warningly.

"We have to get Chopper back. We can't afford to take risks because of pride," the cook said.

Luffy walked to the depressed Fox. "Thanks, but a contest is a contest. We won't lose!" He offered his hand to him.

"Hn! What a naive perspective. I'll tell you why I gave you the handicap. It's because... we are the strongest-"

"Yeah! We're getting Chopper back!" Luffy was already walking away.

"**AYE!**"

"_**Since both of the captains agreed, the rule change has been put into effect! The Strawhat Dangers must now decide their Point-getter for each round!**_"

"Hee... There are five rounds, so the odd-numbered rounds - 1, 3 and 5 - are the most important," Sanji tapped the clipboard with a quill and muttered. "Especially round 1."

"Let me go twice! Okay, okay?" Luffy peeked over Sanji's shoulder.

"I heard you! I'm still thinking. Quit bugging me!" Luffy puffed his cheeks and backed off. "I guess we can let Luffy handle rounds 1 and 5."

"YOSHA!" the boy yelled.

Sanji thought for a moment again, before his face brightened and he called Robin's name. "Sorry, but will you wait until round 3?"

"Of course. You can put me anywhere you like."

"Thanks. Oh, wait..." he scrunched up his face and chewed on the butt of his cigarette.

"Hey coach! Hurry up!" Luffy yelled.

"Yosh! I've decided!" Sanji said. "Luffy will take rounds 1 and 5. Nami-san will do 2. Usopp has 3 and Robin-chan is in round 4."

"Hey, hold on. Why are you the one deciding that?" Zoro asked.

"Because he's a conniving little snake by nature and you are more suited for... more brute actions," Gen cut in.

The swordsman blinked. "...Did you just call me stupid?"

"No, just less smart than Sanji," she smiled.

Sanji laughed merrily. "And that's why I'm the coach and you're the manager!"

"Eh!_?_"

"_**There's one more important thing I forgot to mention!**_"

"Keep it down! We can't hear him!" Nami yelled to Zoro and Sanji who were fighting each other again.

"_**If by some chance anyone skates backwards or sets foot outside the course they are immediately disqualified from the round, so be careful. Any false starts will also result in disqualification!**_" Chuchun flew down to them and picked up the papers from the teams and took them to Itomimizu. "_**Well, everything is ready! Round 1: Oh, it's Strawhat Luffy vs. Porche-chan! A battle between the two captains! This looks like it'll be a heated match! Now let's get started!**_"

The Foxy pirates were cheering for Porche, of course.

"Ghah!_?_ W-What is that?" Nami asked.

"Oh no!" Usopp's jaw was hanging open. So was Sanji's, but he couldn't even speak. Gen exploded into laughter and Zoro facepalmed.

Luffy had gotten the skates in his feet, but it was clear as day that he had no idea what he was doing. Sanji found his voice, pleading that his eyes were just playing tricks on him.

Right then their captain, the future King of the Pirates, fell on his royal ass.

* * *

><p># Once in my 9th grade we had a debate in the finnish class. When my friend couldn't come up with anything (<em>wasn't much following it either<em>) she just suddenly said "Hey look, a magpie!" and pointed out the window...**  
><strong>

***** Cats have this thing called 'Jacob's organ' (_or at least that's how it's translated from Finnish_) in the roof of their mouths, and when they find something incredibly interesting they open their mouths to use that to investigate that scent.

ZoroxGen-action again. Now, as this IS the **50th** chapter _*throws a party_* I thought that you'd all like an extra, ay? Guess what: YOU WON'T GET ONE!

'Cos you're getting _three_!

* * *

><p><em><strong>ExtRRRaS<strong>_

_- Long morning  
><em>

The day was new. In fact, it was so new that the sun hadn't been up for more than half an hour.

Zoro stretched his arms up and he basked in the tranquility of the usually energetic Grand Line. The salty seabreeze ruffled his hair fatherly.

Now he noticed another scent, which he had overlooked earlier: someone was cooking, and he was quite sure that Sanji was still sleeping when he'd left the men's cabin.

Thick, dark cloud drifted over and under the door, oscuring the windows.

Yup, it was someone else than Sanji.

He walked briskly up to the galley and opened the door, wafting smoke from his face that made him cough. "What the hell?" the smoke smelt bitter and it was greasy. Zoro had suddenly the urge for a long, possibly girly bath.

"Zoro!" A surprised, blackened face appeared when the air cleared. "I was making food! Well, trying to, at least..."

"What happened? No, wait, don't tell me, I _don't_ want to know."

The counter was full of broken eggs and the insides were dripping slowly to the floor. There was flour, and something that looked like a lovechild of porridge and clumpy pancacke batter. Something fell from the ceiling and he jumped back in disgust. Gloria was hitting a blob of something flourecent pink on the table ferociously with a ladle, and he wasn't sure, but to him it looked like the blob was striking back...

Once the kitchen was tamed and somewhat cleaned, they sat in the table, breathing deeply and glad that it was over. The others would soon be waking up.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Do me a favour?"

"Yeah?"

"Leave cooking to the cook."

"Gladly."

Silence.

"'Ey Zoro?"

"Hmm?"

"...there's more food I made in the fridge from before you came in..."

He groaned. "_How_ long have you been awake!_?_"

"Dunno. From 3 a.m?" She estimated. "It didn't look that bad to me, so... if you're hungry. But you have to get it yourself, I don't want to open that door with those creepy cupcackes staring at me!"

"Are you trying to kill me?" he sweatdropped.

* * *

><p><em>- Cinderella story<em>

"Once upon a time there was a farm. There lived a man and his wife, and they had a daughter. The woman died soon and the man remarried, the new wife bringing in two daughters of her own from her previous marriage. Then the man died, mysteriously, and the girl was left with the three women. They were cruel to the poor little girl, always making her do all the work, alone, with absolutely no help from anyone, often outside in the cold..."

"There is _no way_ you're worming your way out of this," Nami said sternly, flipping a pafe from the News Coo.

"Oh come on! It was Luffy who suggested it!"

"Yeah, but you actually did it."

"But Nami~!" Gen whined. "This thing doesn't come off! SAANJII!"

"No use, he's talking with Robin."

"...bitch..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing..." she sighed and continued scrubbing off the big caricatyr of Nami on her 'evil mikan-throne of evilness'.

* * *

><p><em>-About cards<br>_

"Luffy, you're _cheating_!"

"No I'm not!"

"YOU HAVE THE WORST POKER FACE!"

"Don't argue with me, Luffy, I'm a psychic!"

"That means that YOU'RE cheating!"

"Ah, that could be true."

"Yeah! But, I've never seen her cheat..."

"That's because I don't, Choppie."

"That we won't _see_ you cheat doesn't mean that you wouldn't!"

"Hey! I wouldn't play if I had always the chance to win!

"Bullshit, Gen."

"Boo you, Usopp. And Luffy, don't try changing the subject again!"

"I wasn't trying."

"YES YOU TRIED! YOUR FACE SAYS SO!"

"But I didn't!"

"Luffy, if you have **five** aces, we _**know** _that you're cheating."

"What? But how!_?_"

"THERE ARE ONLY 4 HOUSES IN A DECK! AND _YOU_ DREW THE FIFTH ONE! _IT EVEN HAS YOUR BROTHER'S FACE ON IT!_"


	51. The other demon

Eaah, my sister has been hogging the computer lately and it is cutting into my writing time!_!_

Gloria: If you actually _wrote_ when you are on the computer, maybe it would help... -_-'

* * *

><p>"It's over. There's nothing we can do," Nami despaired.<p>

"We still have to try. We'll follow him as best as we can," Robin had her arms crossed, amusement dancing on her lips.

Usopp had had to help Luffy to the starting line, since he couldn't even stand on his own.

"**_It's time to begin! Contestants, step up to the starting line!_**" The referee yelled.

"Hey, it's _you_ again! If you pull anything funny this time, I'm gonna rip you apart!" Sanji pointed at him. The guy was whistling and sweating nervously.

"**_This is the third game, the Round-All-Around! Will the winner of the first round be Strawhat Luffy or our lovely Porche-chan?_**"

"On your marks! Set...!"

_TWREEEEEEEEE~!_

Porche went like a bullet, while Luffy had managed to make a crater to the track with his latest fall, between the letters **S** and **T**. His feet were still behind the white line.

"He made an impressive crater," Robin mused. Nami's eyes were hidden by a thick shadow that did not promise good things in the future.

"Raaah! I've had enough of these!" Luffy bent to his feet and grabbed the devices of doom.

"**_Whoa, there! Taking off your skates is an immediate disqualification!_**" Itomimizu warned.

"Shit!" the boy grit his teeth.

"Come on, Luffs! Get on your feet and go! Point your feet to one direction! Bend your knees!" Gen was shouting tips to him. "You'll get it!"

Luffy seemed to get a good idea, since his eyes locked on something in the distance, but when tried to get up his leg slipped forwards and he fell on his back.

_TWREEEEEEE~!_

"**_We're twenty seconds in, and the defenders can now start!_**"

A huge man shadowed over Luffy and started falling down. They gasped, when he crashed down on the boy, but then sighed in relief when they saw that he just bounced off of him. He didn't show surprise in his bulldog-like face, but he did make a sound indicating it.

"The Gomu Gomu no Fuusen!" they all realized. Gen would've facepalmed for her own stupidity. She should've remembered that the boy was made of rubber by now.

"That's it! Let's go, Usopp!" Nami sped up and kicked Luffy like a beach ball.

"Oi!" The sniper protested.

"Don't worry! We'll kick him the rest of the way!" Nami said. "Luffy, don't you dare let that air out!"

Now that she watched the two go, she reluctantly admitted to herself that even Usopp was faster than she would've been.

Gen saw how Robin crossed her arms, and suddenly the track was blooming hands. The archaeologist was rolling him forward for Nami and Usopp, and closed in on Porche quickly. She tried to pop him with some flower shurikens, but Robin dodged them smoothly.

All would've gone well if it wasn't for the fishman at the opponents' defence back by the starting line. Robin tossed Luffy up and tried to get over the wall-like guy, but the fishman hit him away. He had swords on his arms, reminding Gen of the ones Altur used. His move sent Luffy crashing into the audience.

"**_What a turn of events! Strawhat Luffy is out of bounds!_**"

"He got cut!"

"Luffy! Are you okay!_?_"

"Don't worry! My Girasword isn't for cutting. It just looks cool!" he petted the weapon.

"Don't brag about that!" Usopp said.

Luffy finally let the air free, completing his mimicry of balloon by flying around uncontrollably.

Gen remembered: they wouldn't win this race, and they were going to lose Robin. The girl pouted at this, crossing her arms. "I don't like this game. No no. But they do have eye for the best things..."

"What are you muttering?" Nami asked her.

"Ehh, nothing. Just plotting world domination."

_TWREEEEEEEE~!_

"**_The winner of round 1 is Porche-chan! The Foxy Devils receive the first point!_**"

"Shiiiit!" Usopp's voice sounded from somewhere far away... Further investigation told her that he had climbed up into one of those tall trees.

"SHUT UP AND GET DOWN HERE!" Zoro yelled with sharp teeth.

"Now, right into the next round! The Point-getter match up for round 2 will be the cruel navigator, Nami, vs. the king of defence, the human wall - Mashikaku!"

"Okay! On your marks! Set!"

_TWREEEEEEE~!_

"**_And they're off! But what's this? Mashikaku is slow. Far_ too_ slow! The cruel woman, Nami, is off to a considerable lead!_**"

"What's with this guy? Is he serious about this?" Usopp questioned. Nami was already at the other side of the track, glancing at Mashikaku. "Ignore him, Nami! Just keep going!"

"Right!"

_TWREEEEEEE~!_

"**_There's the second whistle!_**"

"Okay, let's go, Robin- what!_?_ W-What are they doing!_?_"

"Hmm, I'm not sure about the actual term but I'd call that 'a blockage'," Gen scratched her chin. Mashikaku was blocking the only hole in the enemy line.

"Hahaha! If you think you can get past us, go ahead and try," the other fishman, the one with eight arms, had a pleasant voice that shot right into her spine. He... wasn't that bad looking guy, either...

Her eyes narrowed. Could he be the demon in hiding? He wasn't exactly a bishounen like the others she'd met, but he had that certain allure in him. She had seen handsome men on the islands they'd visited, and by now she could pretty much tell the difference between a demon and a regular human.

"Zoro... see that fishman?" she nudged his arm.

"Yeah?"

"Keep an eye on him, just in case."

"Why?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Just do it!"

"Hey, how are we going to get past them?" Usopp asked.

"Hnhnhn, you won't!" Porche was sitting on Mashikaku's shoulder, and from the end of her staff came out a bunch of roses. "**Flower Hypnosis!**"

Gen turned away just before the pinkish-lilac-ish mist spread on them. The world swayed dangerously and then it just blinked out of existence.

* * *

><p>Round 2 went for the Foxy Devils as well. Whatever was in that gas, it had put them all to sleep and in that time Mashikaku had made it to the finish. She had been awoken rudely by a slap to the face and now her cheek was stinging.<p>

"_Namiii_, that wasn't nice!" Gen sat on the ground and pouted.

"Don't whine!"

"Ghhnnnn...! This grass sure is soft..."

"Don't you dare fall asleep again!" Nami glared at her.

The demigoddess looked around. Usopp and Chiki were standing at the starting line, the latter licking the side of his hand. Zoro was trying to teach Luffy how to skate on the side but he didn't have experience on that either.

Usopp was anxious, sweat rolling down his face.

"Ready! Set!" and the ref blew the whistle.

Chiki was _fast_. He finished his first lap before the twenty seconds were even over.

"No one runs faster than Chiki Cheetah!" Porche bragged.

"It looks like he won't need any support," the suspicious fishman smirked.

"**_Defence, go!_**"

"Let's go, Robin!"

"Right!"

"Ooh, they're serious."

Gen laid down on her back and turned her head to watch how Zoro and Luffy were doing. A lazy smile draped over her. "Ahh..."

"Yosh, that's it. Now do what I told you to do," the first mate had his hands on his hips.

"Look! He almost got it!"

"Don't give up!"

"What a show!"

Luffy's legs were shaking badly, but slowly, he straightened up and stood. The boy had become something like a pet or a mascot or something along those lines, and everyone was cheering for his accomplishment. He didn't fall, and he even got to the starting line.

"Yosh! I got up! I'm coming, Usopp!" he looked determined, took a stance and kicked some speed. "WHY AM I GOING SO FAST!_?_ This is awesome!"

Chiki was right behind him, and by the looks of it they were equally fast now. Chiki jumped on all fours and shifted into a cheetah.

"**_This is amazing! The practically inhuman Strawhat Luffy, who just minutes ago couldn't even stand on his skates, is now skating neck-to-neck with Chiki Cheetah in his full animal form!_**"

"...Zoro..." Gen sweatdropped.

"Shit, I didn't tell him how to turn," he slapped his forehead.

"**_Strawhat Luffy has left the course again. He is now disqualified from round 3_**," Itomimizu said. There was a human-shaped hole in the wall of the track. "**_The High-Speed King, Chiki Cheetah, now has a four-lap lead!_**"

Chiki reverted back to his more human form. Robin, who was skating ahead of Usopp, reached a hand and some more to the sniper and slung him forward to shorten the gap between them and Chiki. Usopp did go past him, but only for a moment, since the cat turned back into an animal and took the lead. Now that he was fast it also meant that it was harder to make turns. He leapt over the wall, grabbed it with his tail and shot back to the track.

"**_Look at that! It's Chiki Cheetah's Triple-Speed Rocket Dash!_**"

"Oi! He just left the course, dammit!" Sanji was shaking the referee.

"The air is safe! The air is safe!"

"**_Coach Sanji's angry challenge is overruled!_**"

"ROBIN!" Gen called out. The suspicious fishman had caught up with her, and now his arms... tentacles... were around her. His neck was naturally flexible, so her attempt to free herself with bending his neck to his shoulder blades went to waste. Foxy was in the field, and shot her with his beam.

"Shit! He got Robin-chan!"

"Oi, dumbass-coach. If we don't stop that Chiki Cheetah bastard, we're gonna lose," Zoro said.

"I know! Wait... Chiki... Cheetah? A _cheetah_? That just might work! Ossan! Horse Ossan, are you up there!_?_" Sanji yelled to the audience. The man was there, and so was Cherie. "You remember that kiwi you gave to Luffy? Where'd you get it?"

Soon, after some squabbling, Zoro climbed the audience and to Cherie. Gen's eyes turned into hearts when she saw him jump off on the white horse. Incoherent sentences like 'prince on his white horse' invaded her mind and she let out a deep sigh.

"Muaaa..."

"**_We've passed four minutes! Chiki Cheetah has an incredible thirteen-lap lead! Four minutes and thirty seconds! Fifteen laps! This could be the end for the Strawhat Dangers!_**"

"Isn't that bastard back yet?"

"Don' worry, Sanji," Gen was grinning from ear to ear. "'E'll do it!"

"**_Four minutes and fifty seconds passed! In ten seconds, the Foxy devils will have a perfect victory!_**"

Five seconds from the end the tree fell, over the audience and to the track.

"**_What's going on! W-What is that!_?**"

Chiki stopped, his eyes grew wide and right before everything was covered in leaves and green his eyes sparkled, nostrils flared and his tongue lolled out.

_TWREEEEEEEEEEEEE~!_

"**_W-W-W-What's__ happened!_?_ Where's Chiki Cheetah!_?_ He has ended the race outside the course! What a climax! Round 3 unexpectedly goes to the Strawhat Dangers!_**"

Chiki Cheetah was rolling in the plant, tangling into the fine, curly vines and rubbing his face into every surface of it as could. "B-Banzai!" Usopp looked dumbstruck. Nami came over to see what had happened.

"He looks one 'appy kitty~!"

"Yeah... he does- STOP PETTING HIM, HE'S NOT A CAT!_!_"

Usopp tilted his head. "But why? What happened?"

"Kiwi trees are an Actinidia species. An like all Actinidias, their branches and leaves cause an euphoric reaction in certain species of cats," Sanji smiled. "Cheetahs are a type of cat, so I figured it'd be worth a try."

"So that's why he was sniffing Luffy before the race," Nami nodded slowly in realization.

"Probably."

"Very impressive knowledge, Cook-san," Robin returned finally.

"Ah, that was nothing~!"

Nami noticed that Gen had disappeared on them. Only moment ago she had been harassing the stoned, limp cheetah and now she was nowhere to be seen. "Hey, where'd Gen go?"

"Huh? Gen? Oh no! What if the demon took her!_?_" Usopp gasped.

"Over there," Robin pointed towards the tree. The girl had a crazed look on her face as she climbed up and towards... Zoro.

"Is she some kind of cat too?" the sniper wondered. "Uhh, maybe we should save him?"

"Naa, we'll wait for a moment."

They watched in a mix of pity and glee how she tackled the swordsman, both disappearing into the mass of leaves. Later the tree was dragged off by good ol' teamwork and Gen was wrenched off of Zoro's leg.

"Hrrr... what the hell got into you?" he asked her.

"Hahaha, you got weirded out, didn't you?" Gen laughed.

"OF COURSE I DID!"

"Well, you should've thought about it twice before jumping on a white horse and riding to the horizon~!" she was jumping from foot to foot. The bubbly fangirl-feeling was trying to rear its ugly head again and she had to force down her rapid breathing.

The swordsman just snorted. "You're weird."

"I KNOOOOOOWWWW~~!"

"_Gah!_ Don't come that close!"

"**_The Strawhat Dangers have managed to score one point! However, the Foxy Pirates still have the advantage! Now, let's not delay the rest of the event! Round 4 will be starting soon! The Point-getters will be the archaeologist, Nico Robin, versus the fishman, Jubei! This will be an interesting show!_**"

Jubei was the suspicious fishman's name. She still thought he was suspicious, he was a Foxy pirate after all, but she had come to a conclusion that he couldn't be the demon.

Why?

He's a _FISHMAN!_

Everything that lived in water (_or near it, except crocodiles... they were assholes_) were supposedly on her side. Everything that flew was a part of the Skygod's domain. All that was left were the land animals, but she didn't know what kind of animals were on the fire's side. Mythological? Not an impossible thought.

"It's cool! I got it!" Luffy was answering to his first mate's last tries of teaching the boy.

"What's cool? The way you were skating before..."

"Zoro, I did what you told me. I watched how the other guys skated!" he smiled. The other just raised his eyebrow.

"Really now?"

"Yup!"

Nami and Usopp were talking with each other, shooting glances at Foxy. Gen decided that what they were talking about was more interesting than Luffy and Zoro. Usopp said something about his 'Moron Moron Beam', making Foxy fall down with his depression again. This started furious whispering from Nami.

Usopp's face twisted into something creepy... "What a naughty girl you are!"

"Pretty good, don't you think?" Nami wasn't much better.

"**_Ooh, I detect a hint of an insidious plan from the cruel woman, Nami. She's making a devious face showing her utter disdain for Oyabin._**"

"WHO'S MAKING A DEVIOUS FACE!_?_"

"...You..."

Round 4 started, putting Robin in the lead. In the twenty-second mark Luffy left.

"He's really better than before. Nice, Zoro!" Gen gave him a thumbs up.

"I-Is he gonna be okay?" Usopp asked.

Luffy sped up, not even slowing down in the curve. They all tensed up to see what he was doing, but then he jumped over the rail, grabbed the wall like Chiki had done and continued after Robin and Jubei. The fishman was about to do something to her, but Luffy punched him into the track's wall. He slowed down and stayed beside the now unconscious Jubei, letting Robin go on. Nami stole Porche's baton, leaving her weapon less.

"**_Astounding! The Strawhat Dangers have lapped their opponents' Point-getter! They now have a one-lap lead!_**"

Foxy was squirming in his purple cape. He jumped on Hamburg's back. "Get ready to run to the track!"

The guy aimed at Robin, when Usopp yelled: "Hey Split-head! Are you gonna use your Moron Moron Beam again?"

Foxy fell off his crewman. "Split-head! Moron Moron Beam!"

"That's not true! You're wonderful!" Nami yelled and Foxy's mood lifted up. They continued this for a while, but then Nami couldn't take it anymore. "I can't. I feel sick. Usopp, let's switch."

Usopp looked at him and made a face. "I can't see anything to compliment. But it doesn't matter! Say anything, but don't stop!"

"_Ahem_..." Gen was suddenly standing right next to them. "Let the master show you!"

"What are you going to do?" Nami asked.

Gen looked at Foxy and filled her lungs. "Ooooi! Oyabin! It's so wonderful!"

"What's so wonderful?" both Usopp and Foxy asked.

"You! Such an amazing person!"

Mood up.

"But it's a shame that you have to be so ugly and old," she shook her head and sighed.

Mood down.

"Don't worry! I still believe in you. You'll find someone some day, and then you'll get the love you deserve!"

Mood up.

"Which isn't much with that thing on your face... No, wait, that _is_ your face!"

Mood down.

"Wow..." Nami stared. "She's cruel."

"Yeah, and it's working!"

"**_Time is almost up! Are all the women on in Strawhat Dangers this awful! She's bringing Oyabin to his knees with her contradictory shouting!_**"

Gen kept on shouting hurtful and mending things, spilling out everything she could come up with. Nami and Usopp helped her some. Robin kept on skating, lap after a lap. Her stamina was better than Porche's and the girl was panting.

The demigoddess stopped yelling and let the exhausted man fall down on his side to the grass. Robin slid to a stop and high-fived Nami.

"**_And there you have it! The Strawhat Dangers have won round 4! Let's take a breather shall we? You have 5 minutes before the final round._**"

"Woo! That was awesome!" Gen jumped and cursed when the wound reminded her of it's existence. "Owwwh... Marimo, hold meh~."

"No."

"Meanie."

"Nutter."

"Broken compass."

"What?"

"I am making a reference to your AMAZING sense of getting more lost than-"

"Hey, stop that. Save your breath for the next round," Nami pushed her forehead.

"Hmm..."

"What is it, Sanji-kun?"

"I was just thinking about that other demon. If it's really here, when is it going to make its move?" the cook scratched his hairy chin. They all looked at her.

"Roylton said that once I was dead the other one would kill 'all the other pirates'."

"Shit..." Sanji stumped his cigarette and started a new one. He really should stop smoking.

"Does that include the Foxy pirates as well?" Robin asked.

"Damn..." Gen realized. Even when these guys were total douche bags, that was still a bit extreme.

"But you're still alive," Usopp pointed out.

"Oh yeah!"

"Idiot..."

"His plan must've changed, then," Nami chewed her lower lip in thought.

"Either he'll go after Odd-chan's life and then ours', or he'll save time and slaughter us all at the same time."

"Robin~!" Nami and Usopp cried.

Gen chuckled darkly and muttered to herself. "Let 'em come, I'll be ready! Stupid demons..."

Next was Luffy and the remaining fishman. Once they left off, Foxy walked to the field and started shooting Luffy with his Noro Noro Beam. Usopp and Nami took the turn to yell both insults and praise to him, but he didn't react. That was because he had his ears plugged. Luffy dodged as best as he could, but it did slow him down. The fishman, who was gaining, was occasionally shot with the beam too, but his Girasword worked as a mirror and reflected the beams away. Sanji noticed that.

"The Noro Noro Beam doesn't affect Girarin," Porche smiled proudly.

"Oh really~? And why is that~?" Sanji went noodles.

"You silly. It's a se-cr-et!" the girl wagged her finger.

"A secret? Of course~!"

"Sanji... you lowlife..." Gen sweatdropped.

"That's why you were all off the course at the start," Zoro got up.

"Yep! Now the only ones left to fend off our plan are your teammates. They won't be able to use us as shields to hide behind."

"That's what they were planning?" Usopp gasped.

"**_Twenty seconds are up! Everyone else, go!_**"

As Robin shot off, Foxy pointed his hands towards them. "You can all slow down!"

No one had time to react before the beam hit them, freezing them in the mid-air.

"Nami-san! Usopp!"

"**_A direct hit! The navigator, Nami, and the sniper, Usopp, have fallen victim to Noro Noro Beam!_**" the announcer said.

Foxy turned to Luffy and shot, but the boy managed to dodge them. Gen narrowed her eyes and before she could think clearly, she willed her legs to move as fast as she could. Sanji and Zoro called after her.

Foxy's last beam was shot towards the fishman and it ricocheted towards Luffy. Robin's warning came too late and he too was stopped.

Gen tackled Foxy.

They both fell to the ground, but Gen didn't let go of his wrist. A jolt of pain rippled through her, but she didn't let go.

"_**What! It looks like Gloria has interfered and attacked Oyabin!**_"

"Grrrhhhh! Get off...! Me...!"

'_What now!_?' she panicked. "Ohh, I can't help it no more!" she flew a hand on her forehead dramatically. "I cannot resist it! No, my heart burns for it! I have fa-" she almost chocked on the next words and struggled to force it out of her mouth. "I have fa-" take three: "I have fallen... fallen... for... Y...you...! GAH! I have fallen... for... you...!"

"**_Well isn't this surprising! Gloria has just now confessed her love to Oyabin!_**"

'_I'm going to die...!_' she cried mentally. She did not dare to look at her crewmates. Instead, she shifted the now useless douche to lay on his back as she started petting his hair. With every stroke, she fought her screaming urge to burn her hand.

The Strawhats won the round, and the second Itomimizu announced the end of the round, she wiped her hand to the grass, jumped up and jogged to the others.

Usopp and Nami were crying, telling how brave she had been and what a sacrifice she had done for everyone's sake.

She said nothing and didn't stop until she reached a trashcan by the stands and emptied her stomach in it with a _'bluaaaaaaarfgh!'_.

* * *

><p>"Still not clean... <em>Still not clean<em>..."

"Oi, if you keep scrubbing your hand like that the skin'll peel off," Zoro said. The girl just kept on muttering those three words above a bucket filled with water and soap. She had requested bleach or acid, but that had been denied.

Truth be told, it had brought him an uncomfortable feeling somewhere around his chest when the girl had 'confessed' to Foxy. He also felt sorry for her.

"Guh... I'd rather swallow a razor than do that ever again."

"There, there," he patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. The game ended and you're still... relatively fine."

"Thanks," she sighed and got up from the crouch. She gave a glare at the bucket and kicked it over like it was it's fault that she'd had to suffer. Her palm was red and raw, but the greenish colour on her face had faded.

They had won Chopper back, and Zoro was glad for it. He held a soft spot for their doctor, as did everyone on the crew, but he also knew that Chopper admired him. How good of a model he gave to him was another matter, and the two did have their disagreements on how long the bandages should be worn after applying them.

How on earth did they end up in another three-coin game against those lying, cheating bastards though was a total mystery to him.

* * *

><p>A crew-on-crew ballgame, a six-on-six retro game and a one-on-one battle. Those were the events of their next round of shady pirate games, and the demon still kept his hide well hidden. Greg didn't like the situation at all and clung to her shoulder, keeping his eye on everything suspicious.<p>

Once Chopper had returned to them, he had immediately sobbed against Luffy's knees, then lectured her for not taking it easy on the injuries. After that he'd been weeping again, while changing her bandages.

"**_...Just like in the last game, each crewmember can only participate in two events, and no changes to the entries are permitted!_**" she heard the host speak. The anger towards him had not disappeared, but now she didn't feel like ripping his throat out. Just... if she could have a spoon...

The game was just like ordinary dodgeball (_with a ridiculously thick book of rules_) and two lumpy balls. The game was 'the oldest and most historic game of the Davy Back fight' and an old geezer, who knew the rules by heart, worked as the main referee. He had several other people helping him.

Gen had played dodgeball in school and knew a few tricks in it: don't look the enemy with the ball in the eye; rather follow the ball like a hawk. Be always ready to jump, but don't panic. Don't move too much, but don't stand like a statue either. Don't be in the front line and don't fall behind them. In dodgeball, everyone was on their own.

But those were rules that went with the dodgeball she had played in _school_.

Luffy and Chopper were in the starting, gaining both balls for their side. Foxy got them both in his face, but the ref told them that the face is safe. Even Gen knew that.

The balls rolled to Nami's feet to the area behind the enemy lines where she and Robin were standing and she tossed them over to Zoro and Sanji. "Now's your chance! Keep pummelling them until we win!"

"Hai~! I'll pummel them until we win~!" Sanji caught the ball with two hands and lifted his leg up dumbly. Once he was over with it, he started twirling the ball on one finger like a basketball. He had a calm, frosty look in his eye. Zoro was sweeping the restless crowd like a wolf, trying to decide which of them he'd shred to pieces first.

"Foxy team! Eighteen players are out of bounds and are disqualified!" the younger ref announced.

"Nice!" Nami grinned.

"**_What's this?_**"

"Why does he always start his speeches with that phrase...?" Gen muttered.

"**_They each knocked nine players off the field!_**"

The boys didn't seem that satisfied with the even numbers. Robin returned the balls back to the field and this time Luffy fell ten players. Chopper wasn't that lucky, Hamburg was there to catch the people his hit would've otherwise knocked out.

Gloria tensed; the balls were now in Hamburg's hands. He gave them to Big Pan... "Oh shit."

"If those hit me, I'll die!" Usopp hid behind Sanji and Zoro but then seemed to decide that Luffy and Chopper were a safer choice. That was not the case, though.

"Long Nose and twenty-one players from the Foxy team are out of bounds and are disqualified!"

Nami ran around to see that Usopp was okay.

"Wouldn't it have been better for you to stay with Nami and Robin?" Chopper asked her.

"Meh, I wanna play. Haven' done this in some time. And Chopper, I'm not some delicate flower."

Those 21 players had been the majority of the players and now they only had Hamburg and Foxy on the field... as well as a third guy.

Instantly, she knew that this was the demon. He didn't even _try_ to conceal that fact, with his punk-styled mohawk, ripped jeans, the customary Foxy mask and two loose leather belts across his chest in an X. Said belts held rows of brass tubes, like bullets, but... not bullets. He was quite tall and slim, but he had a horrible, hunched posture.

Also, he looked like a _squirrel_. A squirrel with tasselled ears, long front teeth and a bottlebrush for a tail. A squirrel that wants to eat your face and then do 'something nasty' to your dead body.

He was staring straight at her with his big, black UFO-ish eyes.

Robin took Hamburg out, smoothly just dropping the ball on the guy's head.

"**_Oh, oh, oh! Hamburg is out too!_**"

"Hahahahaa! Nice, Robin!" Luffy gave her a thumbs up.

"The head is safe!" a young referee announced.

"No, on page 103, rule #54 states that the top of the head is out," Robin said.

"The woman's right. How dare you behave so disgracefully!" the veteran official scolded the young man.

"What a display of brilliant intellect by Robin! Has she memorized that entire thick book in this short time?"

"That's amazing, Robin!" Nami praised her.

"But I haven't read all of it yet."

Nami gave the ball to Sanji, but he got hit because he gave in to the Foxy team's woman population and handed the ball to them. He also laid down to the grass to get hit by them...

Gen facepalmed.

"What are you doing, Sanji-kun!_?_" Nami had a tickmark on her forehead, but it was already too late for the Love Love Chef.

"You mellorine dumbass!" Zoro scoffed as Usopp dragged the unconscious (_but happy_) Sanji off the field.

"Such a hopeless boy," Robin commented.

"Ya said it, Robin-nee."

"Hahaha! That guy looks like a squirrel!" Luffy laughed and pointed at the demon.

"**I'M NOT A ***** SQUIRREL!**"

"_**Whoaaa, what a pottymouth! That's our Albert-**_"

"**IT'S ÅLBERT! GET IT RIGHT!**" he stomped his foot angrily.

Zoro narrowed his eyes. "That's the demon..."

"You can tell?" Gen asked flatly as Ålbert kept ranting.

"Yeah. They're all ugly."

"Greg's not ugly," she pouted.

"He doesn't have a solid form to _be_ ugly!"

"Oh, shush you."

The only weapon allowed in the rules was Dead Hit-kun, a tall robot with a launcher for a nose. Foxy had taken it out during lbert's hissy fit but now the demon scurried up and sat next to Oyabin. Porche tried to use her Flower Hypnosis, but by Nami's warning they all closed their eyes.

The gun was aimed at Zoro.

"Having his eyes closed..." he drew back his arm and _sliced_ the ball with it. "...Does not make a swordsman vulnerable."

For this trick, he was out.

"Why!_?_" the man asked with sharp teeth.

"Rule #645: The ball may not be cut! The Foxy team will receive a new ball."

Zoro stalked away with his hands in his pockets. "At least he was way more cooler than Sanji's..." Gen sighed and hid a giggle behind her hand.

"_**Things are getting interesting! This is now a three-on-two match!**_"

In the moment when her eyes were drawn to the sulking swordsman, Ålbert moved with the speed of lightning over the field and right towards Gloria. She let out a strangled shriek and covered herself with her arms, but luckily Luffy's reflexes were in prime condition. He grabbed the demon by the ridiculous fluffy tail and yanked it away from her. The captain had a solid grip on the belt as he raised it in level with his eyes.

"Don't you dare hurt my nakama," his voice was but a low hiss.

"Foxy team! Ålbert is out! Rule #19: No treading on the enemy field!" the veteran referee boomed. Ålbert glanced at the old man, growled and then looked at Gen still lying on the ground. The demon's mouth twisted into a sneer.

"**There is no place in the world for you to run!**" the demon turned his attention back to Luffy and slashed at him with its sharp claws. It forced Luffy to let go of him.

"**_Things have taken a surprising turn! Ålbert is completely ignoring the referee and seems to be after Gloria's very life! Not cool, people, not cool._**" Itomimizu said. The audience started booing.

* * *

><p>Woo, the demon is a squirrel... how lame. I drew the picture during philosophy class and then we started playing with random idiotic names. The original version was 'Ulpertti'.<p>

Everyone tired of Foxy says 'ay!'


	52. For the win

Dear Readers- _please don't kill me!_

I know it's waahahahay too late. I had to force myself to write the Davy Back arc to the end. Also, a bit late Merry Christmas to you all.

* * *

><p>Even when the crowd was now in her favour, she wasn't certain that the demon wouldn't attack her.<p>

Luffy was the only barrier between the thing and herself, and the boy looked pissed.

"You're a demon, aren't you?" he asked, his voice low.

"Yeah, so what?"

Murmurs rang around, most of them being unbelieving whispers. "That's a demon?" "Demons exist?" "Looks more like a squirrel..."

"**I'M **_**NOT**_** A ***** SQUIRREL YOU *******!**_**!**_**!**" Ålbert exploded again. He pointed at Gen. "**Gimme the girl! I can let the rest of you go, but she must die!**"

In the sidelines, Zoro growled and tried to step in but a white-sleeved arm prevented him like a fence. Sanji shook his head.

"What do you have against her!_?_ She's done nothing to you!" Luffy yelled while Gen picked herself up.

Ålbert scoffed. "**That is not either your or my business. The Lady has spoken, and so shall that impure **_**thing**_** die as it was never to be born in the first place!**"

"You don't even _know_ why she wants me dead!_?_" Gen asked.

"**The Lady gives the final word and we are not to ask questions,**" Ålbert said with a cold voice. His eyes locked with Gloria's and her breath hitched in her throat. The demon rushed at her, only to get stopped again. Luffy avoided getting skewered by him and shoved him, hard, before punching him back to the enemy's side and into Dead Hit-kun. The robot moved because of the impact, but besides the big dent it got it didn't sustain much damage. Foxy yelped and held onto the thing so he wouldn't fall off and the demon made a 'thud'-sound as it hit the ground.

"**You... damn mortal...!**" Ålbert coughed.

"Too weak," Luffy said simply. "Get outta here."

"**WHAT!**_**?**_** How DARE you-!**" but the look in the boy's eyes made him reconsider.

The boy indeed _was_ stronger than he was, but not by much. Ålbert wasn't a fool.

One ferocious (_and very un-squirrely_) growl later he ripped the mask off his face and threw it to the ground rebelliously.

"Hey hey hey! You're a part of our crew!" Foxy cried out. "Don't go dirtying that mask!"

"**The deal's off**," he said and disappeared in a blur.

Silence fell to the island and everyone looked at each other. Then someone said how cool Luffy was and everyone started talking and cheering for him.

Only Gen could hear over the racket how Chopper wondered in confusion: "What deal?"

* * *

><p>They lost the dodgeball game. Chopper played it sacrificial, taking the ball in his face for Luffy. That would've otherwise been safe, but then again he got pushed off the bounds. Luffy, that idiot, was out because he accidentally swallowed the ball...<p>

To her honour, she could say that at least she was the last one on the field.

"Is everyone okay?" Chopper asked. A small frown marred his furry face as he looked at Gen. "You got the ball right into the solar plexus."

"Ehh, I'm good. It's not even bleeding, see?" she lifted her shirt so he could see that she was speaking the truth. "I'm not some delicate flower."

"More like a cactus," Zoro mused.

"Don't speak like that about her, you brute!" Sanji shook his fist at him.

"At least I don't look like a plant. I wonder, do you turn colour in the fall?" she grinned.

"Eh!_?_"

"Nice, Gen-chwaan~!" Sanji looked at her with hearts in his eyes. "Your insults are so lyrical~!"

"You're standing too close to her, cook," the swordsman gave him a death glare. Sanji's hand had travelled on her shoulder. She pushed it off to go talk to Luffy.

"Hey, uh... thanks for that."

"For what?" he blinked, a small confused smile on his face.

"For talking back at that squirrel," she couldn't help that the side of her mouth turned up.

"Oh... you're welcome. Shishishi!"

Gen grinned and gave him a tight hug, which he tried to return before going limp. She had to let go before his weight dragged her down. "Damn... Sorry Luffy."

"_Uuughh..._"

"He won," Usopp grinned at Sanji and Zoro, but in the crossfire of their heavy glaring he scooted away.

"_**The winners of the first events of the rematch are the Foxy Pirates! It's time for the exchange. Who will Oyabin pick from the Strawhat team?**_"

He pointed his finger at the crew and Gen saw Chopper flinch. But... that wasn't what Split-head wanted this time. "You! The archaeologist, Nico Robin!"

"_Eeeeh!_?" Sanji's jaw dropped.

"Noooo!" Gen whined.

"Me?" she sounded more curious than surprised.

"_**Oh, our captain has chosen the archaeologist, Nico Robin! And we certainly can't blame him!**_" There was a giggle from him.

"Ooh, Oyabin, why didn't you choose Choppie?" Porche whined. Foxy turned to whisper something to her.

"Mouu, Robin-nee!" Gen pouted. Both Nami and Sanji voiced their objections as well. The woman started walking away.

"Robin!"

"Robin-chan!"

"See you later," she smiled over her shoulder.

"But still!" Gen crossed her arms.

"I know! Behind that coy smile, she is deep in mourning! She can't bear to be apart from me!" Sanji cried, biting a handkerchief. "Damn, I know the rules, but I still can't bear to see Robin-chan become their nakama!"

The idiot trio was crying. Robin calmly tied the mask behind her head and sat on a chair. Male worshippers instantly crowded her.

"R-Robin's fitting in pretty well over there..." Usopp said.

"I never trusted her," Zoro said lowly with his arms crossed. Anger flared up in the demigoddess and she spun around and hit him, hard. She hoped that it would form a very painful bruise.

"What are you saying!_?_ Robin trusts us! I think," Nami said.

"Yeah! She trusts us to get her back!" Gen nodded.

"I love how Nami-san put it. I'm gonna put myself on the line to get Robin-chan back in the next event," Sanji said seriously.

"Yosh! It's time for the next event! Let's go!" Luffy had that determined flame in his eyes. Nami ever so kindly reminded him that one person could only be in two games.

The next game was soon on them. The basic idea of it was just like in a 'red light, green light', except that weapons were okay. Against them were Porche, Hamburg, Chiki, Capote, Pickles and Big Pan. Tonjit the Horse Ossan was It.

They lost that game as well.

It had gone well in the beginning, when Big Pan and Pickles' plan to take out Sanji and Zoro backfired and they were out. Gen had to hold her giggle as she looked at Zoro and Sanji in their poses; Zoro crouched on the ground with his hands on the hilts and Sanji with his left leg straight up in an aerial split.

From that on the game was pretty calm for some time. Chiki, Hamburg and Porche had a good lead on them. Gen had left behind Nami, Chopper and Usopp.

Zoro got lost.

"HOW THE HELL CAN ANYONE GET LOST ON A STRAIGHT PATH! EVEN YOU CAN'T HAVE A SENSE OF DIRECTION THAT BAD!" Sanji yelled.

The chef took a very unstable shortcut, but it payed him off. He caught up with the lead. In the meantime Jubei stopped Gen. The fishman was intimidating to her, but she stood her ground bravely.

Their eyes locked. Gen stared at the fishman with all her authority, making him freeze in the spot. His small shark's eyes quivered in her hold. The whole situation was surreal, and it only lasted a few seconds. A small 'boo!' made him startle and fall back.

"Out!" Tonjit announced.

Sanji was very close to the old man, but then Hamburg started chasing him with his iron clubs. Chiki reached Tonjit, but then the man sneezed loudly.

"Eww..." Gen sympathised with the cheetah. His face was full of snot and he couldn't help but start wiping it off with the backs of his hands. He was out, and he sat down to wait for the game to end with a pout.

'_Wuaaa, he's so cute!_' Gen cooed in her mind.

Next it was Sanji who reached to the top. In the last minute, he turned around and dashed down the slope to save Porche. The cook had kicked Hamburg in the face, and the girl had been clinging to the man's back.

"_**Oh my! The villainous cook Sanji went to save Porche-chan! Hamburg is trying his best to stay still! But... Sanji will inevitably be out for trying to save Porche-chan,**_" Itomimizu was heard sighing. A moment later, Sanji popped back up from the water with Porche in his arms. "_**Oh! It's Sanji! And he's standing perfectly still in the water! He's not budging an inch! They're safe!**_"

Gen grinned. She could do the same, but Sanji didn't have powers over water. He was kicking the water like crazy, but the upper body was like a statue. Itomimizu said something about graceful swans...

Everyone was admiring him, but then the image was broken with one single kiss from Porche. By what Gen saw, she was certain that it had been a genuine thanks.

"You two are out."

Gen proceeded. Due to Zoro wandering around, she had a good chance to touch It. There were no other enemies but Hamburg... who got kicked by the irritated swordsman, flew all the way to the top of the track and into Gen. One of his long arms touched Tonjit half accidentally.

"_**What a shame! Just as Gloria the white was about to touch It! The winner of the second event in the rematch is Foxy Team!**_**!**_**!**_"

"Gaaah! Someone...! Help me...!" the demigoddess croaked. She had a hard time getting air and she was pretty certain that the wound had reopened.

* * *

><p>"Just so you know, I hate you right now," the white haired girl growled. She was lying on her back as Chopper worked on the bandages. He'd had to make new stitches and the reindeer didn't promise that it wouldn't leave a big scar. The men of the Strawhat crew were sitting on the grass with their backs to her and Nami was standing in guard that they'd <em>stay<em> that way too.

"Ah, mellorine~! Though I cannot see you, I'm sure that your skin is fair and white-"

_SLAM_

"Shut up, Sanji-kun!"

"Hai~! Stupid marimo, it's your fault we lost the game and she had to suffer!" the cook turned his attention to Zoro. The man made a small noise and his back slumped a bit.

"All done, you can put your shirt back on," Chopper said.

"Thanks, Choppie. Can I hug you?"

"Sure!" he giggled.

Now that she was decent again, Sanji, Luffy and Usopp got on their feet. Zoro remained sitting like a scolded child.

"Yosh! Now it's my turn! I'm going to win back all my nakama!" Luffy cracked his knuckles.

Foxy and his cronies came over. "You're forgetting something important, Strawhat! Because you lost a second time, you'll lose one more beside from Robin, but you can only win back one person in one match. Even if by any chance you win in the next match..." Foxy let the sentence hang.

"What are you trying to say, Splithead?" Luffy asked.

While Foxy was down in depression, Robin cleared it up for Luffy. "He's saying that even if you win the next match you can only take one person back."

"Eh?"

"So whatever you do, you'll lose one crewmember!" Foxy pointed at Luffy with a victorious smirk.

Of course, he again chose Chopper. The reindeer was captured by Porche, who rubbed her cheek against him, but then he struggled free and plopped on his stomach across Robin's lap and started crying. Porche looked jealous.

"Oi, we're really in trouble here," Usopp said.

"What are we going to do, Luffy?" Nami asked.

"Stop worrying! We can just have another rematch."

"A rematch? I don't think so," Foxy said slyly. "Let me explain why the Foxy Pirates are known as the strongest pirate crew."

"Heh, the strongest?" Zoro snickered.

"I know at least five pirate crews better than you," Gen said flatly.

"We beat you twice already," Usopp reminded him.

"L-Let's not talk about that," he seemed to falter a bit. "Before you arrived today, we engaged the Fang-Frog Pirates in five three-coin games. We have sustained a number of casualties thanks to you. The crew doesn't have the spirit or strength to fight much longer. Our will has been worn down, so to speak. We wouldn't have another rematch even if you offered! We'd rather not fight than lose. In other words, we are the strongest because we never let ourselves lose!" and he struck a pose.

The Strawhats looked at him with disappointment and disbelief.

"Why aren't you saying something?" Foxy asked.

"That's stupid. You're nothing but a bunch of sore losers," Zoro was the first to open his mouth. "You dumbass."

"I can't believe you call yourselves the strongest. That's a petty peanut battle tactic," Sanji said.

"Hm, such a safe strategy, and he calls himself a pirate?" Gen shook her head. "What a _wuss_."

"Come on! This is no time to be foolish!" Usopp whined. "How are we supposed to decide between Chopper and Robin?"

The crew kept on bickering about the matter, a small verbal battle rising between Sanji and Zoro. Nami looked to be in deep thought, and no sooner she smirked and walked up to the enemy captain (_who was moping on the grass_).

"Ne, Oyabin, I have a suggestion."

"Huh?"

"How about betting six people on the next event?"

"Oi! Don't go making deals on your own-!"

"Wait, let Nami-san handle this," Sanji interrupted Usopp's ranting.

The proposal was too tempting for Foxy to pass on, and he bet in five hundred people. "If you win, I'll let you have five hundred members of my crew, including those two."

"Eh? Why five hundred?" Nami blinked.

"_**Oyabin is unbelievable! He has gone all-in with a wager of five hundr- Agh! Why'd you hit me, the announcer!**_**?**" Itomimizu had been close enough for Gen to sock him.

"'Cos ye'r _'nnoyin'_ me," the girl glared at him darkly.

"**_Meep..._**"

"I don't have five hundred!" Luffy said. "You're an idiot!"

Usopp and Sanji grabbed him and told him to shut up, Nami's plan was good and he was ruining it.

"There's no way Merry can carry five hundred people!" was Luffy's reason to object. The boys explained to him that this was the only way to get back both Robin and Chopper.

"_**By the way, if the losing team has fewer than five hundred crew members to offer, the remaining crewmembers will be taken from their descendants. So, every one of your children, grandchildren and so on must swear loyalty to the Foxy Pirates until your debt is paid off!**_" Itomimizu said.

_'Whaaaat?'_ flitted through Gen's head. Usopp, Luffy and Sanji had all somewhat weird faces as well. The cook's eyes glazed over and then he crouched down to talk to some imaginary child.

Gloria's mind had gone down a very disturbing path, picturing if her kid would inherit a tail from its grandmother... She realized that the little snake-tailed girl in her head had had green hair and she blushed heavily, discreetly hiding her face into her hands behind the rest of the crew, which was talking now about these conditions. They were pretty unsettling, yes, but they had no choice. They just had to win.

"Hm?" Gen happened to look at Zoro, who was boldly staring at her. It was highly uncomfortable and she was about to say something about it, but then she saw that he had a faraway look in his eyes. She couldn't see what was going on in there. Usopp waved a hand in the man's face, but nothing happened. Then he looked at where Zoro was looking at and smirked.

"What do you think he's thinking?"

"I-I don't care!" she stuttered and walked off to follow the others, snapping Zoro out of it on the way.

The midtime entertainment was just some girls bouncing around in short skirts and pompoms spelling out 'Foxy'. That lasted for about half an hour, and Gen was already yawning widely. Greg came up, the bag hanging on his shoulder. He handed it to her and told that he hadn't seen the demon. Gen in turn told him that it had been taken care of. He needed to go and report it to the ocean goddess, but decided to stay out for a while.

Gloria sweatdropped, as a group of girls were staring at him with hunger and he ignored them completely.

The last event, Combat, started with Luffy and Foxy together spinning a cannon. Where it would point and shoot, there would be their battleground. Though... as it was starting to slow down, it suddenly turned towards the Sexy Foxy.

"HOLD IT! WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT!_?_" Usopp yelled. Itomimizu explained the rules, but Gen wasn't really listening it that closely. She was starting to space out, and she thought about her mom, the one who had raised her, and her two brothers for once in a long time. How were they doing? Were they well?

"Gloomy," Sanji commented. "What has given you such a sad expression? It's cute, but I prefer your smile."

"Aaah... just, my brothers."

"You have brothers?" he blinked. "Hmm, now that I think about it you mentioned that one day."

"Uhuh. I was raised by another woman besides the biological one, and they had two boys. Now... I can't remember the other's name anymore..." she sighed. It was weird to speak of her family like that. Sanji slung one arm around her shoulders.

"I don't know much about brothers or sisters, since I have never had any, nor did I know my parents. What matters now is that we're all one big family," he smiled.

Gen grinned back. "Yeah, and let's hope it stays that way! Thanks, Sanji-kyuuun~!" she tried to impersonate Sanji.

"You're welcome, Gen-chwaaan~!"

"And if you don't move your hand from there, I'll ensure you a childless future~!"

He spun her off his embrace in one elegant twirl, and before he had the time to kiss her hand she walked to Zoro and Nami. The latter looked anxious and/or pissed.

"Damn those two!" she referred to Usopp and Luffy, who were buying crap from one of the stands. "How can they be so calm about this! It feels like they're just letting Oyabin run everything! I can't stand it!"

"Well, he's assembled a crew large enough to let him play around as much as he wants," Zoro replied.

"_'Beware the beast but enjoy the feast he offers'_," Gen recited the song she'd sung for Chiselle oh so long ago. _'Hmm... It doesn't hurt that much anymore...'_

"Isn't his crew big enough already?" Nami frowned.

"Don't worry! As long as Luffy wins, it'll be okay, Nami-san!" Sanji suddenly said from over he shoulder with a big excited grin on his face. Then he ran off, saying he'd fetch some drinks while they'd look for seats.

The navigator slumped in defeat. "Idiots... I'm surrounded by idiots."

They found good places from the first row, and the sky was covered in a thick, dark blanket of clouds. Some minutes later Sanji came around. He would've walked past them if he hadn't tripped into Zoro's outstretched legs.

"Watch where you're going, shitty cook."

"Dumbass..." the man muttered. Gloria saved the drinks and popcorn as the boys started tussling. Itomimizu introduced his own captain and Foxy came out from a cloud of smoke. He was... shirtless, and he had blue boxing gloves. Not the image she would've wanted to see Luffy took his sweet time getting out, but when he did, Gen didn't know if she should've laughed or cried. She had never forgotten about the **afro** he now had on his head, but she still felt the need to facepalm. It was enough to stop Sanji and Zoro's own blooming battle.

"Decked out in that afro, Luffy looks like he's ready for a fight!"

"Nice hair, Luffy!" Sanji yelled. He really seemed to like sports.

"What the hell?" Zoro and Nami both had looks that reflected well her own feelings. Besides the afro, he had red boxing gloves and a big fake tattoo on his exposed chest.

The sun came back out and Chuchun soared through the air. "_**Both fighters have entered the battlefield! They will fight in a circle one hundred meters in diameter! Will Strawhat throw Oyabin out and save his pride and his nakama? Or will Oyabin's perfect record steal all of that away from him? The Davy Back fight's fateful final round, Combat, is about to begin!**_"

There was lots of cheering, and Sanji was completely taken by it. "Oww! The brother soul is burning within him!"

"Who died and made Usopp the coach?" Zoro asked.

Gen pointed at their cook. "I have a feeling that even if it was him this would've happened..."

"I wish they'd take this seriously," Nami sighed and slurped her drink. "Eh? What's going on?"

"Ahh, the stands are rising up so we can see the fight better," Gen said. The whole thing was shaking and quacking under them. The host was still speaking... and speaking... but they finally got to it. With the ring of a bell, the two moved.

Foxy fought dirty, Luffy just tried to go on with it. He used the noro noro beam, his fists, arrows and cannonballs, and soon the deck was covered in black smoke.

"Robin! Can you see anything?" Nami asked. The archaeologist was sitting high up with Chopper right next to her.

"All I can see is smoke!"

A few blasts later Usopp came to them, purple glasses on his eyes and Luffy's hat on his head under his goggles. "Luffy! Work the body! _The body!_"

"Oh, Usopp."

"Hey, what's going on down there?" Nami asked, but he didn't know.

_BOOOMMMM!_!

The whole deck detonated. The sound of the chain-explosions made her ears ring and she crawled over Nami and Sanji to sit next to Zoro. He looked mildly surprised but said nothing.

"Choosing their own ship for battle was a cheap trick!" Nami growled.

"Oi, Luffy! What happened!_?_" Usopp cried out.

"_**Oyabin skillfully used a cannon to hit Strawhat Luffy with a tremendous explosion! Is this the end? I don't see him anywhere...**_" there was a pause. "_**Yes, dangerous indeed- EEHHH!**_**?**_** Amazing! He's still alive!**_"

"WOOO! GO, LUFFY!" Gen stood up. The Foxy Pirates voiced their thoughts of him being scary.

Luffy had escaped the explosion to the highest beam that the sail was hanging from, right next to the crow's nest.

"Sit down," Zoro tugged the hem of her shirt.

The deck was still full of smoke when Luffy jumped in. When it finally cleared out, Luffy appeared... from a door on the side of the ship.

"How did he get thrown out from there!" Nami asked. They all held breath as he started falling down, but he stretched his arm up and grabbed the side of the ship. He stood on the railing, looking around, but not seeing the man anywhere.

"_**What's this? As one trap leads to another, a Foxy pin-badge eerily beckons from an open doorway! The side of the ship is Oyabin's playground! Will Strawhat Luffy take the bait?**_"

"Luffy, don't go in!" Nami yelled. "It's a trap! He's going to have everything booby trapped!"

"You really think he's listening?" Gen raised an eyebrow. She was proved right when he jumped right at it. The navigator face palmed and whined.

"_**Strawhat Luffy fearlessly plunges ahead! The battle has now moved inside the ship. Now even the announcer cannot see what is transpiring! This is what combat is all about! The combatants have now begun a one-on-one, close quarters battle!**_"

"Which means it'll be boring from now on," the demigoddess sighed. Usopp was telling Luffy to stand up and fight and Sanji slapped the back of his head.

"Who do you think you are? Sit down, we can't see."

"Like we'd see otherwise. How stupid can you get?" Zoro asked with a smirk.

"Never as stupid as you."

"_Huh_!_?_"

"HEY! NOT OVER ME!" Gen shoved them away from each other with a tickmark.

"Sorry, Gen-chan!"

"Forgiven!" she gave him a smile. Then she looked blankly at Zoro.

...

...

"What?"

"Apologise."

"What!_?_ No way!" he crossed his arms.

She narrowed her eyes, and then grinned. She wrapped her arms around Sanji, giving him a hug that sent him on the cloud 9. "Fine. Then he can get a hug and you won't!"

"Mellorine~!"

With the stare Zoro directed at the cook, he could've set a wet stone on fire. He turned his head away and muttered something that even she with her excellent hearing had a challenge to catch - but she did.

"Excuse me? I don't think I heard that clearly?" she held her hand behind her ear.

"I said I'm sorry for fighting on you," he looked at her with a rare but annoyingly familiar twinkle in his deep, dark eyes. "But I can't say it wasn't _nice_."

"Wh-What the-!_?_" she spluttered as her face heated up. Nami on Sanji's other side reached behind their backs to hit him.

"Sometimes you're even worse than Sanji..." Usopp sweatdropped.

"_**This is the third event of the Davy Back fight rematch - Combat! Although I have no idea what's going on, we can be sure that an intense battle is underway inside the ship!**_" The host was speaking. "_**And even though they can't see him, the stands are calling out for Oyabin!**_"

"He won't lose," Zoro rubbed his now aching head.

"Damn straight! He's Luffy! And he has an afro!"

"Just being Luffy should be enough to beat that shitty fox."

"What's so special about the afro?" Nami asked dubiously. "Does it make you power up or something?"

Some of the pirates were talking with each other about that 'awesome afro' as well, and even Robin said it was magnificent.

"Meeh, I think it's a guy thing," Gen shrugged.

_BOOOOMMM!_

"_**Something's happening on the deck! Has the tide turned in someone's favour? Or has the battle been decided? Ah! There are two silhouettes!**_"

Gen peered through the smoke that was _again_ obscuring everything. Through the cheering they could hear Foxy's obnoxious laugh. Gen could feel her insides chill.

"And Oyabin is the one to stand! Oyabin! Next to him, Strawhat has been burnt to a crisp! It appears that he took some heavy punches!"

"LUFFY!_!_" Usopp yelled.

"It can't be..."

"How can you get burnt from a normal punch? What did he do!_?_" Nami asked, a hint of worry in her big brown eyes.

Gen growled. "Foxy doesn't fight fair, that's how."

Luffy stood up and took a stance. His legs were wobbly, but even from this distance they could see the determined flame burning in them. The Foxy pirates were shouting encouraging things for Luffy, but they cheered for Oyabin.

He whipped out something called noro noro blade (_aaaah, so THAT'S what that weird piece of wood in his pants was... and yes, she really tried not to think about that either_), locking his arms and feet. The man just pummelled him afterwards, and when the thirty seconds were up the boy was slammed against the mast. Luffy laid there for a few seconds and got slowly back up.

"_**He's still not down!**_"

Nami breathed his name out in relief but she was still tense. She covered her mouth with her hands. Sanji and Zoro were both staring like hawks at every little move. Gen was clutching the fabric of her jeans, fingers digging dully into her knees.

In Foxy's next attack, the mast supporting the main sail fell off. He still got up, to majority's surprise and admiration.

"What!_?_ But HOW!_?_" Foxy asked.

"Those... are my nakama... and you won't take them, EVEN IF I DIE!_!_!"

"Lu... ffy..." a jolt went through the demigoddess. She felt good, protected. A sigh escaped her, and she smiled softly. How could she doubt him, even for the second?

"_**He... He's up again! Strawhat Luffy! Showing his fearsome determination, he stands again!**_" through the systems, he still sounded like he was crying. "_**Even when he falls he stands again! Even when he has no ground to stand on! Even when he can barely take a breath! What a guy! Still! He wills light into his eyes and stands up! For his nakama! Yes! This is the Davy Back fight! My... My eyes are tearing!**_"

Gen stood up from her seat and joined Usopp who was hanging by the rail. Suddenly the whole audience had jumped on Luffy's side, shouting his name and other stuff, mostly about that damn afro. In this point though Gen was ready to tolerate it.

"_**Has anyone ever fought Oyabin this tenaciously!**_**?**"

This didn't sit well with Foxy. "Why are you cheering for the enemy!_?_"

They fell silent in confusion and changed for 'Oyabin', but there was no real heat behind.

"Shit! He's too tired to dodge those attacks!" Usopp cried when Oyabin slowed Luffy down. He slowed a cannonball approaching him as well and attached some kind of glider on it.

"Luffy, you got hit by the beam before the cannonball did! When the effects wear off, get away from there!" Sanji yelled.

When it did, the boy tried to, but Foxy was quicker. Gloria winced and looked away when he got his face full of boxing glove. Oyabin sent the cannonball after him, and there was another BOOM followed by a cloud of smoke.

"_**It's over! The barrage of attacks has brought down Strawhat!**_" The chanting began again. Oyabin froze and turned rigidly around, only to see Luffy again. "_**H- H- He- He's up again!**_"

He fell, but struggled on his feet. He was exhausted.

"I win_._"

"Are you stupid!_?_ You can barely stand on your own two feet! If that's how you want it, then I'll punch you until you fall once and for all!"

They met in a flurry of hits, each repelling the other. The only difference was that Luffy was getting his hits in every once and then. The audience was cheering in anticipation, but then grew quiet as Foxy used the noro noro beam.

Gen's jaw opened more wider.

The pink rings that slowed everything down were not aimed at Luffy. The fighters had their fists together and neither was moving. When the light died down Luffy collapsed on his knees, panting.

"_**Strawhat Luffy is down! No, what!**_**?**_** He's **_**moving**_**! What on earth just happened!**_**?**"

"But how?" Nami asked no one particular.

"_**A mirror! He had a mirror shard in his hand!**_"

Luffy got up and took a few steps back. He pulled his arm back... "Gomu Gomu Noooooo! FLAIL!"  
>He hit Oyabin, but Oyabin didn't seem to move. The boy sighed and started walking away in all silence.<p>

"8 seconds," Zoro said.

"Seven," Sanji continued.

"Wh-what?" Nami blinked.

"Six!" Gen jumped up on the balls of her feet.

"FIVE!" Usopp yelled and turned tot he audience. "What are you guys waiting for!_?_ You guys have to count too! FOUR!"

"What?" "Sounds like fun!"

"THREEE~!"

"TWOO~!"

"ONE~!"

"ZEERROOO!"

"**HEEE WOOOOONNNN!**_**!**_**!**"

"_**Oyabin is airborne!**_" And splashed to the water. Luffy let out a fierce cry and struck a pose, standing on the Sexy Foxy's figurehead. "_**He has landed outside the field! This is the final event of the Davy Back fight - the captains' furious and epic Combat! Oyabin, undefeated in 920 battles, has lost and the underdog winner is STRAWHAT LUUFFFFYYYY!**_"

Gen squealed. Robin and Chopper were walking down the stairs towards them and the doctor and the sniper started dancing around. For Sanji's joy, Nami hugged the man in the spur of the moment. They all were extremely proud of their captain right then.

* * *

><p>Gloria: ...<p>

Snoara: What? You look like you have something to say.

Gloria: Not only was the chapter late, but how come the demon was so lame?

Snoara: I... Um... Hey look! An extra!

Gloria: Hey! Don't you dare-!

* * *

><p><strong>ExtRRRRa<strong>

_-Bookworm_

It had now been surreally calm days - meaning no marines, other pirates, storms or sea kings harrassing them - and for those whole three days Robin had been sitting outside in a lawn chair.

On the sidenote, that was exactly the number of days that had gone by since Gloria had handed her the Great History.

"Robin-nee..." Gen and Nami approached her. "We talked about it a bit, me and Nami-nee here, that you-"

"Us," the navigator interrupted. "We're your friends, and friends carry all the weight of the world together."

"Right, us. So, we talked about it a bit andwe think _we_ might have a small... problem... in our hands."

Robin turned her head towards them, a popping sound coming from her neck. There were bags under her baby blue eyes, which had a slight difficulty to focus on the two women... or was it four? ... and her hair was hanging in limp, greasy streaks. When she spoke her voice was a hoarse whisper, and the words were directed somewhere on Nami's left.

"You died, Rhan. The monster of Calatza shred you to pieces... and you had shorter hair... and you were male..."

Gen and Nami shared a worried glance before they together made her part with the book and go to sleep below the deck.


	53. Frostbites

Hello 'vryone. I've seen some pictures of Strawhats as animals, and I've been humoring myself: what animal would Gen be, if she was one? I initially thought of dolphins, but if they're all land animals, that won't do...

Gloria: Stop rambling and GET BACK TO WRITING YOU SLOUCH!_!_

Snoara: Hai, hai... *_sigh*_

* * *

><p>Later when Luffy woke up, the first he did was to fuss over the game. When he was reassured that he had won, he sighed in relief and laid back down in the grass. The tattoo was still in its place under the layers of bandage. Greg had come to them after the game, telling sheepishly that he had and still was hiding from the female population of the Foxy pirates. He had asked what happened to the afro, but the way Gen had started chuckling darkly, they assumed that it was never to be seen again.<p>

"Luffy... You really are a good person," Gen sighed, lying right next to him. The rest of the crew was gathered around him as well, all relaxed after the adrenaline of the game had drained.

"I wasn't worried for a second," the sniper chuckled and gave back Luffy's hat.

"Liar."

"Come to think of it, I'd have no reason to be a pirate if I left this ship," Zoro said.

_'I could always ask if mom wanted to take me in, but other than that I wouldn't have a place to go..._' Gen thought about it.

Foxy came over, to show up his ugly face again. His futile attempt to throw Luffy over his shoulder ended up him getting a big bump on the forehead.

"You know the rules! Hurry up and pick your five hundred crewmen!"

"**_That's right! It's time for the final exchange!_**"

"Chopper and Robin!" he called out with a smile. The reindeer ran crying to him and buried his face to his chest. Robin's return was more refined, as she simply returned the mask.

Next he wanted the Jolly Roger.

"WHAAAT!_?_"

"That's absurd! You demand our pride without a second thought!" Foxy's eyes bulged out.

"Keep the sail. You can't sail without it, right?"

"What a show of mercy!"

"But the sail has the symbol on it too! We're not allowed to use it!" some random pirate reminded them.

"We don't want your pity! If you're taking it, then take it!"

"Well okay... since I only have to take the mark, I'll just draw you a new one. Then I won't have to take the sail."

"Strawhat..." Foxy was moved. "You're... such a-"

"Done!" the boy stood in front of the sail with a giant paintbrush.

"TERRIBLE!" they all were downed by a cloud of depression.

"They're thanking me on their knees~."

"NO WE'RE NOT!_!_"

"Oi, Gen... You're laughing too hard..." Usopp sweatdropped when the girl started having breathing problems.

Luffy started walking away, but as the rules stated he had to choose more men.

"Luffy, the captain's word is law, right?" Zoro looked at Luffy.

"Yes, and that means..." Robin continued.

"Yups," Gen nodded sagely.

"Oh, I see!" Even Usopp got it. Nami and Chopper didn't.

"Oh! I get it! Okay, here goes!" Luffy grinned. He pointed at the guy standing most to the left. "You!"

"Eh? Me!_?_"

"Yeah, from you... to you," he stopped his finger at Itomimizu. It only left out Hamburg, Porche and Foxy himself.

"**_Me?_**"

"How many is that?" Luffy asked.

"_**Well, let's see... we started with five hundred and one... then Ålbert ran... without Oyabin, Hamburg-san and Porche-chan... That's exactly four hundred and ninety-seven!**_"

"STOP SPEAKING TO THAT THING ALREADY!_!_" Gen shouted with a tickmark on her head.

They didn't use much time to dismiss the New Strawhat pirates - which sailed away with the Sexy Foxy - and walk back to the old man's house. They could see Tonjit there with Cherie.

"Y-You guys!"

"Nihihii~! I kicked his ass," Luffy displayed the flag to him.

"You're hurt pretty badly."

"Eh, it happens," he smiled.

His wrinkly, bearded face softened with a smile. "Thank you."

"I see," Nami said. "That's why he accepted. But an idiot like you would've accepted it either way."

"Hey! Respect your captain!" Luffy pouted.

"We do respect you," Gen patted his shoulder. "...Sometimes..."

"What's that supposed to mean!_?_"

Nami offered to take Tonjit and Cherie to the next island, to where the rest of the village was, but Usopp told her that it wouldn't work since this and the next island were one and the same. Tonjit told them that he wasn't in any hurry and wanted to treat them something nice.

He was going to walk inside his house, but the second he opened the door he walked into someone's chest.

Gen's face turned pale from fear and anger and she felt her heart drop to her feet.

"What... is that?"

"It's a person!_?_"

"Was he here the whole time?"

Aokiji had a sleep mask on. He seemed to be asleep, but now he was roused and he lifted the mask off his face. "Who the heck are you?"

"THAT'S WHAT WE WERE ASKING YOU!_!_"

"I thought you were a tree."

Robin's reaction was like hers, only ten times worse. She fell on her butt, paralysed, and eyes wide from fear. She was sweating, too. It got the rest of the Strawhats alert.

"Robin!_?_"

"What's wrong, Robin-chan!"

"Aaahh, you sure have grown into a fine young woman, Nico Robin," he had a lazy smile on his thick lips. His hair was black and curly and he was twice the height of Luffy. Gloria inched closer to her dear friend though her own hands were shaking.

"Robin! What's wrong? Do you know this guy!_?_" Luffy asked.

"We met once before," Aokiji replied for her, since she couldn't talk.

"To terrify Robin to this extent... who the hell is he!_?_" Nami growled.

"Aaahh, chill~ chill~. Little boys shouldn't be so aggressive. It's not like I was ordered to come here. I'm only here for a walk," he said.

"'Ordered'? Who do you work for!_?_" Zoro demanded.

Finally, Robin found her voice. "The marines. He's a supreme admiral of the marine headquarters."

"**SUPREME ADMIRAL**_**!**_**!**_**!**_**?**_**?**_**?**"

Robin told them of the three supreme admirals, Akainu (_the hairs in the back of her neck rose_), Aokiji and Kizaru, as well as little reference to Sengoku.

"What is someone like him doing here!_?_" Usopp was hiding behind Zoro. "There are plenty of pirates worth more than 100 million. Go get them!_?_ Just leave us alone!"

"Oooh! What do we have here? Another sexy lady! Are you free tonight?" he was more interested in Nami than Usopp's rambling.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!_?_" Sanji yelled.

"PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT I SAY! DAMN IT!"

"I hate... them so... _so... much..._!" Gen was twitching. Robin glanced at her briefly.

"I told you to chill, kids... you are the ones who should learn to listen. I told you I'm here for a walk. No need for so much hostility," Aokiji raised his hands in defending gesture. "What I'm trying to say is that you guys are... Ah, I forgot. Oh well."

"YOU'RE NOT MAKING ANY SENSE!_!_"

"Are you sure you're not mistaken, Robin?" Usopp asked, pointing at the man. "There's no way that someone like him can be a supreme admiral of the marines!"

"Hey, hey, don't judge people by their cover. I always uphold the model of 'uptight with absolute justice'."

"I CAN SEE THAT!_!_" Sanji and Usopp yelled.

"Oh well, my legs are tired from standing. Time to rest..."

"Then why were you sleeping while standing?" Usopp sweatdropped.

Aokiji laid down and reassured them that he wasn't there to arrest them, but to confirm the whereabouts of Nico Robin after the happenings in Alabasta. "I'm only going to report the discovery so they can recalculate the bounty for your group... one more person will increase it by... 160 million plus 79 million would be... ...too hard to count. It's roughly the same amount."

"Too lazy to count?" Zoro sweatdropped.

What... would happen if the World Government found about her? A person with the power of the sea, able to fend off any devil's fruit powers, to command the sea (to some extent)... and with knowledge of the future?

Dangerous.

Luffy wanted to smash Aokiji's face in, but Usopp and Sanji were holding him back.

"Let go of me! Let me go!"

"Don't start an unnecessary fight!"

"He's a _supreme admiral_ for God's sake!"

"SO WHAT!_?_ I won't let him take Robin!"

"You're mistaken. I already said that I don't plan to do anything..."

"_I'M GOING TO SEND YOU FLYING!_!" Once Usopp and Sanji were sure that Luffy wouldn't throttle Aokiji, they let go of him. The boy showed him with his hand to get out of there. "GO TAKE YOUR WALK ELSEWHERE! YOU'RE NOT WELCOME HERE!_!_"

"You're overreacting..."

"Why does it feel like Luffy's winning the argument?" Nami asked.

"Lis'n up, Popsicle!" Gen was giving him a heavy glare. "I don' care if ye'r one o' th' marines who actually _do_ yer jobs an' defend th' civils, but ye'r still a MARINE. O' course we 'ate ya an' want ya th' netherworld out o' 'ere! Ppl bcome pirates bcos o' you an' th' evil ye do!"

"Wow... I didn't understand a word from that," Aokiji blinked.

"Neither did we..."

"Okay, okay. I'll leave. But I overheard something while I was napping." Aokiji said. He told the old man and his horse to pack up.

"No! Don't listen to him! He's from the marines! The marines!" Luffy yelled.

...

...

"Why not?"

"Oh! Right, you _can_ listen to him. Normally the marines are the good guys and we're the bad guys," Luffy realized.

"This is no time for a joke!" Usopp hit him with the side of his hand.

"He sounds like he wants to help the old man!" Luffy grinned.

"That's impossible to do," Usopp said. After Aokiji scanned out the whole situation, he got up and they started putting up Tonjit's stuff into a carriage. Gen sat to the side. It wasn't that she didn't want to help the man, but the option of being any closer to the supreme admiral outweighed it.

When everything was ready, they pushed/pulled Tonjit's belongings to the place where the road ducked into the sea. The feel of sea and the small waves' lapping was comforting to her and she inhaled deep the air, letting it go through her mouth.

"It sure feels good to work out once in a while," Aokiji chuckled.

"It sure is! So you're a nice person after all!" Luffy was crouched on the old man's mound of stuff.

"Now they're acting like friends..." Nami muttered.

"Thank you for helping me. Here... have some cheese."

"Are you trying to poison us!"

"Hmm, can I have a slice of that?" Gen asked, to Usopp's horror.

"Sure, young lady."

"DON'T!"

Luffy jumped down. "So... what now? Are you going to pull everything along while you swim across?"

"Now that's impossible," Aokiji said and walked to the edge of the water. "Move away for a bit please."

As he dipped his hand into the sea, a gigantic (kinda pretty) sea king popped out with its maw open. Everyone freaked out, except Aokiji, who muttered the words 'Ice Age'.

The sea froze, covering the sea king and stilling the waves.

"DEVIL'S FRUIT!_!_!"

"The sea...!"

"Elemental class... the freezing power of the hie hie no mi," Robin explained. "This is the extend of the power of an admiral of the marine headquar-!"

"**GEN!**_**!**_"

"What happened!"

A moment after the sea had been frozen the girl had felt cold and her veins had been laced with thousands of icy needles. She couldn't utter a word when she fell down in the indescribable pain, but she could still let out a blood-curling scream.

Her mind decided it was best to shut off.

* * *

><p>Aokiji's little visit had been disastrous. After spouting warnings about Robin he threatened their lives and gave the archaeologist a deep freeze. Usopp and Chopper had to bring her back to the ship for thawing and Luffy had ushered everyone off to fight alone with the supreme admiral.<p>

Still, what happened to Gen was a mystery.

Even when Robin and Luffy were finally okay and their hearts beating again, the demigoddess was still unconscious. Why Aokiji had let them live was also a question, but the man had disappeared on them after leaving their captain frozen on the field.

Now, in the dark, Robin was the only one awake. Her calm state of mind had been shattered so easily.

* * *

><p>The ship stayed in Long Ring Long Land for 4 days to let everyone rest and they all spent the night in the galley, glad that they all were together. Luffy wasn't as bouncy as usually for the first day, but that was fixed by the afternoon of the second.<p>

Gen still slept when the third day awoke.

"Her skin isn't as cold as it was," Chopper sighed. "But her body temperature is still lower than it should be."

"Can't we warm her up or something?" Luffy asked. He was leafing through a sketchbook he'd found from the kitchen that he hadn't seen before.

"I tried, but rather than the hot water bottle warming her, _she_ cooled down the _bottle_." The reindeer fiddled with the blanket resting on her form. There were many on her, but none of them seemed to be enough.

Sanji was cleaning the tabletops after the breakfast frenzy. He was muttering while doing so. "That _shitty_ marine freezing the _shitty_ ocean, making her feel _shitty_..."

"It really sounded painful," Luffy said with a frown.

"Oh, M'Lady..." Greg (_the bag_) was sitting on the futon next to her. "I never thought that would happen..."

"What really happened?" Chopper asked, looking at the possessed piece of fabric.

"To me it looked like it had something to do with the sea freezing over," Usopp rubbed his chin in thought.

"Could be. Since she is the very first halfling in the whole history of the godworld, the extend of her powers is still unknown. They are divine but she has mortal weaknesses," the bag spoke.

"Like ice?" Sanji asked.

"Like ice."

"Aokiji never touched Gen," Chopper pointed out.

"Doesn't have to. She has a certain connection with the sea, wherever she went or however far she was from the shore that connection would be there. But... by suddenly freezing the sea, that connection had no time to adapt and it, for a brief moment," he made the darkly familiar gesture, "was cut."

Sanji, Chopper and Usopp seemed to have a minor freak-out. Nami came in to tell that Zoro had left to wander around and to get Robin her coffee. She had retreated to her own room.

"She still out of it?" she asked.

"Namiii! Her connection was cut!" Chopper blubbered.

"Uhh... what?" she sweatdropped as the rest of his words were slurred together.

"To be cut from the sea means that she was cut from her life."

"_AAAAHH!_!"

"Whoah...! Here's a picture of Zoro and Sanji!" Luffy started snickering and he turned the book horizontal. "They sure look all buddy-buddy!"

"Luffy, don't you care at all that she was dead for a moment!_?_" Sanji screeched and throttled the captain.

"SHE WAS _DEAD!_?"

"THE BAG JUST SAID THAT!_!_"

There was a rustle from the bed where Gloria was laying and the girl groaned. They stopped everything they were doing and looked towards her, ears perked.

"...Dancing ...hamsters..."

Smiles bloomed on each face and some even chuckled in relief.

"Shishishi! She's okay!" Luffy laughed. He walked up to her and leaned against the bed to hover over her face. "Hey Gen! When are you going to wake up and play with me?"

"Luffy! She'll wake when she'll wake!" Chopper hurried to her side to shoo him away.

She finally woke up in the evening, when Zoro was leaning against the galley wall, seemingly asleep. The sun shone low and a pleasant hue of orange and gold flooded the room.

"Marimo?" Gen asked quietly, uncertain that her voice would hold. "Marimooo?"

His head rose up and he grunted sleepily before realizing who had called his name. She could faintly see his smile when he got up, stretched and walked to her with no hurry.

"Mornin'."

"Stupid, even I can tell it's sunset."

They were silent for a moment, Zoro looking out the window. "That guy... I'm glad you're okay now. They said that you died."

"I did?" '_Again..._' she didn't sound like it was a big deal. "What about the others? Aokiji did attack and talk trash about Robin?"

"He sure did. That ass... And you knew that all would happen?"

"Yeah. At least we're all okay." Gen's eyes travelled to a bandage on Zoro's arm. "What happened?"

"Hm? Oh, a nasty frostbite. Not as bad as Robin or Luffy though," he rubbed the injury. the girl slipped a hand under her shirt and felt around her own bandages. They weren't as thick as she'd remembered, so she assumed Chopper had changed them. ...at least she hoped it was him.

She sighed and slowly got up. Besides being a bit stiff, she felt fine. Zoro handed her a glass of water that she downed greedily. She hadn't even realized how thirsty she had been and asked for another one.

"You really are a magnet for trouble."

"I believe you've said that before. Hey, where are the others?"

"Dunno. But I think Nami's still out with that crap-cook."

"Mapping?"

"Yup."

They stayed the next day too, giving Gen the time to draw the weird animals. Luffy gave her the forgotten sketchbook and complimented on the picture where Sanji and Zoro were snuggling. It gave the two of them a reason to beat each other up until they both had Angry-Navigator-related bruises. Zoro's leftover fumes were directed at Gen and Sanji said that whatever she made was always beautiful, regardless what the picture was about.

This time Gen broke their quarrel.

"So, we're looking for a carpenter?" the girl sat down and accepted a plate of potato paille.

"Yeah! And he'll be the best one ever!"

"How will you know that?" Chopper asked.

"And are you sure it's a he?" Gen raised an eyebrow.

"A girl!_?_" the three pairs of eyes bulged out of their individual sockets.

"Hahaha, I'm just kidding! It's a man."

"Gen." Luffy looked serious. "You know who our carpenter is." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, and don' worry. I'm not telling."

"Whaaat? Why not?" Usopp whined. "Come on, give us something to chew on."

"No," the girl and the captain said at the same time, though his answer was more prominent. To avoid more questions she got on her feet and went to the front of the ship.

Zoro, who was munching on his own food, caught movement at the side of the ship and saw... a frog.

"A giant frog! And it's swimming free style! I wonder where he's going in such a hurry!" Luffy asked.  
>Gen instinctively turned her head towards the animal. The slick, brown skin was full of scars and it had a thick, black mantle of hair in a warrior-ponytail.<p>

"Dude... Luffy, frogs don't swim in free style."

"Actually, Usopp... that thing kinda is," Gen pointed out. The sniper finally looked over his shoulder and spat the food out.

"IT _DOES!_? Everyone! Let's catch him!"

Gen sipped her drink quietly, watching in amusement from her perch how Usopp, Luffy, Chopper and Zoro took out the paddles. The change in the course made Nami come out of her hole to nag.

"What the _hell_ are you doing!_?_"

"Um... Nami, we found a huge frog with scars all over! We have to catch him for BBQ no matter what!"

"YOU'RE GOING TO EAT IT!_?_" Chopper and Zoro asked.

"Ahh~, what a nice breeze... before the storm..." Gen sighed and relaxed.

"Huh? What storm? It's such a fine weather." Chopper blinked in confusion.

"A storm..." an eerie cloud cast a shadow over the girl.

...

...

_Sluurrrrppp..._

"DON'T LEAVE IT AT THAT!_!_"

Nami was looking at their new destination with the pair of binoculars. "Why is there a light tower in the middle of nowhere... I wonder who lives there..." she muttered.

"Did you see an island?_!_" Luffy asked.

"No, just a light tower! But the log isn't pointing to it."

"What about the frog? Tell me where it is!_!_"

"NO WAY!"

"The frog is going in the direction of the tower as well," Robin informed them.

"First you wash the frog with white wine. Then you coat it with flour and fry it."

"Wait, Robin!_!_ Sanji!_!_"

"Full speed ahead!"

"Ay!"

"What's wrong with all of you!_?_"

"I blame my parents!" Gen raised her hand. She realized suddenly that she could hear voices... no, not people, but something that sounded familiarly like-

"BACK! _BACK!_ TURN 180 DEGREE!_!_!" Nami was yelling, and she had a good reason too. The Merry was laying on train tracks and there was an old fashioned train with a steam engine coming right at them. The frog had stopped to sit on the opposite side of the ship, right in front of the said train.

"**YAAAAAAAHHH!**_**!**_**!**"

"IT'S COMING RIGHT AT US!_!_"

In the end, they still got away. Gen's face was pale and her eyes were wide, but hey, they did just dodge a train with an effin' ship no less. Her hand was squeezing the rail and she faintly noticed that she'd broken her glass and she now had a piece of glass in her palm.

"Ouch," she said and jumped down.

Luffy had realized that the frog was still in the train's path. "Hey! Get out of there! What are you doing!_?_"

"What's that big metallic thing!_?_ A ship!_?_" Usopp had to yell over the deafening racket.

"No... with it's shape... It shouldn't be able to sail on the sea!" Nami gasped.

_'Oh yeah, they don't know what a train is..._' Gen sweatdropped.

"GEROH!_!_!"

And the frog was promptly hit by the train and flung up in the air.

"Ooh, a flying frog..." Gen simply stared.

"Waah! He got hit!" Luffy yelled as the train passed them.

They continued on to the lighthouse and saw a girl with two blonde, thick braids sticking horizontal and an old, drunk, _drunk_ woman with a small hat and a jacket on her shoulders. Names were changed (_Kokoro and Chimeny_) and Luffy with Usopp and Nami stepped to the small dock.

"Hey... is it just me or- AAAH! YOU'RE BLEEDING! DOCTOR! WE NEED A-!"

"Oh yeah," Gen raised her hand, the piece of glass still stuck in it. "Sorry Sanji, I broke it."

As Chopper fixed her hand (_purple blood everywhere by now_) Usopp asked about the sea train. Chimney told him about the underwater railroads. Luffy mentioned the frog.

"Ah... his name is Yokozuna. He's been a nuisance for a long time! He likes to compete his strength with others, and he has been trying to beat the train... he won't die from a crash like that. He'll come back again!"

"Compete!_?_ Oh... so that's why he didn't run away! That's some very cool fighting spirit!_!_" Luffy was impressed.

Gen couldn't help the little sad sigh. "For a friend long gone... to challenge the Puffing Tom. They got it all wrong."

"What...?" Zoro raised an eyebrow at her, but the girl didn't answer.

Kokoro told them about the different stops that the train was going to stop and Luffy was particularly interested in 'the city of cuisine'.

"Don't even think about it," Nami slapped him in the head. "We have a ship so we can't take a train. We have to follow the log pose."

"Oh? Where is your log pointing?" Kokoro asked. For a drunk, she had pretty good conversational skills.

"To the west."

"Oh, then you're going to Water 7. The train you saw actually came from the Blue station there! It's true to its nickname, the city of water. It's a city with the world's best ship factories!"

Gen felt like someone'd poured liquid ice into her spine when the old woman mentioned the city's name. The city in itself had always been one of her own personal favourites, but the things happening around this arc were cruel and depressing. She gave a long look at the figurehead and stroke absentmindedly the closest surface of the ship.

After some more advertising from Kokoro, Luffy announced that they were going to find their carpenter from that place.

Chimney ran around with Bonbe, the rabbit (_which she called a cat -_-'_) and the three Strawhats climbed back onboard. Before, though, Kokoro handed them a simple map and a letter of recommendation. "Also, Water 7 is a big place, so be careful not to get lost."

Gen laughed. "'Ey Marimo-kun, I think she's talking to you!"

"_You little-_!"

"Yikes!" she ran with the man on her heels. Well, it had been long since the last game of tag.

"We plan on going back to Water 7 soon. If we meet again, I'll definitely take you to a nice bar for a few drinks," Kokoro promised.

"Really? I hope we meet you again!"

"It takes about a week for the log to record Water 7, so you'll have plenty of time to play around," the woman laughed. Gen loved that sound instantly, it was warm and... it brought her a sense of secure. That was probably why she stopped and yelped when she was hauled over the swordsman's shoulder.

"Let me down, jackass!"

"Hmmm... No. This way you won't cause more troub- OW! Did you just bite my...!"

"As a matter of fact, yes, I did."

"Let's go! Thanks for the info, Kokoro and Chimney!" Nami waved at the two.

"Get ready to set sail!" Luffy pumped his fist in the air.

"Oi! Marimo! What the hell do you think you're doing!" Sanji yelled. The swordsman was hanging the girl from her ankles over the railing. Fortunately her shirt was tight enough not to flash everyone.

"Getting rid of her...?"

Once the ship was sailing again and towards Water 7, Greg made an appearance. He popped out of his vessel and stretched his arms up above his head. It was such an everyday gesture that it was funny on him.

"Hnnngh! All healed up, finally! You know, Gloria-sama, that I've never been so close to death and so often than within this one month with you and these people."

"Hey, don't be a stranger! They're your friends too, y'know," she put her hands on her hips but had to sweep her hair off her face when a small gust of random wind blew it in her face. '_I'll definitely cut this thing some day!'_

Greg remained silent for a moment. "I guess. My primary mission is to take care of you until the day you won't need me anymore. It's a task I do with pleasure," he gave her a rather handsome smile.

"Greg... you realize you have flowers and sparkles around your head when you smile like that?" Gen sweatdropped.

"Really?"

"Yes."

They looked at the rest of the crew. They were currently talking about the new carpenter. Sanji wanted a hot babe and Luffy a 5 meter tall giant. Gen raised an eyebrow at that, he had a good intuition.

"None of that matters, as long as he/she is a good carpenter," Zoro said. "Rather than that, our problem is to find a person who's willing to become a pirate."

"It's so exciting! We're going to meet new friends?" Chopper's eyes shined.

Nami chuckled. "Yup. We were lucky, we got a map to start us off. She said to go to the marked location to find someone called Iceberg," she rolled the paper open and looked at it for a moment. "Oh, I see... IT'S A COMPLETELY USELESS SKETCH!_!_"

Luffy and the others were still talking about who Luffy wanted as his carpenter, and Gen nearly chocked on her spit when she saw a very poorly done picture of... Franky. It even had the hair and the shirt, and it seemingly lacked any kind of pants.

Usopp and Sanji had both blue faces. "If I see someone who looks like that, I'll just turn around and run."

"I would, too. I'd jump into the sea if I had to, although this guy looks like he's a part octopus, so he would probably still come after me," Sanji leaned away from the piece of nightmare.

"...I'm not going to say a word..." Gen decided wisely and sweatdropped.

* * *

><p>The crew was talking about the ship's repairs, Usopp getting all nostalgic, when Water 7 finally came to view. Gen weighted a small pouch in her hand that contained all her money and the money Nami had given for her to spend on the island. She needed more clothes and wanted to find something interesting for a souvenir. Greg mentioned that there was something on the island he wanted to show her when they had the time and that he wanted to get something for himself as well. It made the girl curious, but all he gave her was a mysterious smile before fading back in the bunny.<p>

Water 7 was incredible. It looked like a huge fountain, water sprouting out from the top of the structure. There were several gates on the side, probably to let the water flow back into the ocean. From the direction they were approaching she could spot gates 1 to 4.

Gloria hadn't forgotten what Altur had told her about Water 7 and her mother. If it was really true, she wanted to have a word with the goddess of the sea.

They glid closer to the Blue Station, but someone on a fishing boat told them that pirates can't just waltz right in from the front. They got a great tour while making a round around.

"Wow! Water 7 is so cool! This city is the best!" Luffy laughed in excitement.

"Everything's floating! Even the houses," Usopp pointed out in wonder.

"That's not it," Robin chuckled. "This city is just built on a sunken island. Look closely at the base of the buildings."

"Wow! Pillars!"

Gen frowned and called the demon's name in a low whisper. "Is this... really mom's fault?"

He sighed. "Don't think about it too much. Yes, this island is sinking because the ocean bottom is caving in due a magma core emptying somewhere near."

"So it's not her fault?"

"Well... not directly. She doesn't hate land, only the one in charge of it."

"Ava... something," Gen tried to remember.

"It's Ava... nirte..." he said the name reluctantly and looked as sheepish as a bag can. "Sorry, demons never call the gods/goddesses by their given names, though everyone knows them. It's a taboo."

"Hey! You can't anchor your ship there! What are you here for? Robbery?" some random guy yelled from a balcony.

"No, we just want to fix our ship!" Nami answered.

"Did he just ask if we want to rob him...?" Usopp sweatdropped.

"Head that way until you see a small peninsula. You can anchor there!" the man pointed a direction.

"Ok, thanks!"

Their tour continued and they came to a small patch of dry land that had either been put there or it hadn't sunk in time with the rest of the city. Gen suspected that the city itself on the island was weighting it down as well.

"I think this is it... Okay, pull up the sail!" Nami gave an order, but the second Zoro pulled on the rope there was a loud 'CRACK' and the sail snapped in two from the middle of its length.

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, IDIOT!_?_"

"Uh... I just tugged on it a little bit..."

"Damn," Gen hissed in sympathy for the ship.

"...I didn't think the Merry is in such a bad shape..." Zoro grit his teeth. While the sniper kept nagging at him, he tried to keep the mast from falling down further.

"Why aren't the people here afraid of pirates?" Nami wondered.

"For the repairs, I guess," Gen crossed her arms.

"Maybe they have very strong guys to fight any pirates if necessary..." Robin said.

"No doubt about that. There must be strong guys everywhere in a big city like this," Sanji puffed on the cigarette.

"FOR REAL!_?_" Usopp's eyes almost popped out of his head. "Then isn't it dangerous here!_?_"

"It should be fine since we're all customers."

"R-Really?"

"Okay! Let's go!" Luffy dashed off with the sniper.

"Hold it, Luffy! Usopp! You're going to follow me!" Nami stopped them.

"Where to?" Usopp asked.

Nami's plan was to go first to find Iceburg and ask him to fix the ship while they looked for a place to change the crapload of gold into cash.

"Okay! Enough talking, off to Water 7!" Luffy announced.

* * *

><p>I feel like my writing pace is slowing down -_-' My shortest update-time is two days...<p>

Gloria: No one's interested.

Snoara: So? I can speak whatever the hell I want to!

Gloria: You can, but no one's _interested_ in it.

Snoara: ...screw you.


	54. Dark, dark night

*_hits head repeatedly to a brickwall_* Eleven days... Eleven F-ing days since the last update...! Where the hell did that tsunami of homework come from? But yesterday was fun, I was with my friend at Desucon Frostbite~ and now I have a little Robin hanging from my keys~

* * *

><p>Nami took Luffy and Usopp as her carriage mules and headed out to the city with the gold. When Robin left with Chopper, Gen grimly knew that the woman wouldn't be seen again and so she wanted to give her a hug. To lessen the suspicion, she gave one to Choppie as well. Since Sanji was in the galley making a shopping list, he didn't notice their departure.<p>

"Zoro, I'm going too and I'm sure Sanji'll leave too, so try to behave while we're gone."

"What am I, 9-years-old?" he sweatdropped.

"No, you're 19. And that's the saddest part," she looked at him flatly.

She still wanted to say one more thing before everything would capsize and lingered, fidgeting. He knew she hadn't left yet and so opened one of his eyes to look at her curiously.

"What?"

"Zoro... Uh..." she could already feel the red creeping up her neck and looked at her feet. Gathering her wits and grabbing the bull from its horns, she met his full gaze. "Later, I thought we could... talk a little."

"_Talk_," he muttered the word. "Okay, about what?"

"About... you and me," her eyes returned to the planks.

She had been thinking about it since the Davy Back fight, and even before that, and she had finally admitted to herself that she had feelings for him. She hated him, and she loved him with equal passion.

"Yeah. You're right," came his answer after what felt like forever and she inwardly sighed in relief.

"Exactly when... do we talk?" he scratched the back of his head and looked at the sea.

"When we have the time," she shrugged and turned to leave.

"Gen?"

"Mm?"

"Don't die a third time. You might not wake again," he said slowly.

She didn't bother to fight off the smile nor the warm feeling. "I promise I won't."

Zoro heard her steps distance and when he could tell that she had left the ship he dared to look after her. Gloria's white hair stuck out like a candle in darkness against the dull gray ground and for a moment he imagined that she was the centre of the world.

"Yeah... we'll definitely talk."

Sanji erupted from the galley, looking at a piece of paper. Zoro was surprised to see that it was actually a page ripped off from a sketchbook. Gen never tore her sketchbooks without a good reason.

"What's that?" he asked.

"A letter... or a riddle, actually. It was in the galley."

"Well, what does it say?"

"'To remember, for the future. First three; one too weak, one too angry, one leaves without a word. One defeated in power, another in the mind, the third will have to be left behind. Yours truly - Gloria Erin Kindheart. Please don't fold the paper, I can still draw on it.' Gen-chwaaan~! Her poetry is so magnificent~!" he twirled around. "Hey, where's Robin?"

"Left with Chopper..."

* * *

><p>"Aahh~ such a beautiful day~!" she sang and walked down the street towards a bull renting stable a man had kindly pointed out for her, but the second she stepped in, the girl stopped and cursed silently in her mind.<p>

Every single animal in the stable turned to stare at her with their huge, moist eyes. It reminded her too much of the incident back at the Calm Belt...

"My my, the bulls seem to like you!" the man renting them laughed wholeheartedly. "What's your secret, girl? No, never mind, secrets are to be kept!"

"Okaaay..." she raised an eyebrow. "So... these are... yagara bulls?"

"Yes they are!" and the man started telling all about them, and that there were also rabuka bulls and king bulls. She was given a lovely greenish yagara bull, who bowed to her and licked her open palm. "This one here is in his prime age! Reliable and quick and he knows all the best shortcuts around."

"Thank you, sir. How much it'll be?"

"2000 beli."

Gen paid and was instructed on how to control the bull. She had a two-seat carriage so that if she had stuff with her it was easier to carry and if Greg decided to join her he had a place to sit. She gave the yagara free hands to show her around the town, and he really did show her a lot. Lastly, he brought her to the market where she looked around to see if she wanted to get anything. The clothes stores were on the more solid ground and she parked the bull to the edge to wait for her.

The first shop was simply a clothes shop. The owner was a cheery and nice old lady and she helped her out with the clothes. After paying she left and dumped the stuff on the back seat of the carriage. The bull started swimming forward along the water; its eyes on her.

"Okay," she muttered and followed it to another store not too far from the first by foot.  
>The yagara knew all the best places to shop, and after two hours Greg suggested a place. He didn't tell her where they were going, but gave the bull directions. Soon, they came to the right place.<p>

The store was narrow and squeezed between two houses. There was next to no room between the store and the two neighbouring ones, and it had a small worn-out sign hanging above it. Gen opened the door uncertainly that it really was a shop, but inside...

"What the netherworld?" she asked out loud. The place looked like a corridor that ended to a counter, and she felt a primitive need to step back outside when she saw the thing behind it.

"**Ah, customers! Come in, come in, though I must say it's slightly cramped here, hehehehe!**" the demon said. "**Sooo, miss, is there something you're looking for or are you just a tourist?**"

"Oh, krhm, yeah, I just... the bull... yeah, a tourist," she nodded.

Her bag chuckled. "Good to see you, Cronip!"

"**Huh? Who...? Oh! Isn't that Sir Gregory?**" the demon bent over the table to peer down at Greg with his numerous eyes.

"Yes, it's me. How long has it been? 20 years?"

"**Try two hundred!**"

The RG captain detached from the bag and the salesman chattered about things that had happened a loooong time ago with him. The two were seemingly old friends and as they started catching up on things worth several human lifetimes she had the time to look over the demon.  
>It was a freakin' spider.<p>

She liked spiders, as long as they weren't bigger than her palm and didn't move too much. The demon, Cronip, didn't have space to move, but his many legs twitched every once and a while. While normal spiders had eight legs, he had ten. He had a humanoid upper body coming out of the spider's body like a centaur, but in place of his hands were weird insect-like limbs that reminded her of a mantis. She didn't even know how to start describing his mouth, but his hair was flaming orange. He even had a mustache and he was wearing an old, brown suit jacket.

Behind him, if she craned her neck, she could see was more room and merchandise as well as cardboard boxes full of weird gadgets, jewellery, clothes, weapons, food and she even spied small cages housing very everyday animals as well as something you wouldn't see without being heavily intoxicated.

"**What brings you two in my humble hole?**" Cronip asked and snapped her out of it.

"I ordered a new vessel and I believe Her Holiness mentioned here was supposed to be something for Gloria-sama," Greg said.

"A new vessel?" Gen asked. "What's wrong with your current one? I got the understanding that you actually had a good one."

"Yes, it is good quality, but in the light of our latest adventures six-hours freetime is too little," he explained while Cronip was digging around behind the counter. He pulled out two boxes, the other cardboard and the other was bigger and longer, made from polished wood. The spider opened the little box and revealed a key chain mascot. This one was a mostly black bear with an earring and fuchsia eyes that glinted from behind a mop of purple hair. Its tongue was sticking out cutely, and Gen was in love with it instantly.

"**Twelve-five. How do you like it?**"

"Wow... That's some good stuff, though the resting time is a bit long." Greg nodded in satisfaction. "Is it registered already?"

"**Yup. All you need to do is hop in.**"

They spoke more about the vessel while she hung it next to the rabbit. Gen wasn't going to throw it away. She liked it. When Cronip and Greg were ready, the spider called her name. "**The lady wanted to give you this. In that end they said it was a gift from a mother to a child.**"

"What is it?"

"**Dunno. Open it**," Cronip smiled (_she assumed it was meant as a smile_) and pushed the wooden box towards her. She lifted the lid and pushed aside layers of paper that had been protecting whatever was inside.

Greg 'Woah'ed when they saw the short sword. There had been a note in with the papers she had overlooked and Cronip picked it up, skimming through it.

The sheath was black with thin, silvery lines that spun and curled like a churning sea. They started from the bottom of it and continued only a little over the middle. Her hand grabbed the shimmering blue hilt right before the guard made from several seashells arranged into a flower, as the other went under the body of it, lifting it out of the box and on the table that suddenly looked very cheap and dirty (_well, it _was_ cheap and dirty..._). Carefully drawing a few inches from it's sheath she could see that there was something written on it. Pulling out more she found the last marking, but to her annoyance she realized that she had no idea what it said. "Greg?"

"Those are spellrunes. This isn't exactly a normal wakizashi..." he muttered. "'As I am gentle, I can become cruel.'"

"**If you ask me, that sounds like a warning**," Cronip said. "**Seriously, you have a great treasure there! Made from kairouseki, and don't think for a second that this is wood,**" he tapped on the sheath, "**it's bone. And those drawings on it are actually mithril. And these shells...**"

"How do you know that much?" Gen sweatdropped.

"**It reads right here on this letter**," Cronip waved the said letter in the air. "**Oh, and the sword's name is Caermare.**"

"Does it say anything else?" Greg asked.

"**'P.S. How's your love life?'**..."

"_MOM!_!" she shrieked though the goddess was unable to hear her at the moment and Cronip burst into laughter. "Hmm... But I don't know how to use swords..."

"**You don't?**" the spider blinked. It sure was an interesting thing to watch, as they didn't do that in sync.

"Then, Gloria-sama, I would be honored to teach you," Greg bowed gracefully.

"Really? Somehow I think that Zoro'll have a word about that," she gave a lopsided smirk.

"Ahm, yes. But, to be truthful, he is no teacher material. Too young, too busy in his own training."

"Right..." she frowned. Her bodyguard was right. Even when he was young in demon years, he was ancient in human years. He had fought at least two wars (_what she'd read from the Great History or listened to the man himself_) and he'd been in Herka's service for over a decade.

They didn't spend much time after that in the store. Greg had a letter and a package to deliver to someone in the demon world, but he strictly refused to tell her who it was. He plopped into the new vessel and she, for now, put the wakizashi in the bag.

Outside, the shop looked still as miserable is at had looked like on the first glance. She asked about Cronip and was told that the man was a neutral merchant, helping out everyone equally.

Greg also said that he was nearly as greedy as Nami, but much more subtle about it. He was also sly, he would thief off your money little by little and in the end you would have a crapload of random stuff in your arms and an empty wallet.

"And you're still friends with him?" she raised an eyebrow.

He laughed. "Of course! Without that asshole I'd be dead by now! Ah, I'm sorry for my crude language!"

"S'okay."

As they glid in the canal, carried by the yagara, she unconsciously peered around to find Robin, or anyone really. Thus, the beauty of the city was wasted on her.

They didn't see any familiar faces, but they did see people with beautiful masks. The yagara headed back to the bustle of the market and she was trying to remember all the interesting masks she saw that she could draw them later.

"Where are they getting those things?" she asked herself. "Hm, bull? Do you know?"

The animal grinned. "Nhii!"

* * *

><p>The Merry was rocking softly under him, but hidden from the eye, she was broken fatally.<p>

Zoro sighed, he hadn't known that she was in _that_ bad a condition. Poor Usopp, he really loved the ship. The swordsman assumed it reminded him of home, and of course, KAYA had given it to them, so it was precious.

They all loved Merry from the bottoms of their hearts. It was their only mean to get around, and they lived on the ship. But this... was this really the last dock for her?

He didn't want to think about it, but it was unavoidable, and he rarely even tried to steer clear of depressing things. They just had to be mulled and gotten over with.

All the sudden his instincts were telling him that he wasn't alone on the ship anymore. '_Again? First those weirdass guys, and then that Usopp look-alike. What is it this time?_'

Getting up, he stretched his arms and scanned the place.

Nope, nothing. Maybe his instinct was wrong this time? "Cheh, I need to sharpen myself more..."

"_Wow..._"

He jumped at the voice and turned around with record speed, hands on his hilts. Against the railing was leaning a beautiful woman wrapped elegantly in a silky cloth. Her hair was black and her skin was pale, and for a split second she looked eerily familiar.

He relaxed and rubbed his temple in irritation. "Okay, and who are you?"

"You needn't know that, lad," she waved her hand dismissively. "So, how's it going?"

"Uhh... Huh?"

"With you and Lady Gloria?" a small smile twitched her mouth and her blue eyes sparkled with something unknown.

Zoro groaned. '_Oh, great. Another of those blasted demons._' "Are you here to kill her too? 'Cos I'm not letting you do that."

She pursed her lips at the sword pointed at her as if it was something rotten. "Don't swing that thing around, someone might get _hurt_."

He wanted to flinch, but by sheer willpower didn't. She never raised her voice, nor did she change the tone much, but he could feel the certain aura around the woman.

"Who... are you?"

"Tsihii~!" she giggled, and the feeling of doom was gone. "Not tellin'! It's nice to see ya taking care of lil' Merry!"

"Wha-! Hey! _Wait!_!" he stood there like an idiot, as the person disappeared just as randomly as it had appeared. He was left scratching the back of his neck, but kinda glad that she was gone now.

He shrugged and let it drop before sitting back down. He shut his eyes and waited for sleep to claim him.

* * *

><p>Gen returned to where they docked the Merry and looked up to the figurehead with a forlorn expression. She hadn't announced her return to anyone, though she could hear that they all were on the ship already. Usopp had gotten beaten by the Franky Family: they stole two thirds from the money reserved for the Merry's repairs and he stubbornly went alone to get it back. Luffy, Sanji, Zoro and Chopper had beaten the living daylights out of the Franky Family in turn, but the money was gone.<p>

Now it was only a matter of time until the sniper would wake up and...

She didn't want to think about it. Whenever she did, she felt an invisible hand wrapping around her throat from inside out and squeezing, slowly, making her choke. Gen felt her eyes sting and before the tears spilt she pulled the mask resting on top of her head on her face. The base of it was white, but it was decorated with bronze, blue and black. It even had feathers on it.

From the Merry's deck floated words every now and then, but she didn't want to go there. Partially because of the cryptic message she'd left for Sanji to find (_wasn't really that hard to figure out, either_) and partially because she didn't want to see Usopp and Luffy argue. The girl absolutely HATED when friends fought, and she hated herself for being a coward. Greg had been the one to persuade her even to return.

The Merry stared smiling towards the shore with it's blind, painted eyes. "Oh, Merry..."

"Hey!_!_ Usopp's awake!" Came Chopper's shout.

"Really!_?_ That's great!" Luffy answered and the people on the deck filed inside.

_'Here we go..._' she calmed her breath and sneaked back on the ship to sit on the railing, facing the sea and shutting her eyes.

Time went on, and then the shouting started. Usopp thought first that it was his fault that she couldn't be fixed, for losing the money, but then Luffy's yell rang loudest over everything.

"_MERRY IS GOING TO DIE!_!_!_"

Gen felt a stab in her heart. The Merry groaned, as if she was sighing.

They talked more calmly for a moment, Luffy tried to talk sense into him, but then Usopp lost it again. "Just because a few carpenters say it can't be saved, she's going to die!_?_ She came all the way with us! Be it giant waves or deadly sea-battle the ship is a friend that came through it all with us!_!_! YET YOU'RE GOING TO LEAVE HER HERE TO DIE!_!_?_?_ The ship is just a tool to you, ISN'T IT!_?_ LUFFY!_!_!"

More yelling. The girl was now covering her ears and she could hear Nami's and Sanji's voices too. ...And now there were crashes, too.

She jumped and almost fell off when the galley door opened and Usopp walked out. The girl was now sitting on the deck, slightly curled in herself, hands holding on to the mask. Usopp didn't even glance at her.

"Hey, Usopp! Where are you going!_?_" Nami yelled. The others came outside as well, noting the demigoddess.

"I go where I want to go. I _quit_."

"What! Let's talk about this_!_!" Nami sounded desperate.

"Hey! Come back_!_!" Sanji yelled.

"Aaaah! Don't leave us, Usopp!" Chopper wept.

"I can't go with you anymore. I won't cause you more trouble, either..." the sniper said darkly. "But the ship belongs to the captain... so fight me. If I win, I'm taking the Going Merry, Monkey D. Luffy!" Her hands shook and she had squeezed her eyes shut. "_I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL_!_!_!"

The two agreed on the time and Usopp marched away. Luffy went straight under the deck to the men's cabin, Nami following him. Chopper ran after Usopp to finish the treatment, and once inside the galley Zoro and Sanji started shouting at each other.

Gen too had gone down below the deck, but to avoid Luffy she took a different tour. In there, she fell on her back on the bed with a whimper.

"Gloria-sama..." Greg said gently and the strap over her shoulder squeezed her as an embrace.

"...I want Robin..." she whispered brokenly. She really missed her right now, though she couldn't just randomly hug her like she did with Luffy and Chopper. In Gen's eyes, the woman was perfect, and to make her look weak in front of others just wasn't acceptable.

"Gloria-sama, you should go to the others. It's not good for you to be alone right now."

"You're here," she pointed out and sniffed.

If he'd had eyes, he would've rolled them. "You know what I mean."

"I dun wanna," she pouted. "They're all on edge now. What if I just make 'em angrier? I'm just plain pathetic, crying so much now..."

"Get up and move your behind to the others! ...If you would, Gloria-sama," he added, rendering down the effectiveness of his out of character order. Though he couldn't see her expression, he heard the giggle, followed by a few sniffles.

"Yeah, in a minute, I think. I'll just... gather myself. What time is it?"

"Fife before eight."

"Ah."

Gen put down the mask - she looked like a mess - and looked around her tiny locker. The infirmary had never been used for it's real purpose and she'd had a sneaking suspicion that The Merry didn't originally even have one. There were surprisingly little clutter on the floor, and when she went through the drawers she discovered stuff she hadn't remembered owning, i.e. a silky men's button up shirt and a lipstick. She couldn't remember for her life where she'd gotten it.

Cleaning up and securing stuff for later fetching she changed her shirt to a grey long-sleeved one with the word 'fade' sewn in red on her chest. When she was satisfied with the room she brushed her hair, tied it into a loose braid and placed the mask back on her face.

The people in the galley turned all to look when she stepped in through the door. Chopper had pulled his hat deep in his head and by the sounds was only just coming to a stop with the tears. Nami sat near him on a crate and Zoro and Sanji sat around the table, the latter balancing on two legs and arms crossed. The swordsman leaned against the table with his elbows. For a moment no one said anything when she layed down on the couch, but then Nami asked if she was okay.

"I'm... fine."

"Don't lie," Zoro sighed and sat upright. "So, want to tell us more about that little message of yours?"

"What message?" Nami blinked. Apparently they hadn't told her anything.

"Oh, Nami-san, I'm sorry we didn't tell you," Sanji scratched the back of his head a little guiltily and shot a glare at Zoro. "The meathead over there made me swore not to tell others."

"Hmm? Ah, that..." she trailed off.

"Hey! Tell me too!" Nami frowned. She didn't like to be left out.

Gloria's eyes flickered to the swordsman. He knew... understood. "Thanks, Zoro. Sanji, you still have that?"

"No. Marimo took it," he grumbled as the man already reached under his haramaki and pulled out a paper, thankfully still unfolded.

The paper was placed on the table. Nami and Chopper walked over, reading it silently. "Come on, another riddle?"

"Are we... going to go... our separate ways?" Chopper asked, highly worried. Moist was gathering in his eyes again.

"You understood it, then?" Gen asked grimly.

"A-Are we...?" he asked again.

"More than on that paper, I will not tell," she shook her head.

"That's cruel," Nami muttered. "Don't make him cry again."

The fight between Luffy and Usopp came around and it was over soon. The sniper was pissed and desperate, but Luffy had a mask over his emotions. He almost toyed with Usopp.

Sanji didn't let Chopper run out and see if the loser of the match was okay, but later the doctor couldn't help but dash off and leave a crapload of medical stuff. Zoro stayed hard, the Pridekeeper, and had told Chopper to go inside if he couldn't watch. He hadn't, and Gen had decided that if he didn't go, neither would she. The man ordered the ship cleared for Luffy, who stood by the ship, the brim of his hat covering his face.

"Heavy..." he muttered.

In a few hours the crew, or rather what was left of it, picked up their belongings and dragged them off. Greg helped her, carrying a bag of her clothes and a fat stack of her drawings. The Merry became sad, cold, too large and empty, and when she glanced over her shoulder, she saw Usopp dragging himself to the ship he loved so.

Even though they rented rooms from an inn in the city, none of them used them. Gen felt that she'd suffocate if she stayed indoors any minute longer and even left Greg behind to wander off on the streets. She tried to block all out and hang onto the knowledge that this would only be temporary, and that they would still be together in the end.

She soon found herself from sitting on the edge of the canal, alone, with not a soul in her sight.

"Be brave," a hand rubbed her head and she leaned into her mother's shoulder. She had appeared from the water below. "By the way, I checked on your boyfriend earlier today-"

"You _WHAT_!_?_" she snapped back.

"He pointed a sword at me, that naughty boy. I wonder if I should punish him..." she drawled, a finger on her lower lip and a grin on her ageless face.

"Mom..."

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Leave him alone," she glared daggers at the deity, who chuckled warmly and hugged her.

"At least you're not crying now."

"Yeah. Thanks, mom."

"Awww, I never get tired of you callin' me that!" she mussed Gen's hair, making her yelp. "Truly, makes a woman's heart skip a beat."

They sat like that and chittered, until suddenly Herka tensed up and abruptly dissolved into water that splashed down to the pavement (and on her). A moment more and she found out why as well, when she heard hurried footsteps approaching. It was Zoro, looking for her, and once he spotted her came over with more sedate pace.

"Don't go wandering off like that, nearly gave us a heart attack..." he muttered the last part.

"Sorry," she said silently, watching the dark river flow sluggishly.

"Cheh, whatever. Come on, let's go back," he stuck out his hand for her.

She stared at it.

"Follow YOU? I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up in Siberia or something," she said flatly.

"Hey! I don't even know where this Siberia is!" he scowled. The half of the moon made his eyes shine eerily and his hair look more blue than green... a turquoise?

"My point," she smirked, grabbed his hand and got up. The second she did she got yanked into his chest, with her (_compared to him_) tiny hand trapped into his. The other hand encircled her and rested ever so lightly on the small of her back. Stunned, she could just stand there, breathe in his hypnotizing scent, hear his heart thump and stare at the front of his white shirt that radiated heat. That, though, had nothing to do with the burning sensation in her face.

"Umm... Zoro?"

He blinked out of his thoughts and looked down at her in surprise before letting go of her slowly.

"Let's... head back to the inn."

"Yeah, let's."

Side by side, Gen led him, the backs of their hands brushing against each other every now and then.

After some time he broke the silence. "Hey Gen?"

"What?"

"Do you have a sister by any chance?"

* * *

><p>"He was <em>SHOT!<em>?"

"Yeah, last night!"

"Ice-ossan was...?" even Luffy's head turned to them.

They were on the roof of the inn, Luffy perched sulking on one of the towers right in front of the building. Nami had come with the news.

"Yeah, he was. He's unconscious now..."

"Who's that?" Sanji asked.

"The guy who took care of us the other day at the shipyard. He's the president of the company and the mayor of Water 7."

"So he must be one important guy," the chef commented.

"It's said to be the greatest catastrophe to ever happen in this city."

"That guy... he's respected by so many people..." Luffy muttered and jumped down. "I'll go look!"

"Luffy, wait! I'm coming too!" Nami ran off after him.

"We'll go search for Robin-chan," Sanji announced, meaning him and Chopper. "You two coming?"

"No. I'll wait and see what happens next," he folded his arms behind his head.

"Thanks you Sanji, but I think I'm staying here," Gen declined.

"Very well, Gen-chan," the man sighed. He was worried for their nakama, just as she was.

"Sanji... good luck."

"Oh, thanks, Gen-chan."

"Chopper! Take care!"

"I will!"

She stood waving to the duo until they disappeared and then slung the bag so she could rummage through it. It was full to the brim and it wasn't easy to look for it...

"Where'd you get that?" Zoro asked, surprised, when he saw the gleam of Caermare's sheath. She shot a wink at him as Greg materialized, already rolling his cape to a bundle and leaving it right next to the bag.

"The new vessel is great!" he was in high spirits.

"Excuse me, I asked something!" Zoro said in annoyance.

"Oh, did you ask something?" she grinned. Yes, she had heard him the first time, but to annoy or not to annoy a marimo on such a splendid, sunny day...?

"I _asked_, Snowbrain, where'd you get the sword?"

"This? Mom sent it to me. Cool, isn't it?" she weighted the sword in her hand before pulling it out. Light danced on the steel when she waved it in a lazy arc.

"Do you know how to use it?" the man asked sceptically.

"No, and that's why... uh, Greg's going to teach me," she stammered and lowered Caermare so it's tip was pointing to the ground.

"Oh... I see."

"And don't even try sulking, Marimo. It's already decided," she pointed at his disappointed face.

"Like I'd sulk..."

"If you're ready, Gloria-sama?" Greg broke their bicker with practiced subtlety.

"Fine," she sighed and had her first lesson with swords. It included lots of bruises, sweat, snickering from Zoro and then yelping when she went to beat him up with the sword less scabbard. He could just be happy she didn't do that with the sword!

As it proved, she wasn't that hopeless in swordplay-

"You suck."

"What!_?_"

"You just swing that thing around like a toddler."

Gen swiped her brow and turned from Greg to look at the Marimo-bastard. "Screw you! I've seen how people wield swords, I can handle this!"

"Yeah, right," he rolled his eyes. "It's exactly the same to watch and to do."

"Gloria-sama, your stance is still too open," Greg said - probably for the fifth time that afternoon.

"Sorry..." she looked sheepish and corrected herself. When she was about to engage in another set of jabs and swipes with the demon the wind brought about a... feeling. She was sidetracked from the activity at hand and turned to look at the sea. Greg had done so as well.

"What is it?" Zoro asked and got up. He didn't see anything and his eyebrows knitted together.

"Something's... building up," she said vaguely.

"Yes, the Aqua Laguna," Greg nodded.

"Oh yeah, that! I kinda forgot about it!" she rubbed the back of her head.

"Shouldn't you write down everything you know so you won't forget anything?" Zoro asked. "With some fancy code that even Robin wouldn't be able to solve?"

She stared at him and blinked, before a thoughtful smile grew on her face. "Hey... not half bad idea! From you."

"_Whaaat?_"

"Actually, it _is_ surprisingly good idea," Greg rubbed his chin. "But the hardest will be to make up the code..."

"Not really. I don't know how long have you been around," she looked at Greg, "but I do have a secret writing style. Made it myself some years back to hide things, but in on itself it won't be much of a challenge..."

"True. And yes, I know of it. It's the one where you mess up p and q all the time?"

"...Exactly that," she sweatdropped. Somehow their lesson on swords had moved to this. "I'll come up with something. Oh, by the way... should we do something about that framing thing?"

"What framing thing?" they both asked in sync with equally confused faces.

"Well, that the 'infamous Strawhat Luffy and his crew was behind the assassination attempt on Iceburg-san' frame."

"We're WHAT!_?_"

"Ooh... forget I said that~!" she smiled brilliantly.

"No way!" he fumed and glowered. "I don't like being framed."

"Hm, Gloria-sama... there are people coming this way," Greg said, leaning over the edge of the roof. "They don't look quite happy. And they're chanting something about 'hang the pirates'..."  
>Zoro and Gen both sweatdropped.<p>

"Time to get out of here," Zoro said and got up. Gen sheathed the short katana and picked up the bag. Looking at Greg he shook his head.

"I'll come by myself. I haven't gotten to stretch my legs much on these days, and I still have lots of time!" he said somewhat too cheerily.

"Okay..."

"Hey! The Pirate Hunter is over there!"

"Ah crap!" the said Pirate Hunter's eyebrow twitched.

* * *

><p>There ye go.<p> 


	55. Hear the robin sing

Wow, it's actually on time! Ah, and I bought a new Mp3 because the previous broke (_a button popped off and I had to use any pointy objects to change the volume, but then the spot where it was supposed to push bent in and the volume went to zero..._). I'm a bit sad, cos dad gave it to me a year ago and I really liked it.

* * *

><p>While running away from the angry mob, they encountered Luffy and Nami. Now, Luffy was stretched under a bridge and working as a seat for Nami and Zoro. Gen was submerged in the canal, resisting the current below the three. For convenience, Greg had returned to the vessel.<p>

Something happened and they would've fallen on her if she hadn't slipped away, quick like a fish. That something was Chopper, who had peeked under the bridge after the people were gone.

"How'd you find us?"

"Followed my nose."

"Ah."

They sat on a roof, out of sight. Gen was wringing her hair dry until she realized that she could've done it just by a flick of a wrist.

"Ahh~ all freshened up!"

"I think it's clear now," Zoro said.

"Clear!_?_ This is all your fault, you guys were being chased by so many of them! And then we got spotted too!"

"Hey, tell it to her! She walked right out to the street after some goddamn butterfly!" he said accusingly and pointed to Gloria.

"For your information, that wasn't just _any_ butterfly, but a black swallowtail!" she crossed her arms on her chest in defence. "They are the messengers of death, and if I followed one enough maybe I'd get to meet the reaper!" *

Nami and Zoro both sweatdropped, not even trying to understand what she just said.

"Hey Chopper, where's Sanji?" Luffy remembered.

"Oh..." he went grim and started telling them their side of the day. Robin had bid her farewell to the crew through them and admitted being the one to shoot Iceburg.

"It's time to wake up." Zoro hit the concrete with the end of Wado's sheath. "Robin started out as our enemy and we let her on our ship. She wouldn't have left us out of fear after all this time. Before the sun goes down, we need to figure out: is that woman a friend... or foe?"

Nami looked worried, Luffy frowned. He hadn't been smiling or really been like himself ever since his and Usopp's fight. Gen couldn't blame him, though.

"Robin... really said that, right, Chopper?" Zoro continued.

"Uh huh."

"She said we wouldn't ever meet after 'today'. It sounds like she's announcing that she's going to do something to make things worse for us."

Gloria kept her mouth shut and let them talk. This had to roll on it's own pace, though she had to this day come to the conclusion that whatever she did the plot would still head for the certain goals.

Besides, Luffy had told her to keep her knowledge.

Their issue was, according to Zoro, that if someone really wanted to make an uproar, they would really assassinate the mayor. "That's the natural thing for us to think. But now that we know she's framing us for the crime this could be viewed as a trap to lead us to the crime scene... if we're found at the scene of crime, then we'll automatically be framed."

"Wait! You sound like you're already thinking of Robin as an enemy!" Nami scowled.

"I'm just thinking about the possibilities. I'm not really on either side," he shrugged and fingered his katana. "Whether to believe it or not, if we pick one side and the truth is the opposite, the instant in which I male my move, I'll be slowed down. If something's gonna happen, it's gonna be tonight. Do we go to the crime scene?"

"We go," Luffy nodded and looked at the white haired girl. "You're going to burst like that. If you have something to say, say it."

"_THINKOFMEANDNAMI_ oh all dear and unholy...!" Gen's face was red and she was panting.

"Uhh... could you repeat that?"

"Think of me and Nami. That's my advice for you," she looked straight into the captain's eyes.

"Think of you and Nami?"

"Yup. Me and Nami."

"I'm not against going, but we do have a problem," the navigator said. "Sanji-kun said he saw Robin walking with someone. Iceberg said the same thing. 'A masked person'. That's not any of..." she trailed off and looked at Gen.

"I'M NOT THE ONE!"

"Anyway, maybe this masked person is the reason for Robin's sudden change."

"Did he do something to Robin!_?_ To control her!_?_" Chopper exclaimed.

"That's the optimistic guess," Zoro nodded. "The pessimistic guess would be that Robin and that guy are actually partners."

"But just knowing about 'a masked person' doesn't help much. What's our goal on this trip?" Nami asked.

"To catch Robin!" Luffy declared.

"Hea' hea'!"

He got up on his feet. "Otherwise, we'll never know the truth. Just thinking about it like this is a waste of time."

"But then, she's someone who the world government has tried and failed to capture for 20 years..." Zoro pointed out, scratching the back of his head.

"This is the only way to find out the truth," Nami said.

"Ok! I'll do my best too!" Chopper said.

"Let's catch a robin!" Gen grinned.

"Yeah. Let's move," Luffy lead them away. They stalked towards the mayor's place, staying in hiding. It wasn't hard to avoid to be seen, the city was too busy preparing for the high tide. It brought her a certain... feeling. She could only associate it with power, power that grew, swell and _waited_.

The girl was more than once redirected so she wouldn't walk to stuff like trees, walls, crates, barrels, loaded guns...

"Wake up!" Nami shook her shoulders. "What's up with you!_?_"

"Hey, you okay?" Luffy asked.

"It's not her fault..." Greg said. "It's the Aqua Laguna. It... uuuhh..." there was a long pause. "I... hmmm... uh... what did... what was it again...?"

Zoro rolled his eyes. "Great, it's summer for Snowbrain."

Despite it they finally got a proper place to see the mayor's manor.

"It's so far!" Luffy complained.

"So many people," Chopper was nervous.

Nami was sitting on a branch behind the two of them. "You can just stretch your arms and fly over if an uproar occurs."

"Yeah, but if we're the ones to cause the uproar. We would've played right into her hands," Zoro was casually leaning against the trunk. His coolness was only broken by the girl he was holding on to like a dog in a harness (_he had drawn the shortest stick_). The demigoddess had somewhat an absent expression on her face. Only a short time before she was speaking in Latin, though they were pretty sure that she hadn't known the language before. Chopper was the only one who caught a word or two, but he gave up as well after a minute.

"Everyone has weapons... They look so strong!" the reindeer had the binoculars.

"Yeah, those mechanics could pin any pirate to the ground."

"It'll be very bad if someone just barges in there recklessly," Luffy said in a completely serious face.

"I wonder who tried to get through earlier..." Nami sweatdropped.

"Tell me as soon as you see them make a move," Zoro told Chopper.

"Okay!"

"I hate puppies."

"You... hate puppies?" Nami looked at Gen.

"Yeah. Puppies... I hate them. Evil... they... waggy... taste awful..."

"Okay. I suggest we ignore from now on everything she says."

"Ay."

* * *

><p>"Hahaha! KABLOOOEYH!" Gen giggled. There had been an abrupt explosion that knocked out the majority of the guardsangry mob gathered around the estate. During the chaos, Luffy left, rather stealthily, because no one even noticed it before he was gone.

"AAAAH!" All three still-sane members' eyes bulged out and their jaws dropped.

"That pure IDIOT!" Nami facepalmed. "Come on! We can't let him get too far!"

"'Liiiife is so shooooort, ooooh son of the noooorth...'" Gen started singing from the top of her lungs.

"SHUT UP!"

"..."

"Wow. It actually worked?" Zoro blinked. "AH! No time for nonsense! Let's just go!"

By their logic, now that Luffy had caused havoc the people guarding the front of the house had went after Luffy.

Of course, that was just logic.

Which failed them.

'_THEY'RE STILL HERE!_?' flew through the three's heads.

A moment's confusion faded quickly away and the people started chasing them around with their saws and whatnot shipwright tools.

The young, white-haired woman found herself blinking, alone, from the middle of the empty yard. A few minutes later the mob ran back around the corner with the three pirates in the front. They passed her, and she blinked again before she grinned and sat down on a random bench.

"...aaaaaAAAAAAaaaa...!"

She raised three fingers.

"...aaaAAAAAAAaaaa...!"

And a fourth.

Then they didn't come back. Oh well, maybe they got caught or something. She shrugged and looked at the doors, the now UNGUARDED doors, and waltzed right in. Literally waltzed, and pretended to even have a long dress that got stuck between the doors when she closed it behind her.

Silence wrapped around her, one like in a library that made people try to walk as silently as they could and only whisper if they had something to say. Or during night when one believed that everyone else was sleeping and...

Anyway...

She had a light buzzing sound in her head that made thinking very hard and she felt like she could take out a sea monster with her bare hands. Just for the heck of it, she tried to rip a random door from its frame.

_CRASH_

"..."

Leaving as quickly as she could, she giggled and whispered a little 'sorry!'. The door itself had been unlocked and she had just pulled very hard on it, simple as that. It's the residents' fault for not doing proper hinges! (_Ignoring the fact that this was a house of a hardcore shipwright..._)

Corridors and minutes later she opened another random door, stopped and tilted her head.

"...Because I hold the blueprint of the ancient weapon, 'Pluton!'"

Iceburg and Robin were pointing guns at each other. The latter had four; two in additional hands, and one of them was now pointed at her. The archaeologist didn't betray a thing when she regarded her. Iceburg, though, looked confused.

She could practically hear the crickets.

"Did I just interrupt something?" she asked. "And what about that stupid ship?"

The Pluton... Herka's slip-up had initiated that the godly weapons were in fact one character in the blank century that the goddess absolutely refused to speak of. Gen had asked Greg about it, but he hadn't known any more than she did.

Robin sounded surprised and a little shocked. "A blueprint of a weapon!_?_"

Iceburg seemed to hesitate on telling things in front of some random chick that somehow happened to stumble upon them but then went into telling Robin what exactly the government was using her for: to get the blueprints. Gen sat down comfortably on a chair. Well, as comfortably as one can with a barrel of a pistol pointed at your persona. Iceburg also told her of late Tom's wariness for the sole survivor of the Ohara incident.

He tried to get up from the floor where he had fallen before Gen entered the room. "As long as you are alive, there is a chance that the weapons will be awakened from their slumber!"

Hands sprouted out and made the man fall flat on his back. Robin was quickly straddling him, the gun pointed at his face and the other three laying now on the floor.

"Is that all you have to say before you die? Although... even if you did kill me, won't your blueprint still be taken?" she asked. Gen got up, and the gun was pointed at her. She met eyes with Robin and gave a small thoughtful smile.

"It's not even here."

"Huh?" she blinked.

"She's right," Iceburg frowned. "It was a fake."

"A fake~ a fake~!" Gen sang. "Ah... hmmm..." she was left standing, looking stupid. "Hm, I forgot what... uhh... I think my brain broke."

"I won't hand the blueprint over, even if it means my life!_!_ On the other hand, I have to stop you if you plan to continue your search for the Poneglyph and lending your assistance to the government!" Iceburg said.

"I'm not looking for the Poneglyph in order to resurrect the weapon! I just want to know the history," she confessed.

"THERE'S NO USE IN SAYING THAT! A thing that can hurt people might not have evil intentions! If your interest in history might destroy the world then you should die right now, Nico Robin!" Ouch, that's a little too harsh. "You still wish to chase the history after witnessing what happened to the 'Ohara devil's!_!_?"

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT OHARA!_!_?_?_ You have no idea... how much our lives have changed because of the government!" Robin snapped.

"Then why are you helping them if you hate them so much!_?_" Iceburg yelled.

"That's a good question," Gen crossed her arms.

Robin's shoulders slumped and she got up. The arms that pinned him in place were now gone. "...because I want my wish to be granted, even if I have to throw everything away for it." She told them that in her job description had been to frame the Strawhats and then go with the government and say 'bark'.

Hm, those weren't exactly the choice of her words.

"Then you might as well be dead! Why would a woman who's been running away for 20 years agree to that?"

"The CP9 have permission to place the buster call in motion against the Strawhats, but only this once."

"Buster Call?"

"...whut?"

Oh, she had definitely forgotten this part. Her face went pale and Robin told them what the Buster Call was. No one wants 5 admiral generals and 10 warships on their asses.

"It used to be that only the 3 generals and the top admirals could use it, but the CP9 has the permission to do it, only once, through general Aokiji. If I hadn't agreed, we would get the buster call."

Gen shuddered at the memory. When the sea froze over the pain had been plain excruciating. "...stupid popsicle... damn bully..."

"When I heard Aokiji's name... I gave up," Robin's voice was silent. "The reason I was able to run away from any situation this last 20 years... was because I had nothing to protect. I was able to use people as shields. But now... I can't do that!" she turned to look at Gen with such a heartbreaking expression that she wanted nothing more than to kick Spandam to... the Umpa Lumpa land? Is there a place worse than that?

"Robin-nee," Gen gave her most tender smile the other had ever seen on the demigoddess' face. "If it's a secret, I won't tell them."

"O-Odd-chan..." she said brokenly. "Promise me! Promise me that you take the others and sail away the second the log sets!" she pleaded.

"I-"

"Promise!"

"I can only promise to try," she said awkwardly. "You know Luffy. Remember, that he will never give up even if you have given up on yourself."

"Then, that wish of yours..." Iceburg realized with widened eyes. Robin seemed to finally get a hold of her flood.

"My wish, is to get the 7 Strawhats, excluding me, off this island safely."

"You wouldn't care if you had to resurrect a weapon and the world was to be destroyed!_?_" Iceburg asked. He was pointing a gun at Robin.

"I don't care."

"Do you know what you're saying!_?_"

Robin chose to bypass him for the time being and frowned a little. "Hey, how did you get here?"

"Through a door."

"There's only one door leading here and there's someone standing on guard behind it," she told her.

"Oh?" Gen blinked and looked behind. The door... wasn't there. "I could've swore..."

There was a 'buruburuburu' sound coming from somewhere Robin's festival robes and she picked up her call.

"**_It's me. There's a hitch in our plan. Everyone head to the bedroom. Don't shoot Iceburg yet_**," came through it, before it clicked shut.

'_Well that was a quick message..._' "We all seem to have pasts that come sooner or later to bite a chunk off of you," she stretched her arms and sat next to Iceburg on the rug. She could tell he was regarding her from the corner of his eye. He was a tall man with a strong color of lavender in his hair and his jaw was covered in scruff.

The door opened and in walked four strangers with masks and garbs fit for a creepy festival. No one said anything and the staring was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Go home!" Iceburg had had enough. "I have nothing to give you!"

"...that's the problem," one said. Gen heard the sound of wings flapping and a soft coo of a pigeon. It flew in from the open door and sat down on the shoulder of the man with a bull mask.

"What shall we discuss first..." he pulled the mask off. "...with you?"

"WHA-!_?_" Iceburg's eyes widened in recognition and shock.

"I'm disappointed in you."

"_LUCCI_!"

Gen tried to look like an insignificant part of the furniture in the room by pressing a bit closer to Iceburg. Robin played her part. The conversation had 'never happened.'

"It's all your fault," the skeleton took off his head and he was revealed to be Kaku. "This is what you get for not handing it over, while the government was still requesting it of you nicely."

"We really wished to make this town a memory..." the one with the most humanlike mask was next, "...without having to harm you." She was a beautiful, blonde woman and the demigoddess briefly lamented her whitened hair. She was... uh...

"Kalifa!_?_"

Yeah, that was it. And she placed a pair of elegant glasses on her nose.

"You have your master's resolve."

"Blueno! You were all... with the government!"

"That's right... concealing ourselves was easy... but I'm so amazed by the depth of your forethought, I'm totally speechless. The blueprints for the ancient wepon, Pluton, please tell us... its whereabouts, before there are any more victims. We've been concealing ourselves for 5 years. Don't worry, we did our jobs properly."

"Like that covers it..." Gen muttered and rolled her eyes.

Either Lucci didn't hear her or ignored her. "I understand your discouragement, but the time allowed for us on this case has approached its limit. From now on, we will do our best to accomplish our goals. Be prepared. It would be better for you to not plan any thoughtless resistance."

Lucci continued by telling him about the Cipher Pols, in eight different spots around the world. Iceburg had never heard about CP9. They were those who shouldn't exist, and they had the government's license to kill... anyone who doesn't cooperate with them.

"That's selfish! There shouldn't be any killing in the name of justice!" Iceburg growled in disgust.  
>"The government has... changed their opinions. Rather than the fear the resurrection of the weapons... Why not awaken it and put an end to this period of the pirates. Let it become the power of justice!"<p>

This started irritating Gen. "You stupid children."

"Miss...!" Iceburg snapped his head towards the girl next to him. Her outburst had attracted the CP9's attention.

"The Pluton is not a toy for you or your so called 'justice' to play with like a toy. '_Oh, pirates are evil because they love freedom! We can't allow that, we can't let our puppets dance outside the stage'_!" she mocked. "Well, at least one in this room knows what I think of people who trifle with the gods."

Lucci was unimpressed. "As I was going to say, before you interrupted..." his glare actually made her want to shrink. "If you refuse to cooperate with us, Iceburg-san, you're saying 'no' to all those people in the world who are suffering from the pirate attacks. You, loudmouthed wench, are a pirate, so stay out when real people discuss. You moral less dirt don't know a thing about justice."

The flame of anger licked her insides and filled her with hatred. Before she could say more Iceburg had grabbed her arm and shot a look at her that told her to 'shut up before they do something very bad'. She could only glare at them with all her might and rein in her anger. Ah, how her revenge would be sweet...

Lucci's posture shifted, just the slightest, and his cold eyes flickered momentarily towards her.

_Oh?_

"That's not the point!" Iceburg yelled. "If the wepon is reawakened, the whole world will fight over it, the suffering will only increase!_!_"

"You don't trust the government, do you, Iceburg-san."

"I only know about the nature of humans, brat..."

Lucci kicked him so fast she didn't even pick the motion before Iceburg was down. She yelped and moved back, not liking the fact that there was now one extra meter between her and the mayor.

"Kaku, take his pulse. Iceburg-san, we have actually come up with a theory now... you need to listen. Your blood will tell us the truth," Lucci said and the Usopp look-alike stepped forward and placed his hand on Iceburg's wrist.

The man with the bird started talking about the blueprints and told them their theory that Iceburg may have given the real ones to someone. They were especially interested in the name Cutty Flam, and that sent Iceburg's pulse to heights when Lucci said he knew the connection between Cutty Flam and Franky. Lucci spoke a lot and her attention slipped. The Aqua Laguna's alluring call rang in her head, tingled in her fingertips.

Small sigh escaped her lips and the picture of a bird in a cage came to her mind. "I want to fly..." she muttered dejectedly.

There was a huge cracking noise from the wall and there were braking lines appearing like a spider's web on it, starting from the middle, and a soft _swiiing_ from the door. There was a huge X on it. CP9 turned to watch and in a huge burst of rubble and yelling Luffy, Paulie and Zoro came in. Nami and Chopper were following the swordsman.

"ROBIN!_!_! I finally found you!_!_" Luffy stood on the pieces of the wall.

"Hey! Luffy! Where have you been all this time!_?_" Zoro asked.

"Robiiin! I'm so glad to see you again!" the reindeer called out.

"Wha... what's going on here?" Nami asked.

"'Ello, funny little people!" Gen greeted with a dopey smile.

"And where the hell did YOU disappear off to!_?_" Marimo demanded her with a tickmark, but she had already resumed to staring out of the window with a vacant look in her eyes. Zoro managed a facepalm with a sword in his hand. "Great..."

"Strawhat... Paulie..." Iceburg groaned from the floor.

Paulie was thus introduced to the CP9 as well, with Luffy on the way. Zoro recognized Kaku from earlier. It was too much for Paulie and he stupidly tried to attack Lucci. The agent shiganed him to the chest.

"Don't bother resisting... we've mastered skills that soar far above those of humans. We've spent countless hours training in a martial art that makes the body equal to a weapon. Rokushiki," Lucci said, clenching his hand, "The strength of one who has mastered it is equal to 100 men."

Paulie's face confronted in both physical and emotional pain as fond memories were defiled. "Why would you...!"

"No matter," Lucci grabbed his shoulder and drew his other hand back, forming a claw. "Your life will expire, either way... though we were friends..."

"Lucci, you bastard!_!_" Iceburg yelled.

"STOP IT!" Luffy's leg came out before Paulie was floored. His gatling gun didn't work on Lucci because of tekkai. "What!_?_ It's not working!_!_"

"This is annoying..." Lucci mumbled. His stance shifted just a little and-

Arms wrapped around his waist.

"What are you doing?"

"She has an ability to render any devil's fruit user useless," Robin spilled in monotone voice. "And she knows many things."

"Mouu, Robin-nee! It's not nice to tell your secrets! I didn't tell yours," Gen pouted.

The Strawhats' eyes widened, as well as Iceburg's and Paulie's, and in few seconds Gen found her knees feeling weak as she fell on the ground with a hole in her sternum. Oh, and it hurt like netherworld combined with hell. The shock of pure pain that exploded in her snuffed out the knowledge that her breathing was coming out completely wrong. The shigan had penetrated her windpipe and blood trickled in her lungs. She wanted to cough, but she couldn't.

A hand grabbed the back of her vest and yanked her back along with Paulie, not helping her any. She whimpered and brought a hand to the spot where blood was pouring out as a steady stream. Chopper was over her in an instant with his tiny hooves pressed against the finger sized hole and she screamed soundlessly.

She woke, lying on her side on cold floor with loose little chips of stone in her line of vision. Her ears picked up Luffy's voice... he was yelling for Robin. Something about 'not accepting it'. She must've blacked out for a moment.

_Robin..._

"Robin...nee..." she croaked and spat blood from her mouth. It trickled down her cheek. "See y'later..."  
>Something hustled around her. A hoof poked her, shook her shoulder, and then a blue nose and brown fur came to view.<p>

Oh, someone was fighting? Luffy. He, and one of the CP9. It was a display of their skills, and when one suddenly jumped to the ceiling two more went for Luffy.

"GET DOWN!" Zoro's urgent voice said and Nami and Chopper hit the floor. She heard a crash, and suddenly her limbs found strength to move. As she did, the pain stabbed her and she coughed.

"Gen? Gen! You okay!_?_" Chopper asked. "Can you hear me!_?_ And don't try to sit, you have a _hole_ in your chest! It goes through bone!"

Zoro drew his swords and went after Kaku. There was a draft in the room when Robin opened the window and the wind brought in the stormy air that revitalized her. Like someone who had just been drowning, she concentrated on breathing. In... out...

"Robin! I'm not done talking to you!" Luffy yelled.

"No, I'm done," Robin replied smoothly. "We will never meet again."

"Robin!_!_!" Nami cried out.

Zoro got more fervour to fight and told Luffy to catch the woman before she escaped them. Kaku made short of him with a shigan.

Robin leapt from the window, Lucci boasted about their Rokushiki and he turned into a leopard.

"Gen new he had eaten a devil's fruit," Nami remembered from beside her.

"Yeah... I *_cough_* new. Why is it always me...?" the girl asked out loud with a whiny tone.

The leopard made a kick to the air and suddenly all the walls started falling on them.

"Get away from the wall!" Zoro yelled at their direction. Nami grabbed her, since Chopper obviously couldn't without problems, and dragged her away as best as she could. It wasn't enough, and the reindeer pushed the girls from harm's way with his antlers.

"Chopper!" Nami called out when the wall fell on him.

Nothing went right. Luffy and his first mate were thrown out the window, Nami was knocked unconscious before she along with Gen were just dropped off. Paulie and Iceburg were tied up to each other and left in the building, which was quickly being engulfed in flames.

* * *

><p>She woke up on grass with the taste of ash in her mouth. Oh, soft, glorious grass...<p>

No, maybe not glorious, but it was better than just plain floor.

'_Cool, and I feel like myself again, too_', she noted in her head. '_Uhhh... I'm basically talking to myself..._'

There were people all around them, and she noticed Nami up and... well, beating Chopper up to... apparently, to wake him.

She sweatdropped and got to her feet. The redhead noticed her and turned to look at her with the widest smile she had seen in some time.

Nami had been the first of the three present Strawhats to wake up and Iceburg had pulled her to the side to talk with the navigator. He had told her what had happened between the three of them and that Robin was doing it for them: potentially sacrificing the whole world for seven pirates. The redhead had a wide grin on her face as she told Chopper, who in turn was dancing and almost jumping out of his cute little pants.

Nami's animated talking halted and she blinked. "...of me and you... THINK OF ME AND YOU!_?_ _YOU KNEW ALL ALONG_!_!_"

"Uaaah! Nami! Please stop shaking her back and forth like that!_!_" Chopper rushed to save Gen from the witch.

Gen only now noticed that she had bandage around her shoulders and boobs. Her bag was laying motionless on the ground right next to her and when she stared at it long enough the bear winked.

_'Oh...'_

"So let's look for everyone and go save Robin!" Nami said to Chopper.

"Gotcha! Let's look for them! Where are they!_?_"

"I don't know. That's why we have to look for them!"

"Okay~~! I'll do my best~~!" Chopper turned into his most humanlike form, startling most of the people standing around them.

"Wah! It turned into a gorilla!_!_!"

"Wait, you guys..." Iceburg said. He had a mouse in his breast pocket that he was petting with one finger. "Though it's your decision to go after Nico Robin, at 11 o'clock this evening, the sea train will depart, taking all government personnel with it. Nma, it's only a possibility, but... the likelihood that they're on there is fairly high. Which means that Nico Robin will also be with them. Lastly, the train will cease operation in an hour. Since the Aqua Laguna will be coming very soon. "

"You tell me," Gen muttered. "Thing's making me feel funny."

"So, what are you saying?"

"If you let this opportunity to pass, naturally, a ship can't be sent out, and any means of leaving this island will disappear," Iceburg ended.

"No way..." Nami's eyes widened and she held her head with her both hands. "This is bad!_!_ What time is it now!_?_"

"10:30," the mayor checked his pocket watch.

"30 MINUTES LEFT!_!_? Hey, is there any way to stop it!_?_ We need to delay the sea train for a short time!_!_"

"Nma, because the destination is Enies Lobby, there's no entry for those not working with the government. The driver is also a government worker. Even if I speak to him, he won't listen."  
>Nami stressed some more before Paulie spoke up. How long had he been awake she didn't know.<p>

"Hey... you guys!_!_ These women and their friends... lend them a hand."

"_Eh!_?"

"Lend them a hand? These are the criminals that went after Iceburg-san's life, Paulie!"

"Yeah! First of all, we should restrain these three! Lucci and Kaku are also missing!"

"The assassins aren't the Strawhats!" Paulie yelled over the rising voices of the men. "These guys are innocent!_!_! They're being framed by the real assassins! We've been deceived! We don't know where their loyalties lie, but they went up against those masked guys. The Strawhats fought for us! At present, the fact that Iceburg-san and I are still alive is all thanks to them!"

_'Oh, that's an impressive speech!'_ Gen cooed in her head. That would make sense, she realized, he was like the leader to these men. And he wasn't that bad looking, either. Like, that scruffy, tough-boy next-door that wrestles with bears in the middle of a pine forest and-

...

'Even I agree that's weird.'

He told the people a lie that Kaku and Lucci had went to visit home and then offered to show them were the train station was. They almost emptied the yagara pen to get rides and go out to look for Luffy, Zoro and Sanji. Gen knew where the first two were (_stuck_ **-_-'**) but had forgotten where Sanji had gone off to. Nami and Paulie raced to the station.

"Gen! Let me see that wound!" Chopper had a pause at yelling after the boys. The girl had been taken to the same yagara carriage with a random Galley La member and the doctor.  
>She grabbed the hem of her shirt and lifted the whole appendage off with a red face. The vest laid on her knees and the rain pelted down on her now bare upper body. She still had her bra under the bandages and Gen could possibly only thank Nami for that as the reindeer started unravelling the soppy linen.<p>

"_EEEEEHHHH!_!_?_?_?_" his eyes bulged out and jaw dropped.

"What!_?_ _What!_?" Gen looked down and... didn't see a thing. "What's wrong!_?_"

"The-The-The-! The wound! It's _gone!_"

"Isn't that supposed to be a good thing?" she sweatdropped.

"But-! There was-! I'm SURE there was a hole right here!" he tapped the spot. "But I'm glad... Are you in any pain right now?"

"No. Just itching," she scratched the area. "...it's gone. Huh."

"I JUST SAID THAT!"

"Yeah, but why? Greg?"

"Aqua Laguna," he replied. They all ignored how the man was suddenly laying very comfortably on the edge of the wagon... "It's basically over energy that the sea has to use up sometimes. Small parts of it is going straight into your life energy, thus making you stronger and increasing your natural healing capacity. I wonder..." he muttered.

"Dude, you're too cool. Get down from there." Gen pulled on his cape.

"But there's no room for me."

"Get _down_!"

"H-Hai, Gloria-sama!"

* * *

><p>* A referance to Bleach :3<p>

The small part where Gen was singing was from Ensiferum


	56. Aqua Laguna

Here, another chapter, though it is shorter than usually.

**!*!*! **I'm going to take a little brake from this story, since I have exams now and the second years' ball is coming up within two weeks. Gahh, I'm so happy my dress is ok, now just to learn to dance on heels T-T...

* * *

><p>They scoured the streets with no use. Gen went with them and tried to keep her eyes open in the rising storm. Some people had gone off to the back streets and she was thinking of going solo. Chopper denied it furiously; he didn't want her to get lost as well. Greg, in the other hand, did leave, saying that he forgot to do something earlier. The demon promised to look for the three as well.<p>

Later, Nami returned telling them that Sanji had gotten on the train (_as well as Usopp_). Now they only had to find Zoro and Luffy, with the water rising all the higher. What Gen could get from the men's talking, this one was abnormally high.

Then the sea retreated, leaving the dock dry.

"It's tsunami time," Gen muttered, nervous all the sudden.

"Is it even possible for the tide to recede this much!_?_" someone asked by Paulie-

"This is the first time I've seen anything like this!"

"The sounds of the ocean... have stopped..." Paulie grit his teeth. "Which can only mean that huge waves will come...! The back streets will be completely swallowed!"

"There's nobody left in there, right!_?_ If there are, they're done for!" someone cried out. Gen spotted Kokoro and her two companions standing on a roof. Nami climbed there with them, talked a little with the old hag and then suddenly went running off. Kokoro was telling her not to do something and that the Aqua Laguna was coming.

There was no use, because the navigator had spotted Luffy, in a gap between two tall buildings - in the back streets.

"Oi, Chopper, what are you looking at?" Gen noticed his gaze and followed it.

"There's a sea anemone... sticking out of that chimney..." he muttered half in thought.

"Eh? A sea anemone?"

...

...

"That's not sea anemone!" she was laughing hr guts out. "That's _Zoro_!"

"Hey! Wait!_!_! Not you too, reindeer!_!_" someone managed to yell after Chopper who rushed to save the first mate. Once Gen calmed down a bit she wiped water from her face and regarded the bare bay. All kind of rubble, fish and sunken ships littered the mud, and far, far in the horizon loomed the narrow strip that was the sea.

She felt the exact moment when the tide started coming back and gasped. The power almost kicked her legs out from under her and she felt arms holding her up.

The sea was rushing towards and she licked her lips. Meantime Chopper and Nami reached Zoro and Luffy.

"LUFFY!_!_!" the girl yelled. Gen could hear her voice over the roaring Aqua Laguna. "You moron!_!_! What are you doing up there!_!_?" Whatever Luffy answered she missed. Nami yelled again, and she was crying. "DON'T JOKE AT A TIME LIKE THIS!_!_! WHILE YOU WERE SCREWING AROUND, ROBIN'S BEEN TAKEN AWAY! FOR US ALL...!_!_ SHE'S GOING TO DIE! ROBIN SACRIFICED HERSELF FOR US! SHE PROECTED US FROM BEING TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT, EVEN WHEN SHE KNEW SHE MIGHT BE KILLED!_!_!"

The wave was already close. Her eyes were hooded and her mouth slightly open. '_Come on, come on, comeone comeon comeoncomeoncomeON!_' she urged the tide, jumping from foot to foot.

"Ah! It's too late, we're out of time!"

"Climb up to a higher place!_!_!" the people were starting to panic, for the Strawhats were still out there.

The wave towered over the city, when finally the buildings trapping Luffy crumbled and the chimney Zoro was stuck in was cut in half. They got out of the way just in time and to the big bridge.

Gen couldn't hold it anymore, but squealed and ran down with record speed at the bridge, where the waves were suddenly crashing down on the pirates. Paulie had made it there before her and yanked the four pirates out of the tide onto the more intact part of the bridge. Luffy had Nami over his shoulder and Chopper had a death grip on Zoro's face, screaming 'RUN!'. The captain noticed Gen and watched in shock when she passed him with such a foreign expression on her face.

Right before the wave swallowed her she faced them and gave them a madman's grin.

The Strawhats laid panting in front of the mass of people, Zoro waving his hands frantically to make the reindeer let go of him.

"You're all crazy...!" Paulie commented.

"Thanks for the help, rope guy~," Luffy said. Nami was shivering; the Aqua Laguna had frightened her. Paulie told them that the wave had never been this high.

"Even I was scared for you," Kokoro came over with a bottleneck deep down in her mouth. "You're very lucky to have survived that, though I don't know about that one girl. What a shame," she shook her head.

Zoro wrenched Chopper off his face and could finally breathe. "You idiot! Don't grab onto my head and then pass out!"

"Zoro? You were down there too?" Luffy was surprised.

"Ahh... not exactly..."

"He got stuck in a chimney!" the now awake little doctor chirped.

"You got stuck in a _chimney!_?" Luffy laughed his ass off while Zoro proceeded to strangle the animal. "Zoro! That's so stupid! You're funny! Ahahahahaha!"

"YOU WEREN'T ANY BETTER!" Nami pulled his face.

Luffy's chuckles died down and he turned to look rather worried. "But why was Gen running _towards_ the wave?"

"What?" Zoro dropped Chopper and looked alarmed.

"Oh yeah..." Nami frowned. "You didn't see."

"And she was really weird," the captain continued. The hat dropped to shadow his face. "She had this look in her eyes..."

"Oh no! What if she drowns!_?_" Chopper exclaimed, conveniently forgetting that it was highly unlikely for her.

"Where is she now?" Zoro asked and looked at the overflowing ocean.

Nami put her hand on his arm. "I don't know, we didn't see."

"Why did she do that?" Paulie was stupefied. What had gone through her head? "Whatever it was, she's gone now," he said grimly. The first mate's worry level skyrocketed.

There was a small cough and they all saw Greg (_in human form_) getting up from the ground. His cape and hair hung wet and he looked actually pretty miserable.

"You're here too, which means that she's alone now," Nami frowned and tried to help the demon up. It was near impossible, with him being taller and heavier.

"Fuck!" the marimo/chimney anemone cursed and grit his teeth. Luffy's hand found itself a place on his shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"Zoro-san, she will be okay. Hopefully," Greg said.

"_Hopefully!_?" he snapped. "What the hell was all that about!_?_"

"Hey, behave," Nami pointed at the swordsman.

"I... I'm not sure what happened to her, but it definitely had something to do with the Aqua Laguna," the demon looked ashamed to let something like this happen. "But, we can be sure that the Sea will take care of her own."

Paulie and the others were quite confused.

It seemed to be enough for Zoro, though inside he didn't stop aching.

"Hear me, Snowbrain? You better get back! ...To me!" he muttered, but his only answer was the ocean's vicious lap against the city.

* * *

><p>Under the gray sky, a tall column of water was standing like a tower. There was a figure sprouting out of it, and if looked carefully enough, there could be seen a long body of a sea snake in the water. The woman had a mask of seriousness on her face as she waited.<p>

Though she was a holy being, divine, she had trouble adjusting with her daughter.

No, not emotionally and the like, but in territory.

She had to constantly supervise every little splash of water in the world, though she couldn't go directly on land, and at the same time try and even out the clumpy balance of the ocean's power (_not to say about ruling her otherworldly domain, army and civilization_). It wasn't a big feat to do in itself; it just needed some juggling. Now, though she had a daughter that did not possess the half the skills she had, nor the experience, but in the other hand had a big stack of youthful energy and power behind her. That power, like any, could take over a person's mind. Gloria was mortal, and that made her involuntarily weaker against that might.

A low wave approached her as she watched silently. It broke into sprays of water, and Herka brought her hand up. The uneven, random bursts started slowly smoothing down, returning to her control. She peeled the wave like a banana, letting the water flow back down, and out appeared a young girl, deep asleep and blissfully ignorant to what was happening.

The water cradled her and rolled her to a more comfortable position as Herka moved closer to comb her white tresses with her hand and pet her cheek lovingly. Her eyes softened and a genuine smile lit up her face. "My little girl..."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the Rocketman, the second sea train, the Strawhats, Galley La and the Franky family made an alliance. They would fight together against Lucci and the government and get Robin and Franky (<em>and Usopp<em>) back.  
>Now they would just need to get past the Aqua Laguna threatening to eat the train off the tracks...<p>

While the Franky family and Galley La tried to shoot the wave with no use Sanji had called Nami from the seatrain ahead. They had encountered some problems in their end and presently they were on the train's roof. Old hag Kokoro seemed way too cheerful for the prospect of getting drowned in the tide. Well... she was a mermaid, but not that they knew about it.

In the end, Luffy and Zoro took care of the wave. Greg just sat in a corner, hugging the bag and pouting in a very un-demonic way.

Oh, and Sanji called again.

"Hey granny!" Luffy called to Kokoro. "Make the train go faster!"

"You want it to go faster! It's already way past its maximum safe speed! It's out of control! I don't know if we'll even be able to stop! Ngagagagaga..."

"Uuuhh... Gloria-sama~..."

"And you! Stop just moping around and be useful or something!" Nami's teeth turned pointy.

"Declined."

"Huh!_?_ How can you 'decline' something like that!_?_ And in such a robotic tone!_!_" the navigator pointed at him.

"I only obey Her Holiness and Gloria-sama," he stated. "I'm helping around only because it makes Gloria-Lady-sama happy!"

"...Curly brow?" Zoro asked, looking at the man.

"Hardly," he turned away with a swish of his cape (_mysteriously dry by now_). "Uuuhh... Gloria-sa~ma~...!"

"SHUT UP!"

Zoro sighed. This was tearing into his nerves worse than he wanted. Luffy had told him not to worry. He knew she would take care of herself and that Robin was their first priority right now.

Of course he knew that.

"Grannyyyyy! The train's too slow!"

"For the last time, Luffy!" Nami yelled. "The train- kyaa!"

The train suddenly jolted and they felt how it was lifted upwards suddenly. Everyone was painfully crushed by the laws of physics to the front of the car.

"Augh, what happened?" Paulie asked, rubbing his head.

"We-_We're not moving_!_!_!" Nami shrieked.

"Aaaaah! Granny! Why did you stop the train!_?_ We're in hurry!_!_" Luffy's eyes bulged out.

"IT WASN'T HER!" two of Paulie's best men yelled. The other had a chronic bad-hair-day and the other had a scrawny beard.

"The train really stopped."

"We're losing time!"

"...I have a bad feeling..."

"What are you doing?" Zoro looked blankly at the demon, who was kneeling in a random direction on his other knee and head bowed down. He didn't move at all.

It became eerie silent and no one dared to speak. Through the windows they could see that water was rising on both sides of the train. In it, they saw a suspicious shadow going to the top of the thing. Everyone started opening windows and peered out to see what had happened.

"WHOAH!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Water!_?_" Chopper's mouth was hanging open.

"What the...?" Paulie's question hung in the air.

The train's wheels were still running like the battery commercial bunny with two cups of coffee too much, but the train couldn't move forward when it was suspended in the air by gracefully twisting and dancing tendrils of water, with the king bulls in tow.

* * *

><p>Gen's eyes snapped open. She stared at the ceiling of... whatever she was in, but it was moving, she could tell. With high velocity too-<p>

Oh, how _delightful_. She needed to throw up.

The girl moved to all fours faster than should've been possible in that state and now her latest dinner shared the same surface she sat on.

After Chopper's quick check she received a hug from Nami and Luffy, though he slumped right away. They asked her what had happened Her eyes met with Zoro's and he gave her the rare little smile that only lasted for a few seconds before it was gone and (poorly) hidden with nonchalance.

"Oh, so the Snowbrain's back..."

"Aww, you wanna hug too?"

"N-no."

"HA! Denial!" she grinned triumphantly before jumping him. "Ohh, you're nice 'n' warm..."

"HEY! YOU'RE WET ALL OVER!_!_" his eyes bulged out when her chilly skin came in contact with his bare arms.

"Don't you have any shame at all, woman!_?_ Rubbing yourself so indecently against him!_!_" Paulie's outraged yell made Gen look at him and Zoro's face flush red like a tomato. "But it's a real miracle how she's still alive..."

"Hmm... no?"

"Get off me!" the man pushed her off his lap and she stayed next to him. They were silent for a moment before the girl's mouth's corners twitched up and she couldn't keep down the shit-eating grin. "_What_!_?_"

"You got stuck in a chimney... You know, you're too green and too bald to play as the Santa."

"SHUT UP!"

"Maybe you can be the elf?"

He growled and pushed her, making her fall on her back. Luffy laughed at their antics and Nami sweatdropped at their childishness.

Gen had to apologize for Greg too, and to everyone's surprise he scolded her, but only a little, mind you, and then hugged her until it became awkward.

Soon everyone was back to what they had been doing before, but Luffy had chosen to climb the train and sit on its nose much like on the Merry's figurehead...

_'Merryy...!'_

"Hey, hey, little girl, what's making you cry all the sudden?" a member of the Franky family asked and she quickly wiped her eyes.

"Oh, 's nuttin'. Jus' m'ssn m' nee-s'ma."

"Is that so? Mind telling me about her?"

"You actually understand her!_?_" Zoro's jaw hung open.

"Hey, now. Don' b' rude, Ma'imo," the girl stuck her tongue out. Nami yelled to Luffy from the window to get back inside and Chopper, Chimnie and the rabbit/thingy were with others re-enacting something that happened before (_Zoro telling them to act seriously for once_). Of course Gen knew what it was about when they shed light on it a bit.

Luffy popped in and told them that he could see a train in the front. The demigoddess frowned, and Kokoro said too that it was too early for it. They climbed out of the windows to see it themselves.

"Wow! It's a sea train without an engine! It's just two cars stranded there!" the Franky family member said. Ah, hell, lets just call him... Pat.

"What!_?_" Zoro was completely on the roof, brandishing his katana.

"How'd that happen?"

"Did it get disconnected from the train or something?"

"Maybe Sanji is inside!" Chopper piped up.

"Maybe bro's inside too!" one of the Franky family girls said, those with the square hairdo.

"They're not," Gen said over the wind. It was difficult to keep her eyes open. "It's just some government people."

"Really? I'll go check anyway!" Luffy rocketed off. Soon he came out with his hands crossed, an expression on his face that told them that he didn't want to be on the car and his torso stretching from various bullets flying his way.

"I told him," Gen rolled her eyes.

"So what now!_?_ If we don't get rid of it, we'll be in danger too!_!_" Nami yelled. While Pat suggested dismantling the thing before the crash Luffy called Zoro from the stranded cars.

"Cut it! It's in the way."

"Sure."

"'Sure'!_?_"

With his shirt's hems flipping in the wind, steely concentration in his general aura, he drew two swords, moved so quickly she almost didn't catch it and suddenly the whole thing was neatly cut in two. The halves passed the train in slow motion, shock on everyone's faces. "_Rashomon!_"

"EEEEEHHHH~~!_!_?"

Then time seemed to get back it's usual speed and the Rocketman pushed through.

"COULD YOU AT LEAST WARN US BEFROE YOU DO THAT SORT OF THING!" the guy with the weird hair yelled.

"I did say to 'cut it'..." Luffy simply said.

"He's so terrifyingly strong, and he's not even the captain...!" Pat was sweatdropping.

"KYAA~!" Gen squealed and wiggled. "GO, ZORO~!"

"*_cough_* fangirl *_cough_*."

"Demon said what?"

"Oh, I was just coughing, Gloria-sama."

"KYAA~! ZORO'S PUTTING HIS BANDANA ON~!"

"Seriously, woman..." the swordsman said in a blank voice. "It's not over yet."

"Look! In front of us!" Pat pointed. There was a gigantic sea king floating in the water, dead. Gen frowned. Someone had hurt one of the sea's residents.

'_Worrying over some fish...?_' she facepalmed mentally.

There was another part of the Puffing Tom on the tracks, but this time they could see someone standing there. They recognized him as T-Bone, some higher marine guy, and Pat was ready to fire the big gun the king bulls were pulling along.

"WAIT!"

"What!_?_ If we don't hurry, he'll chop us in tiny bits!" Pat yelled at Luffy.

"Are you blind!_?_ Leave it to Zoro!"

That didn't take that much time, either, though it forced Zoro off the train. He was now hanging casually on one side of the train. He climbed in, making a puddle on the floor and took off the bandana. The others had returned in as well, Nami dragging Luffy finally inside.

Gen wiggled more and her mouth opened. They braced for another squeal, but... didn't hear a thing.

"Did she lose her voice?" Paulie asked.

"Uh, no..." Chopper scratched his cheek. "It's just... that she's squealing on a supersonic frequency..."

"..."

The swordsman took place on a barrel and started snoozing away, Gen sitting by his feet. She was pretty sure she had small hearts floating around her persona.

"All of this must've been Sanji's handiwork!" Nami said.

"So we're almost there!_?_" Luffy asked. "Okay~! Charge, Rocketman! Our enemy is close!_!_ I'm gonna kick that pigeon guy's ass! WOO~!"

Time went by, and Gen started drawing again. She started sketching away a picture of Zoro with his bandana on and two of his katana drawn, in black robes and his top off... showing his fine upper body...

"Ooh, this is cool!" Luffy commented. Gen let him take the book to see the picture better, and he showed it to Paulie and the two square-haired girls.

"Whoah! That's hot!"

"Absolutely!"

"Hey! Stop that shameless talking!"

Luffy turned a page back, giving them a full view of Nami sunbathing. His and Paulie's eyes bulged out; the latter's face turning red.

"HEY! IT'S NAMI!"

"_SHAMELESS!_"

_BONK_

"DON'T DRAW ME LIKE THAT!_!_!"

Not long after that Luffy climbed back on the roof. His yell caught their attention, and they saw that there was a frog on the tracks. It wasn't just any frog either, but Yokozuna, in all his scary glory

The damn froggy hadn't been challenging the Puffing Tom for nothing, and the Rocketman had no chance against it. The whole thing was smacked off it's path with them inside, separating the train from the Franky family wagon and the king bulls. Luffy argued with the stupid frog, saying that he'd eat it if he said 'gero' one more time.

"Hey! What happened!_?_" Paulie asked.

"We've strayed from the rail by quite a bit!" Mr. Weird-Beard said. Heh, what a great nickname.

"Kokoro-baasan! Can we still get to Enies Lobby!_?_" Pat asked. The woman was trying to steer the wheel, but the current was too strong. Gen wondered if she should've done something about it...

"Kokoro, do we know the direction of the island!_?_" Nami asked frantically.

"We sure do! We have an eternal pose to every station onboard!" some guy who was shovelling coal said between grunts.

"Then that's fine! I'll observe the currents. Just turn following my direction!"

"Huh? You..." Kokoro was surprised.

"I'm a navigator!" Nami declared proudly. The mermaid hag laughed merrily to that and called out to Yokozuna. The frog was happy to see her.

"What's up?" Zoro asked.

"The old lady Kokoro is talking to Yokozuna," Pat was leaning out of the window.

"So granny's a frog?" Chopper asked.

"Come to think of it, she looks a bit more like a frog than a human..."

"Keep your mouths shut, or you might get spanked," one of the square-hair twins said, the other agreeing. Gen grinned and giggled.

"Granny ain't no froggy, bu' I know wha' she is, yeah I do!"

"Stop that," he sweatdropped.

"By the way, can I be any help at all, Nami?" Gen asked.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I feel like my arms could burst from all the energy that spilled on me from the Aqua Laguna. Y'no, gettin' all nuts?"

The girl raised an eyebrow. "But you can't be all nuts at once."

"Hahahahaha! You've learnt!" she laughed and clapped.

"I might need your help later, so stay ready. For now we're good."

"GEROO~!"

"Strawhat! We've got another comrade!"

"You can understand him!_?_" Luffy's and Kokoro's conversation floated in. "Are you a frog monster!_?_"

"Ngagagaga! Sure, whatever you wanna call me."

Gen climbed out and inched slowly to the huge frog. She wanted to meet this guy better.

Yokozuna actually helped her to get on the coal car, to sit next to him, and then they stared at each other.

"Gero."

"Hello, hello... Hum, my name's Gen. I hear you're Yokozuna?"

"Gero. Geroro!" he puffed out his chest.

"Haha, really?"

"Now _she's_ talking with the frog!_?_" she heard Pat's voice.

"You can understand him too?" Kokoro asked. They looked at each other, the older woman's eyes piercing her with their intensity.

She guessed that the woman hadn't told many people of her origins because fishmen and mermen weren't exactly popular among humans.

"Not the words, but the meaning," she said. It was true; she could hear the difference between a 'gero' and a '_gero_' for instance.

"Ooooh... I _see_... Ngagaga..."

"You're creepy, Kokoro-san..."

"It's an honor to meet you, M'Lady," she winked.

"Don't call me that!"

"Gerooo."

"_Don't!_"

"There's a strong current at 8 o'clock!" Nami told them.

"Okay! Let's charge for it!"

"Hey! Nee-chan! Before we get to the island, let's pick up my dismantler brothers! They'll definitely be able to help out!" Pat peeked in from the window, speaking to Nami.

"Got it!"

The current took them to the outskirts of the storm and rays of sunlight broke the cloud formation.

"HEY~~!" Luffy yelled.

"LUFFY!"

"AH! SANJI! Eh...? Who's that?"

Usopp and Sanji were both on the car, though Luffy and Chopper were the only ones that didn't recognize the man as Usopp, but rather as Sogeking.

"A he... hero! I knew he was a gero when I saw his cape! So cool! This is my first hero sighting!"

"Oh! So wearing a cape means he's a hero!_?_ So cool~!" Chopper and Luffy were awed.

"Yes, cape equals hero!"

"REALLY!_?_"

"So, 'hero', can you fly?" Gen asked just for the spite of it.

"O-Of course I can! Though my amazing flying powers were taken away by the fierce of the fiercest beast: the great... uh, Celestic Sea King!"

"WOOOW~~~!" the two dense idiots had sparkles in their eyes.

"So, where'd Usopp go?" Luffy wanted to know. 'Sogeking' had said he was Usopp's friend and that he had sent the hero to them.

"He's safe, so don't worry about him. He told me that saving Robin is my top priority, and then he left."

"Oh... I see!"

"Oh! Oh! Where's sniper island!_?_" Chopper asked eagerly.

"...It's... in your... heart..."

"Heart..."

*_more sparkles_*

"IDIOTS." Nami stated.

"Nami-san..."

"What is it, Sanji-kun?"

Sanji had heard that Robin had a tragic past, but not the details of it. Gen knew all of it, anger stirring in her.

"And that's the whole story. The CP9 is using something to blackmail her with. I didn't say all of this as an excuse for my failure... I just wanted to point out that Robin may not be willingly leave with us once we get to her."

It got Luffy and Chopper riled up. "I DON'T CAAAARE! I WON'T FORGIVE THEM!_!_!"

"WOO!"

"ROBIN, THAT STUPID-!"

"SHUT UP!" Nami hit him.

"Well, it's true! We tried to rescue her, but she refused to go!"

"That's because she's worried about our safety!"

"She should worry about her own safety! If we don't do anything, Robin might die! She doesn't wanna die, so we have to save her!"

"That's true, but-!" Nami tried saying.

"Forget it, we we're already going to rescue her anyways," Zoro sighed. Luffy fumed and walked away, speaking something about a new attack.

The swordsman happened to look at Gen, who was surprisingly docile. She was silent, and she was sitting with her arms and legs crossed on the floor. He could only see her mouth that was set in thin line from behind her curtain of white hair.

"You're being quiet," he commented, nudging her leg with his toes. Her aura, he noticed, had changed to something scary. She looked straight at him with icy cold anger that could've probably frozen puddles upside down to the ceiling... "Okay, you're mad."

"Netherworld yeah. _That guy_ is going to pay."

"Should I even ask?"

"No."

Paulie had been in Enies Lobby before, for railroad maintenance, so he knew the layout of the marine HQ. He drew a picture from it, building floating above a suspicious hole in the sea and the gate of justice behind them. The main plan was to charge in with the Rocketman and the Strawhats to focus solely on the CP9 members.

Nami brought up another problem. "What are the possibilities that there are demons on Enies Lobby?"

"Demons?" the people chorused.

"I'd say... pretty possible," Greg nodded with a serious face.

"Hey, could someone tell us who this guys is?" Pat asked, poking at Greg's head. "He's kinda suspicious."

The demon pushed some escaped strands of his jet-black hair behind his ear and eyed the dismantler from head to toes.

"We're all allies here," Gen reminded him with a shrug and so he was properly introduced to the people present. Pat's name, she found out, was actually Zambai, and the guy with the rebellious hair was Peeply Lulu. The guy with the beard was Tilestone. Greg told them that he was a demon and that he was there to protect Gen.

When someone asked 'why?' he glared at them and said that it was strictly top secret.

"Demons are scary," Chopper sighed.

"Hnhnhn, I have fought demons before!" Sogeking boasted.

"REALLY!_?_ What happened!_?_"

"You two, shut up!"

"W-Well if you insist, Nami-san..."

"Hai, Nami..."

Greg coughed in his hand to get the attention again. "I'd suggest that if you face demons, you just run. We are strong and hard to kill, and if Sir Roylton is here..."

"Who?" Luffy asked.

"The one who ran on you at the Long Ring Long Island."

"Oh yeah, _him_," Luffy growled. "I'm gonna kick his ass too, if I see him!"

"Didn't I just say 'run'? He's a beastial demon with many connections and the personality of a starved wolf!" he grit his teeth. "He's not going to give up once he has set his mind on something."

"Neither am I!" Luffy said with a firm expression. "No nakama of mine will get killed."

Greg sighed and smiled. "And I will remember that. Though, if you do fail... Gods have _mercy_ on your soul that I won't get my claws on you."


	57. Endangered animals are for frying

Heellloooo 'vryone! Yes, my Valentines was great. Our cat was so cute when he randomly just started purring and begging for petting~ Oh, but yesterday and today was our... huh, how does it translate in english...? Well, the Oldests' Ball. We're now officially the oldest pupils in da house. And my feet are killing me. The damn heels, I managed to step on my own foot. Nevertheless, I've never felt myself more prettier, the highschool pigs kept whistling at me (_or the 'twins' trying to pop out of my corset -_-'_) and the primary school kids almost killed us when we stepped in from the gates (_by the tradition, we go there to throw candy_) o.O That was so damn _scary_, a mass of kiddies all yelling 'GIMME GIMME I DIDN'T GET ANY YET!'...

Gloria: o____o'''' I do not envy you.

* * *

><p>The gate of justice was such an overkill. Who the netherworld would need a 50m gate looming around!<em>?<em> Oh yeah, it was intimidating and all, but still... _dude_.

"It's so big~~~!" Luffy stared in wonder.

"That gate never opens completely," Kokoro said. "Only a little, to let the criminals go through. On the other side of the gate there's a windless area, like the Calm belts, and like the Calm belts, they are full of sea kings."

"Great," Gen groaned, hoping her sea life magnetism wouldn't work on long distances.

"I don't know how they do it, but only the marines know how to pass it. In other words, it's just as the pirate girl said: if you wanna rescue the folks who've been arrested, you gotta do it before they pass through the gate!"

Everyone was pumped up and knew the battle plan... except for Luffy. He had jumped off the train and stood now on the massive fence lining the island. While Paulie and Zambai yelled after him, the Strawhats just sighed.

"It's useless," Nami's head drooped.

"I thought he said 'I got it!'" Sanji bristled.

"To wait 5 minutes... isn't possible for him," Sogeking flapped his hand.

"True," Zoro nodded in agreement.

"Pancakes."

"What's that has to do with anything...?"

The dismantlers rode Sodom and Gomorrah to climb over the fences as well, and Luffy was seen rocketing further in to the marine HQ. In four minutes the Rocketman would charge in. Meanwhile Nami checked that the clima tact would work perfectly on field, and Gen heard Zoro asking Sogeking of his wounds. His answer was very Gloria-like: "It's not a problem, because I'm Sogeking."

"Greg, you ready to pummel some marine butts?" she asked him.

"I'm not sure if I should join you in this. As one of the underworld, I shouldn't interfere with mortal things. But... then again, I already have... Say, how is your swordplay?"

"We don't have time for it now," she said flatly.

"No, we don't, but you should at least wear it on your side," he said. She nodded and dug it from her bag, looping it on her belt.

Zoro was going to climb on the roof, since he played a part in their bust-in. With his other leg already on the window sill, he stopped and looked over his shoulder to Gen. "Oi, Snowbrain, get here for a minute."

"What is it?" she asked, looking up at him. He had an odd expression on his face that instantly sent shivers down her spine - she had seen that look before - and then he had cupped her face and invaded her personal bubble with his heavenly lips.

"Take care~," he sang and bounced out with way too wide grin on him. She was left spluttering incoherent things with her face going gradually more and more red until she actually felt a bit light headed.

"_Whoah_, look! The sea is making a weird dance!" Chopper said with awe from the window, and his yell attracted Sogeking to see it too.

"Hnhnhnhn, Chopper-kun, this is not new to me. On the Sniper Island, one could see the sea dancing like that once a year, and then always the great polka-dotted were-sealions swims to the shores to lay their eggs..."

"REALLY!_?_"

'_THAT SON OF A BITCH! No, wait, that'd be insulting his mother... THAT ASS!_' went through Gen's head. '_Ah... but that's not really a place to insult him... ASDGBFMLJRHYTFD!_!_!_'

"Fufufu, you're awfully flustered."

"SHUT IT, NAMI!"

The inter-radio crackled and Kokoro's voice floated in. "The gates should be open now! We'll go one at a time. Samurai-man, we'll leave the iron railing to you!" The train charged towards Enies Lobby with the steady pace of a raging bull. The radio crackled again. "Everyone! There's a change of plan! Hang on to something tightly!"

"Eh?"

Sanji was quick to get on his feet and peek out of the window. "Hey! Stupid swordsman! What's the problem!_?_"

"They closed the main gate!"

"_WHAT_!_?_"

The three started panicking and pleading Kokoro to do something. The demigoddess' brains were working quickly and she walked to the middle of the car, facing the direction the train was going.

"I'm going to take care of this! Sanji! Be my eyes!"

"Yes, Gen-chan!"

She took a low stance and brought her hands behind her. Concentrating, she made a pushing motion that started arching upwards towards the end. She tuned out the three screaming voices and focused on the task.

Yokozuna had knocked down the fence as they came to it, but there was once little problem: the fence didn't hold the weight of the Rocketman and it fell with a sad groan.

"Where are you aiming?" Sanji asked.

"To the gate."

"AT THE GATE!_?_"

"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE~!"

"Right at it? Got it, Gen-chan! In that case, a little to the left!"

She shifted her weight, and he gave an OK. "Sanji! Warn Zoro and the frog!" The girl rolled her wrists and brought her arms closer to each other before twisting them together like snakes. In one violent move she yanked them apart. The water coated the nose of the train and started rotating like a drill. She sure hoped that they took cover up on the roof...

Gen had tried to do this before, only in a much, much smaller form, and it took a lot out of her every time. The drill was harder to maintain than a single sharp edge since it had to keep moving all the time. Now, though, it seemed like a child's play. It was... just _awesome_!

The Rocketman charged the gate and broke through it, leaving a nice, train-sized hole in the middle of it. As soon as it did, she fell to her knees and let the drill drop.

The yard was in total chaos, towers in rubbles and the marines scurrying around trying to subdue the Franky family. Gen even spotted dogs in the mob. Easier said than done with the two king bulls in the front. Though the Rocketman didn't have brakes, there was a giant kindly in their way to stop its flight. The train bashed right into its back and bounced off. The giant fell, the train came to a stop and the place was engulfed in silence. The train's nose was crooked from the impact.

"Ouch... not doing that... again..." she crawled up. The car had tipped over and everyone was a bit shaken. She knew Sanji and Zoro had gone out to take care of the small fry, leaving the others to gather their surroundings. Greg helped Gen out of the train, though her landing was less graceful than his.

...And the two outside had started bickering again. While that was going on, the marines had discovered Uso- erm, Sogeking and Chopper on the side of the train. They aimed at the already wrecked train with BIG guns. Before all that exploded, Sanji's yelp 'Nami-san's still in there!' was heard. The shockwave kicked her hard with a hot wave of air and she crashed into Greg, who in turn crashed into some boulders of fallen wall.

"You okay, Gloria-sama?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Cease fire!" one of the marines yelled suddenly. "Look over there!"

"Stop! I'm just an old lady!"

_'Oh, it's Kokoro and those two...'_

"And I'm just a kid with a small animal! We're defenceless~!" their tone was a lot more cheerier than in a real hostage situation...

"The Strawhats forced us to pilot the train for them!" Kokoro kept yelling and took a swig from her bottle.

"Drunk like a duck..." she heard Greg's amused mutter.

"What else would you expect?" she grinned and got up. The demon followed her example and dusted off his cape.

"There, all better!"

"After all this, how is that thing still white?" she asked blankly.

"It's a secret! Hehehehe! ...oh? It's going to rain over there?" he pointed out the random cloud floating in the air.

"That's Nami's. I doubt it's for watering plants," she mused. "Come, let's get away from that thing."

That really was Nami's doings. The thunderbolt tempo took out majority of the soldiers, and even the navigator had to jump out of the way. For that, she hit Sogeking with the clima tact.

Gen remembered the last time Greg had had it with electricity, and was naturally worried. He seemed to pick on it and reassured her that he knew now to be careful.

"Damn it, Nami!_!_! You hit us too!_!_!" she heard Zoro's enraged shout.

Sanji just spouted hearts. "You reminded me of how it felt when we first met~!"

"Hurry up and apologize, _Sogeking_," Nami told him.

"You're the one who should apologize, idiot!_!_" the man yelled.

"You look crisp today," Gen commented with a smirk. "Sanji, you think this here is edible?"

"Oh, Gen-chan, I wouldn't eat that. This marimo looks poisonous."

"I've eaten weirder stuff before," she waved her hand indifferently.

"Oi!"

She eyed him mock warily. "And it talks!"

"Gloria-sama, you should be careful. It did try to eat you," Greg said, narrowing his eyes at Zoro.

She blushed and smacked her hands on her cheeks like a shy young maiden. "My purity is in danger..."

"O-_OI!_"

Sanji's eye blazed. "Marimo I swear if you-!"

"You four! Quit playing around and get your asses here!" Nami yelled. "We have to figure out where that one idiot went." They sobered from their previous antics.

Zoro coughed. "Yeah. I wonder where he went."

"The island isn't small... so if we have to search-"

_BOOOOMMMM...!_

"Okay, we found him," Greg nodded, when another building died a quick death.

The dog squad, or something, was there still. They didn't like them making a big mess out of their marine base and readied for an attack. Gen didn't like the look on those dogs' faces...

Luckily, they didn't need to fight them, as the yellow king bull with Paulie riding it came to pick them up. They could also see Tilestone and Peeply Lulu.

"We're saved~!" Nami and Sogeking sighed in relief.

"Don't forget why we're here! This isn't where you should be!" the blonde shipwright yelled and tossed them ropes to climb up. Greg grabbed her by the waist and heaved them up to the animal. The striped king bull was coming right behind them with the Franky family on it's back, and they charged through the puny marines. Mwahahahahaa.

From closer up, she could see them better. They were just like the yagara bulls, only they had more horse like characteristics. These two had goggles, too, something all the Franky family members shared.

"Charge! Charge!" Chimnie encouraged the king bulls from the Rocketman's top.

"Don't die~!" Kokoro was waving.

"We woooon't!" Gen yelled back. Then, her eyes caught the dribbling, twisted muzzles of the dogs. Their masters were riding on their backs. The girl didn't like the looks of those things, and squeezed the bench with her knuckles going white. Greg told her that her face had gone pale.

"Fools! Our guard dogs are much faster than those oversized fish!" the leader yelled. The dogs were barking loudly and the sound hurt her ears.

"Aaa! They're trying to get on!_!_" Chopper shrieked.

"No way!" Nami gasped.

"I hate dooooogs!" Gen whined.

"Hold on to these ropes!" Paulie gave the reins to Sanji. "And... when you see them, tell them this for me: **you're fired**!"

Zoro smirked. "Of course!"

"They're all yours, Galley La!" Zambei yelled.

Paulie, Lulu and Tilestone did a good job.

Sanji was a pro at handling Sodom. The marines started shooting them with heavy stuff, and Zoro flung his sheathed sword like a bat to get rid of an oncoming bomb. Nami was doing her own job too with Greg sending wave after wave at the brave ones who tried to climb the beast's side. Gen herself sat next to Sanji.

"Looking good! These guys are really into it!" the chef was grinning. "We're counting on you to take us to Luffy!"

"Yo, Sodom! _Sodoooom_~!" the demigoddess called it, getting it's attention. "Break that!"

"Barururu!"

He made a small curve in his path to crash into a fountain right next to them. She didn't plan on taking the water with her, but she used it to sweep away a few soldiers. "Ha, bathing time~! _Whoah_!"

"Careful, Snowbrain, you might fall," Zoro had grabbed her by her arm right before she lost her balance. She thanked him hastily before sitting back down next to him.

'_His hands are strong..._' she sighed. They didn't need to do much more, because Gomorrah and the Franky family riding it were taking care of the most.

In some point Chopper had started talking with Sodom, who told them the story of how they happened to meet the Franky family. Someone tried to shoot the reindeer and Sanji sent the small cannonball/bomb back to its original owner.

"So, you guys were really just in the stomach of a sea king that the Franky family was eating..." Zoro sweatdropped. The marines were soon left behind.

"Barurururu~!"

"He says 'I'll stick with big bro for the rest of my life!'" Chopper translated it.

"Well, that's fine, but could he watch where he's going? That was pretty close," Nami said.

"Since I can understand what he says, I can tell he's fairly happy."

"Uwaa, Sodom's so cute," Gen gave him a big grin.

"Baru~!"

"'You're cute too, little one!' he says."

"Aww~!"

"Enough 'aww'ing, Snowy," Zoro nudged her leg with his.

"'Snowy'?" she raised her eyebrow. "Is Marimo jealous?"

"Bahu hinhin? Hin hin."

"'By the way, that masked guy who was with us earlier, is it okay that he didn't ride with us?' is what he said. Eh!_?_"

"Whut?"

"Eh?

"Huh?"

"!_!_!"

"EEEHHH!_!_?"

Oh, great.

"HE'S NOT HERE!_!_" Chopper's eyes bulged out.

"Why...!_?_ That guy!_!_ Did he fall off!_?_"

"No, come to think of it, he wasn't onboard from the start!"

"Gen! Do you know what happened to that guy?" Nami asked her.

She frowned and strained her memory, but only came up with blank. "It's no good, I can't remember..."

"Anyhow, we can't go back to get him. He'll manage on his own, somehow," Zoro said. The whole scene was reminding Gen again that he really was the first mate, the one who took charge when Luffy wasn't there.

Nami didn't seem to have hope in Usopp. "This island is full of guards! He's not Luffy! Alone, he might-!"

"As we traveled to each island, we all became stronger, even if we haven't noticed it. With every island he's visited, he, too, has overcome death," the swordsman said. "We don't have anyone in our group who'd die so easily!"

'_Wh-what?_' the demigoddess blinked. Was he talking about her too? '_I... I've already died twice, technically. I'm physically strong, yeah, but everyone's STRONGER.'_

Suddenly Sodom cried out and the bull lurged. Everyone held tight so they wouldn't fall. Sanji cursed.

"Sodom! Oh no, he needs to be treated immediately!" Chopper panicked.

"The netherworld...!_?_" the girl looked around. The marines had shot the king bull, and he was ready to collapse.

"Guys! Come over here!" Gomorrah came to their side. "Don't hesitate! Sodom's already done for! That mortar hit his heart! Quick, before he collapses! If you don't keep moving, they won't get what's coming to them!" Zambai was yelling to them.

Gen felt something cold drop to the pit of her stomach. Sodom turned his huge head towards them and coughed something. Chopper, with tears in his eyes, translated his final words to be '_GO_!'.

The Strawhats jumped off. Greg offered her his hand to help her over, and they soon sat on the striped animal's back.

She knew that the king bull wouldn't actually die, but she still felt bad.

"Let's go, Gomorrah!_!_" Zambai bellowed.

Gen sat next to Chopper and on his other side was Nami. She saw the doctor wipe his face, most possibly thinking about Sodom. '_Well, if he can suck it up, I can too,_' she decided.

Nami's bust started ringing. It was the mini den den mushi, and it was Kokoro who called them, telling them that there was no way to get to the tower of justice from the courthouse. The old hag told them that the two towers standing next to the courthouse had means to lower a drawbridge to get over the huge waterfall. The den den mushi made weird sounds before Chimnie's voice rang through and clear.

"**_Hello~!_****?****_ Can you hear me, pirate lady!_****?**" "_**Nya nya nya!**_"

"Wah! What? Chimnie!"

"You don't need to yell, please spear the snail's throat," Gen sweatdropped at the pained expression the little thing was making besides the overly cheery grin.

Of course the kid ignored her completely. "_**Hey! That rubber pirate guy, I saw him climb on top of the courthouse roof!**_"

"Really!_?_ He did!_?_"

"**_After that, I saw some stones on the roof crumble. It looks like there's some kind of fight going on!_**"

"On the roof? Got it, thanks."

'_It's that door guy...'_

The den den mushi was returned to Kokoro. "_**And keep your eyes open! I saw some very shady guy a moment ago, and I got the chillies."**_

"Could it be...?" Nami looked at Gen, who shrugged. "Okay, we'll be careful."

"Good! Keep the den den mushi on, girl! That way we'll know what's going on over there."

"Roger!" Nami nodded, though Kokoro couldn't see that (_or did she? The den den mushi did act like the speaker..._) and the thing went to sleep. "That's it!"

"Now we know where to go!" Zoro said.

"Okay! You guys go first. Head for the courthouse roof and meet up with Strawhat! We'll split into two groups and lower the drawbridge!" Zambai made up a plan and got a chorus of 'yeah!'s from his 'brothers'. "It's up to you, Gomorrah! Until we reach the courthouse!"

"Bahihihi!"

"WATCH OUT!" Gen yelled. The king bull screeched when three massive iron balls on chains slammed into him.

"Gomorrah!_!_!"

"So, you thought you could slip by so easily? You pieces of trash..."

"I'mma drown th' lot of 'em!" Gen growled out and felt around for any sources of water. The marines were celebrating, and there were thousands of them in every direction.

"_**Calling all Enies Lobby personnel! In the center of the southeast D-block, the king bull ridden by the pirates has been halted! All personnel converge and close off D-block completely!**_" the marines proclaimed. They were aiming mortars at them.

"If we're surrounded, we'll all be done for!_!_" Chopper yelled.

Nope, no water anywhere...

"Hey!_!_ Cook!"

"Yeah, I saw it. Luffy's already fighting with CP9," Sanji bit at the cigarette.

"EH!_?_"

"Seriously!_?_ Damn it, he's already started!" Zambai balled his fist. "But, how do we get through? We're totally surrounded! And Gomorrah can't move anymore!"

That wasn't true. Gen more felt than heard the rumbling words of the king bull as the marines and the Franky family shot at each other. Chopper nulled their plan of just cutting through by telling them that Gomorrah was still going to try and go on.

And then the king bull crashed into a wall.

"Oowaah! Hey, Gomorrah! Why are you running into walls!_?_" Zambai asked. "What's wrong!_?_ Are you really at your limit!_?_"

"No...! That's not it! He can't see!" the doctor made his analysis. "They got his retinas! He's lost his eyesight!"

Gomorrah roared and ran into another wall. The marines shot at him again and he cried out.

"You gotta stop, Gomorrah!" the square hair girls yelled. "You can't go on with your body like that!_!_"

"BARURURUA!"

"'I promised,' he said! To Sodom! He said, 'leave the rest to me! I'll run your part with everybody, too'!"

"Gomorrah..." Zambai sniffed and the king bull bellowed again.

'_I gotta do something!'_ Gen got up, threw the bag to Greg and jumped on the backs of the seats to get to the front. From there, she continued on along Gomorrah's slick neck, holding onto the fin for her dear life. She ignored all the surprised shouts and 'eep'ed when someone shot way too close at her.

If the king bull continued like that, he was going to run into a dead end.

She reached his head that was swinging wildly from side to side. His voice was going to make her go deaf, she was sure of it. She jumped on the long snout of his and hugged herself to it. Since he couldn't see her, he started panicking.

"Aaah! Don't drop me, Gomorrah! It's me! _It's me!_ Jeez! Calm down!" she yelped when she almost fell off. He seemed to recognize her, as he stopped in his tracks to hear what she was saying.

"Okay. There, there... Since you can't see, I'm going to be your eyes for a moment. How's that?"

"Burururu! Buruu~!"

"You too!_?_ Oh come on! Stupid seahorse..." she blushed and turned around. "Calling me cute... Don't drop me, ay? Go that way," she kicked her left heel into his upper lip and he turned to the direction.

"Aim for the head! The head!"

"Cover her!" Sanji yelled. "And I won't forget any of you if she gets hurt!"

It was a little scary when the bullets and the small cannonballs whizzed at her, only to be shot or cut down. All she could do was to trust the others... but of course she did trust them. Especially...

"Turn here, Gomo-kun! It's the last and we'll reach the courthouse!" she said cheerfully and patted his nose.

A loud _BOOM_, a very large animal tumbling and a scream she realized as her own later Gen found herself from the ground, covered in dust and laying in the shade of Gomorrah's head. His heavy breathing told her that he was at the end of his line.

"Ya did good, Gomo-kun... ya did good," she hugged him. Now it wasn't the wisest to get out of there, they were still surrounded.

Sanji and Zoro walked to the head of the king bull, the latter with two drawns swords on his sides like wings.

"Hi there, Gen-chan," Sanji greeted her with a grin that totally ruined his cool-guy act.

"Hi Sanji."

"_**Calling all personnel! The pirates made it to the courthouse front plaza! All guards, report there immediately!**_**!**_**!**_"

"So... you see him?" the swordsman asked, looking up the massive gate now before them. Nami and Chopper were walking to them too and the navigator helped Gen up on the way.

"Luffy? Nope," Sanji answered Zoro's question. "If he's on that roof, there's no way to climb up there."

"Unless you're made of rubber," the swordsman muttered.

"How many members did you see?" Nami shaded her eyes.

"Don't worry, its only Blueno up there with him," Gen said, making two horns with her hands. "The big cow-looking guy."

"You know if Robin and Franky are there too?" the chef asked.

"Not with Luffy, no."

Chopper was in his walking point and growled. "At any rate, we gotta catch up with Luffy! We gotta hurry and save Robin!"

"Yeah..." the demigoddess' face turned something sinister. "And I have an endangered animal to fry..."

"..."

"Gloria-sama, he's not yours to fry," Greg reminded her.

"Buuuu~t!" she whined and would've said more if it wasn't for the marines trying to capture them again.

In a nutshell, a big ball of steel in the end of a chain almost crushed them, but Yokozuna caught it. The Franky family was amazed, because it was those same balls that beat up Gomorrah. Then the guys with the balls tried to run, Zoro telling them that it was a waste of precious time to chase after them, but then Sanji kicked the shit out of one of them. While the Franky family was in awe Zoro cut off the bottom of one of the gate's doors and they went inside. The Franky family decided to go take care of the drawbridge for them.

Gen stood still outside, watching Gomorrah and the marines still advancing on them.

"Come on, don't just stand there," Zoro nodded towards the hole. Greg's head popped out.

"Gloria-sama?"

"You... guys go ahead. I'm going to sweep up a little out here. Y'know, to shoot some seagulls that pecked out Gomorrah's eyes?" she said that in tone so sweet it sent shivers up their spines.  
>Greg coughed. "You want me to-?"<p>

"No."

"Oh, okay. See you, Gloria-sama..." Greg disappeared.

"You too, swordboy. Off ya go," she stood in a shoulder width, rock steady stance. Zoro already saw small rivers of water creeping towards the girl.

"Hmh. Don't take too long, don't forget about Robin."

"Ah, I won't, I won't."

* * *

><p>She didn't take that long to flood the courtyard, drown some people and wash them away in one huge wave that she suspected continued all the way to the front gate. She felt better, and she was still amazed by herself. When had she become like this? Was it the Aqua Laguna? She didn't remember much what had happened to her, only that she had a burning need to throw herself into the tide and let it take her away.<p>

Previously, whenever she had used the power of the sea, it felt like she was drawing that power from a small hole in a brick wall. Now it was as if the hole had grown, the wall around it forced to crumble and let more water flow through it.

The demigoddess giggled and made a small victory bounce. Gomorrah was still out cold, but at least he was breathing.

There were more marines starting to come to them, but she wasn't interested in them anymore. She was satisfied, and so walked inside and after the rest of the crew.

The girl left and the marines came to the cleaned out courtyard, some of them were confused.

"Hey, where's everyone!" someone asked.

"Everything's soaked!"

There was a coughing noise and the marines noticed one of their fellow man on the ground, wet to the bone.

"Hey! What happened here!"

"_*Cough*_ it... was the woman...! *_cough, cough_*."

"What woman!_?_"

"One... of th- *_cough_* Strawhats! So much water...! So powerful...! We couldn't do a thing..." the man was on verge of tears from coughing and from the humiliation.

"He's speaking the truth, sir," another man, in better condition than the first, limped to them. "I thought... I had only heard about them in stories..."

"Soldier, you're not making sense. Do not mumble," the marine said.

"The witches of the deep sea!"

* * *

><p>"I SAID THE STAIRCASE!<em>!<em> HOW COULD YOU _POSSIBLY_ GO THE WRONG WAY!_?_" Nami was yelling when Gen went inside. There were unconscious marines all over the place, most of them with deep cuts.

_'Awwww, I didn't see him in action!'_ she pouted.

"Are you a fantasist!_?_"

"Shut up! Your explanation was bad!_!_"

"How could it be bad!_?_"

Sanji was running up the stairs many steps ahead of the rest of them, yelling something about saving Robin-chan...

"Zoro, I'll try to make a medicine for it next time! A good medicine for a hopeless idiot..." Chopper was in his human form.

"Don't call me hopeless!" Zoro was running back to the stairs from... wherever he had been going to.

Gen laughed merrily, getting their attention. "Choppie, if you did come up with a med for 'hopeless idiots', I'm sure the world would give you some kind of award!"

"Shut up!" Zoro pointed a sword at her.

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't point that thing at me, young man."

He blinked in surprise and confusion. "Eh? What'd you just say?"

"I said 'don't point me with your sword', you dumbass. ...in any sense of the word," a lecherous grin took over her face.

"Go to hell."

"Um, hey... where's Greg?" she asked, noticing that he was gone.

"He said something and ran off before we could do anything," Nami told her.

Chopper's head snapped suddenly to their right and a big, three-headed man jumped at them with a huge-ass sword. "DON'T IGNORE ME, THE PRESIDING JUDGE~~~!_!_"

"KYAAAH!" Nami screamed as the strike broke the stairs. Zoro was about to take the Cerberus and let the three of them go on, but the Franky family that was still hanging around grabbed the big man's ankle and pulled him off of them.

So they continued, going up and through mounds of enemies. Gen stuck closely to Zoro to keep him from getting too lost... but who was she kidding? They still did.

"Zoro! Stop!" Gen grabbed the hem of his open, yellow shirt. "Ooh, this suits you- No! We're just running in circles like headless chicken!"

"Can't help it if they got lost..." he huffed. "Where the heck are they?"

"_We're_ the ones lost!_!_" her teeth became sharp and pointed. "Hm? There's stomping coming from above us."

"Above?" He tilted his head. "I don't hear a thing."

"And yelling. Hey, make a hole here," she pointed to the ceiling. Why was a ceiling coloured like a kitchen floor?

"Oh yeah, that's right... we just have to go up by any means, right?" he placed the third sword into his mouth. "**TATSUMAKI!**"

She could see the clear blue sky from the perfect, round hole through several floors. "Impressive."

"Hang on to me, we get there faster," he put away his swords and walked closer to her.

"Uhhhhhhhh..." she turned red, but looped her hands around his shoulders and buried her face into his shirt, wondering if a person her age could die of a heart attack.

They got to the roof and she let go of him. '_Never noticed that it was this cold here..._' She saw Nami and Chopper there too, though by the looks of it Nami's landing had been more better than the reindeer's.

Zoro sighed. "That's what I should've done to climb up... from the start..."

"You're going to kill me, y'know?" Gen had her head down and face hidden by her hair.

"Zoro! I knew it was you!_!_" Nami didn't sound pleased. "We're only still alive because we took an indirect hit!_!_ If we'd been hit directly, we'd be dead by now!_!_"

"Ah? What's going on?" he noticed the two only now. Behind them, further to the roof, Sanji broke through with a spectacular kick and a roar.

"I'm definitely the first one to get here...! Now, Robin-chan, you've been waiting...! I've come to rescue- MO!_!_?" he noticed Zoro. "Marimo! How'd you get here before me!_?_"

"Ah, you're late. Did you get lost?"

"Am I the only one who actually used the door?" Greg's voice said with a sweatdrop.

As an answer to that, Sogeking flew past them... He hadn't even stepped into the whole tower. His landing got low points, but the sound was funny.

"I beg of you!" Luffy yelled. They all noticed now what had been going on before they reached the roof. In the Tower of Justice stood CP9 in a row with Robin and Spandam.

_'Wait..._' "Oh fucking no _way_!" Gen's eyebrow twitched.

"That little-!" Greg growled.

Sir. Cray Roylton, in a black suit plus his iron arm and sword.

She wanted to grate that that arrogant smirk off his face.

"I don't care what you want, whether you choose to live or die...! But whatever you decide... SAY IT WHILE YOU'RE WITH US!_!_!" Luffy was yelling at Robin from his perch on the wall. They accompanied him on their individual spots, Greg sitting on one with Gen behind him.

"That's right, Robin-chan~!"

"Robin, come baaack!"

Gen's hair fluttered in the wind like a silvery flag, but she said nothing. Robin was chewing on her lip with watery eyes full of emotions. She was looking at each of the Strawhats, stopping on her for a brief moment as well.

"Leave it all to us!" Luffy said with determination.

* * *

><p>Thus, my brake is over. The next chapter is in making and soon ready to be edited. (<em>Psst, if any of you are into shounen ai, I made a ZoSan oneshot. Check it out?<em>)

And, as a late Valentine's gift for everyone, I have this~!

* * *

><p><strong>ExtRRRRa Piece<strong>

_~ Laundry  
><em>

One certain day when Zoro came out of the bathroom and walked to the deck, he saw one long rope hanging across the ship. It was full of wet clothes that swayed in the wind, as if their owner didn't want to use more ropes. He could also see the big wooden tub the crew used for the washing and some puddles that had either spilled from the tub or fallen from the clothing.

A strong gust of wind made the clothes flap agressively and lean towards him. Something wet and cool hit his face and he grabbed the thing before it fell.

Swinging it before his eyes, he could see that it was a bra.

The material was just as soft as he would expect a bra be, and it was all black. On the upper side of it ran a strip of lace. His eyes followed this trail to between the cups to a small, appropriate bow.

Zoro's hand was paralyzed. '_It feels like I'm holding a bomb here..._'

The man looked rigidly back to the clothes line. Mostly black, some colorful items, yes, only one skirt... Couldn't be Nami's, too dark. And Robin didn't wear blue...

'..._oh_...'

He dropped the lingerie as if it had burnt him.


	58. Upon the Grave of the Old Gods

A new chapter! And it's so late!

Gloria: You sound kinda cheery... -_-'

Snoara: Inside I'm crying. This arc has been by far the most fun to write, but I feel like it's soon over! I'm writing ch. 59 as we speak... Or, as I write and You read, and Robin's finally free from da cuffs...

Gloria: Hey, hey, hey! _Shhh_!

Snoara: Oh, yeah! Right! Uh, and I'm sorry about the big blob of text in there, but I felt like I just couldn't leave it out. It's _Robin_, after all.

* * *

><p>"It's the demon," Nami stated to her. "What was his name?"<p>

"Sir Cray Roylton," Greg's voice had an edge to it. "That bastard..."

"He's mine."

"Very well, Gloria-sama. Be extremely careful with him."

"I will."

Luffy heard about the drawbridge for the first time. Gen saw the CP9 members talking with each other, except for Cray who was sending her hungry glances.

Spandam was ready to pee his pants. "SO MANY PIRATES HAVE COME~~~!_!_!"

Robin breathed deep for a few times before sucking it up. Nami whispered her name in concern.

"CP9! Listen, I'll give you permission to wipe 'em out, but take them down at the Tower of Justice!_!_ It's not like they could get up here to begin with!_!_ Waaaahahahahahaha!_!_!_!_ You tako-pirates! Do you realize that no matter how brave you are, nothing would ever change!_!_!" Spandam whipped out a small, golden den den mushi. Gen knew instantly what it was: and wanted nothing more than to shove it up the man's rectum. He continued to gloat about the CP9, the Gates of Justice and the given authority to trigger a Buster Call on them.

Robin flinched and all her inner alarm bells started clanging.

_'I wanna kill that fucker...'_

"That's right. Exactly... 20 years ago. It's the power that obliterated your hometown, Nico Robin! The word 'Ohara' disappeared from the following year's map, didn't it?"

_'I wanna kill him so bad...'_

"Robin's hometown!_?_" Chopper frowned.

"Shitty iron mug, I wanna kick him down into the waterfall right now!_!_" Sanji growled.

"...carve a drinking goblet out o' 'is skull... then I'mma rip off 'is dick and force it down 'is throat..." Gen was muttering.

"Stop! Don't do that!" Robin yelled, panic creeping in her voice, and she wasn't talking about Gloria's threats.

"Ooo~, I like that response. It'd very thrilling," his tone made her feel like a sane person. ...that has to be taken care of later. "WHAT!_?_ Does that mean I _should_ press this Buster Call's trigger!_? Eh!_? Hm!_?_"

"DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT'LL HAPPEN WHEN TOU PRESS IT!_!_?"

"Robin..."

"Of course I know it very well! The chances of you pirates getting off this island will become zero! By just a push of the button on this golden den den mushi!" his finger hovered over the said button. "What, did you have something else in mind? Wahahahahahahahahaha!"

"It's not that simple!_!_! _STOP IT!_"

"...eh? Don't get cheeky with me now!"

"You said Ohara disappeared from the map, didn't you!_?_ Can you see any humans on that map? You could only be so cruel, because you look at the world like that!_!_!" Robin was drained and fell on her knees. When she spoke next, her voice was silent. "If you commence, the Buster Call right now... Enies Lobby will be destroyed along with all of us in it!"

"That's insane!" Spandam didn't believe it. "Our own people won't be killed! Quit your mindless babbling!"

"20 years ago the Buster Call took everything away from me... it ruined the lives of so many people... just one attack... And now, that attack is being targeted at my true friends, the only ones that I've ever placed faith in. The longer I stay with them, the more I betray and endanger them! No matter where I do in this world I will always have enemies destined to destroy me!_!_! Only because my enemies are the 'world' and it's 'darkness'! First it was with Aokiji, and now it's this!_!_ I have trapped you within danger _**TWICE!**_ Even though you're all so kind... if this keeps up, then you will only see me as a burden to uphold forever! You will eventually betray and abandon me! It's inevitable, and that's what I'm most afraid about! That's why I didn't want you to rescue me! If I ever want to die... then I'll wish for it to be right here and now!"

Greg looked down the wall to the depths below and his eyes widened. He put his hand on Gen's leg. "Gloria... Gloria-sama..."

"Huh?" she looked down too. "Oh... _that_ looks bad."

"Please...!"

"If Spandam says _one more-_"

"Bwahahahaha! I realize it now... seems to make sense!_!_ Yeah! That's why! It's so stupid for anyone to lug you around all the time! Bwahaha!" the man pointed up. "Take a look at that flag, pirates! It bears a symbol representing the pact between 170 nations! It spans over the four Blue Seas and the entire Grand Line! It is the world! Do you realize what small-fries you really are!_?_ You have no idea how great of federation this woman is being trailed by!"

Luffy looked calm. "Now I know who Robin's real enemies are. Sogeking!"

"Hm?"

"Burn that flag down."

"Roger."

In front of everyone the sniper took aim, called out the shot's name and tadah, there was a nice big hole right in the center of that stupid flag. Ah, and it was obviously in flames, which doused out her anger and stopped the whirlpool in the ocean under the marine base from growing any bigger than it was.

The marines freaked out. "T-The pirates have now... waged war against the World Government_!_!_!_!"

"Gah! You all are crazy! Do you really think you'll stand a chance against the entire world!_?_" Spandam screamed. Cray sneered, rolled his eyes and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"HELL YEAH!_!_!" was Luffy's answer. "Robin! I haven't heard you say it yet! _SAY THAT YOU WANNA LIVE!_!"

Right in front of them, the last bits of her usual self crumbled down into pieces. Though Robin was a fine, intelligent woman the age of 28, she reverted back to being 8-years-old when she started crying.

"**I WANNA LIVE!**_**!**_**!**_**!**_ Take me with you to the blue seas!_!_!"

Gen felt like crying too, but held it in for the sake of looking awesome. Franky didn't have qualms like that...

"_Waaaaahh!_! I really love you guys~~!"

There was a loud creaking voice.

"The drawbridge is being lowered!" Chopper said.

"Looks like their job is done," Sanji nodded.

"I'm... so excited... I'm shaking..." Yeah, you say that, Sogeking.

"Aaah! Here they come!" Spandam, that dumbass.

"Drop that bridge already," Zoro was already drawing his sword.

Nami sweatdropped. "Do you have to look so evil?"

A tremor of adrenaline induced hyper, boosted with the emotional scene just now, shot up Gen's back, and she stared boldly back at Cray. The demon was grinning like an animal and the tip of his tongue swept over his upper lip. Lucci was looking just as enthusiastic.

"Here we come!" Luffy announced with a grin.

Of course it wasn't that easy. There were two explosions at the base of the drawbridge that was hanging half towards its final destination, and the thing halted. Spandam became busy with getting out of there, with Robin in tow of course, that XXXXX.

"YO, SPIN-DUMB!" Gen yelled. "Upon the grave of the Old Gods, I _swear_, that you'll have your ass handed to you!"

Gloria had read from the Great History about the Grave of the Old Gods. It wasn't actually a grave, since gods can't _die_, but by the looks of it, it was a place where the gods go after retiring.

Then there had been some weirdness going on including Luffy and a gigantic praying mantis, and she'd had to put the book away.

"By the Old Gods, eh?" Cray's voice was as sweet as cyanide as he leaned over the edge of the roof. "Hah! I'm going to enjoy ripping you limb by limb, abomination!"

"Shut up, you mangy cur!" Greg growled back. "What business do you have with these people!_?_" he demanded.

"That's what you'd like to know, right? Too bad it's none of your business~!"

"_ANSWER ME!_!"

"Hey!_!_ You're that guy!_!_" Luffy realized. "You tried to kill Gen!_!_"

"So what if I tried?" the demon gave an evil smirk. "She has to die. I wouldn't care less if you lot would die too. You're nothing but disgraceful traitors."

"Traitors?" Luffy echoed the last word in confusion.

"It's a thing about the devil's fruit users. We can discuss it later," Greg waved his hand indifferently.

"Oh, okay."

The scene progressed somehow to the blueprints of Pluton. There was a certain glint in Cray's eyes when it was mentioned, and Gen concluded it couldn't be anything good. She decided that whatever happened, there was no way Cray was going to land his hands on that.

Now Franky was holding in his big hand the genuine blueprints of the Pluton. It was a somewhat thick stack of papers tied together.

"Is that... it can't be!" Spandam's jaw dropped. "The blueprints for the ancient weapon, Pluton!_?_"

"It's the real deal," Franky grinned and ruffled the pages. "Can ya believe it? Lucci... Kaku... you both should know too, right?"

"I can't believe it... you bastard. You were keeping it inside your body this whole time?" the latter sounded calmer than what his words would've initiated.

"The... The real thing!_?_ It's the real thing!_?_ Hand it over!" Spandam had a mad smile.

"Hand it over to me! Had over the blueprints I've always wanted!"

_'Dude, you can't always have what you want.'_

"Nico Robin," Franky spoke to her. "There are rumours all around the world that you wished to abuse the power of the weapons, but I know now that you're not that kind of person. Nothing... that the shipwrights of Water 7 inherited over generations was the skill to 'create weapons'! Hey Spandam... Master Tom and Iceburg risked their lives on protecting these sheets of paper."

The man wasn't listening to him, but kept just repeating the same chant of 'gimme, gimme'.

"_BUT!_ If the ancient weapons fell into the hands of an utter MORON like you and things started getting violent, another weapon would be born. One that would stop you running around unchecked, as was the wish of the first weapon's designer! Should Nico Robin use it, then surely you'd be able to awaken the weapon! She's a dangerous woman, but those are the true friends that are defending her!"

"Thanks~!" Gen sang.

"So, I'd like to take a gamble here. I bet there's only one way for me to fulfill the wishes of the designer right now," Franky's words were ominous.

"I'm getting tired of your yammering! Hand it over! That there is mine!"

"How stupid can this guy be...?" Gen heard Zoro's scoff.

Franky raised his hand along the blueprints to the air and took a deep breath, before setting it on fire, to Spandam's horror. Cray looked like he'd just bitten a raw lemon, or a spiky octopus that was trying to come back up.

"GARRRRRGH! BASTARD! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!_?_ AHH! DAMMIT, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! The mission we spent 5 years on...!_!_"

"The blueprints I carried for the purpose of creating the power to fight back... that your Government tried to take! Originally, I was just supposed to keep it unknown from the rest of the world, but should the time come that it sees the light of day, it must be destroyed! But now, the power that opposes the weapons has been lost! And if Nico Robin were to slip through your fingers, you'd be hopeless! So if the Strawhats win you'll have nothing left! So I'm betting everything on their victory!"

"Make a fool of me, will you... I'll end you, here and now!_!_" Spandam grit his teeth and seethed.

Suddenly, there was a distant voice. "Broooooo~! Brother Franky!"

"Brother, we came to save you!"

"We came with Mr. Strawhat's group!"

"Sodom and Gomorrah also worked hard!"

"Come back to us~!"

"Are you hurt at all!_?_"

The Franky family was on the level of the bridge. Franky, after a moment of gaping, started sobbing. "You guys came all this way to save me!_?_ You came... Ah gnew ah coulb cound on youb~!"

"Brotherrrr~!"

And so on.

"Shut it, all of you!" _Luffy_ yelled.

"Bwah!_?_ Like a demon!_?_" Zoro and Nami were taken aback by his interruption.

"Robin's waiting! Hurry it up with the bridge!"

"Oh yeah! Hurry it up, ya bastards!" Zoro yelled down to them.

"Yeah! Get your butts in gear or I'll kick 'em!"

"I like the unrelenting Nami-san~!"

Gen giggled. "They are all such..."

"Huh?" Greg looked at her.

"Strawhat! You looked after my precious brothers... now let me show you the super battle power of their leader, the Great Franky!"

"Do as you please! But I still haven't forgiven you over Usopp, though!"

_'...despite all the cool things he pulls..._' Gen sweatdropped. _'He's still an idiot...'_

Spandam was still childishly upset about the now gone blueprints and pushed the big man off the roof.

"WAAAAAH! BROTHER!"

"Whoa! Franky!" Usopp yelled in surprise.

The little den den mushi Nami carried woke up. **"Hey, pirates!"**

"Eh? Kokoro-san!"

**"Listen to everything I have to say! Enough with your hesitation!"**

"Hesitation... but the bridge is only halfway down!" Nami said.

**"Halfway down is good enough!"** Kokoro told them that she was going to fly through the waterfall, and then they all heard the whistle belonging to the Rocketman.

"Let's go!" Was all Luffy said before his arms stretched to sweep off his friends and...

Jump off the tower.

* * *

><p>It wasn't all about Luffy's idiocy (<em>but it did include a lot of that...<em>), because right when the gravity noticed the flying people, the Rocketman busted out below them, running up the drawbridge. The train bashed right through the Tower of Justice's wall, with the Strawhats on top of it.

There was a short silence when all the dust and the rubble settled, before Luffy burst through it. "ALLLRIIIGHT!_!_ WE'RE HEEREE!_!_"

"I'm... going to _kill_ him..." Gen groaned. A big chunk of wall was preventing her from moving. Where'd Greg go?

The others weren't happy about it either and the boy dared to say 'that was nothing'.

"Heeeelp?" she whined. "I think there's something crawling in my shirt..." The load was lifted from her and she was helped up by multiple people.

"Are you okay, Gen-chan?" Sanji asked.

"Just peachy." Then she frowned "...no, wait. I'm not, if I'm using the word 'peachy'..."

"Good, everyone's okay," their captain nodded.

"_DIE!_"

"You guys are freaking strange... just so I have to say it once," Franky commented.

Gen walked to him for the first time and took a proper look at their soon-to-be nakama. He stared back at her, his expression asking 'what?'.

The girl broke into a grin and she stuck out her hand. "'M Gen! Nice ta meet ya!"

"Oh, same here. I'm Franky," he shook her hand. "You're a part of the crew too?"

"Ay! But I sure made Luffs chase me," she smiled smugly.

"Really?"

Luffy was in a hurry. To Gen, it was quite cute to see how devoted their captain was. '_I'll have to tell Robin about it!_' The girl giggled.

As they were about to take a flight of stairs, they heard a hoarse voice, hoarse in a way that belonged to a person who only spoke by whispering. Gen almost screetched when she saw the big, round man with a zipper as his mouth in a corner few feet off the ground. "Wait!"

"The hell is that?" Luffy asked.

"Chapapapapa! You've invaded! Since Lucci took her to the Gate of Justice! Well, you could head to upstairs, but Nico Robin isn't there anymore!"

"_EH!_?"

"Oh, and the chief too. They're headed to there now... but I can't tell ya how to get there. You see-"

"Get to the point, beach ball!" Gen interrupted him.

He pursed his lips and looked at her with his small, black eyes. "How rude! As I was saying, I will not tell you how to get there, since we were ordered to exterminate you all! Chapapa! If you guys don't beat us, there's no way to save Nico Robin! Check it out!" He held a small golden key with his thick fingers. "This is the key to the seastone shackles that bind Robin!"

"Seastone?" Chopper asked.

"The stone that makes devil's fruit users lose their powers! It's got the same effect as dropping you in water... or being hugged by Gen," Nami told him.

"So that's why Robin's been so quiet, even when she's so strong! It must be mortifying!"

"You've got a one in ten-thousand chance in freeing Nico Robin, but even then seastone is as hard as diamond! Those shackles will last an eternity! If that's okay, then feel free to go and save her! Chapapapa!"

"Then hand that over!" Luffy's arm stretched suddenly and broke the wall where the guy wasn't anymore. "He can use that technique too?"

"Slow down there, hotshot!" his voice came from somewhere behind them. Gen twirled around to keep him within her vision. "I haven't told you if this key is the real one yet!"

"WHAT WAS THAT!_?_"

The CP9 member used the skywalk move to climb the air. "It might not be the real key to the shackles... chapapapa! In this tower, five of us are waiting and each one has a key."

"So, unless we scramble to bring all of you down, we won't know which key is the real one," Zoro said.

"Dammit, they're trying to buy time. While we do that, they'll be taking Robin-chan to the Gate of Justice..." Sanji grumbled.

"Getting Robin back is the fastest way!" Nami made up a plan. "If we work to get her back first, we can worry about the keys after that! So, let's hurry and do that first!"

"Well, aren't you a smart one... but there's just one little problem," the big guy said eerily. "I could just throw this key into the sea! Chapapapa! We're just giving you a chance~."

"You bastard!" Luffy growled.

"Hey!" Gen yelled suddenly. "Tell me, what did Roylton offer!_?_"

The man made a cartwheel in the air. "Chapapa, aren't you insightful? Personally, I have no idea why that guy's here, and I don't feel like telling you either. Maybe if you run into him, you'll find out! Oh... but it's a shame he doesn't carry a key with him. Or maybe he does! See ya!"

"OI!" Gen had a tickmark on her brow as the weirdo disappeared in a blur.

"Get back here!" Luffy yelled and tried to rush after him.

"Hey, wait up, wait up!" Zoro grabbed his cheek and it stretched because he tried to run away.

"Graaaah! Lemme go!"

"Just slow down for a second! Wait till we've planned everything!"

Sanji took a drag from his cig. "Lucci is that guy with the pigeon, right?"

"Yup, you got it," Franky confirmed it.

"If that guy's with Robin, the probably only Luffy has a shot at it. Luffy! Kick that hat bastard's ass for me!" Sanji called him. "So, excluding Luffy, the eight of us should go after the CP9 and that demon guy here. Once we get the keys, we head for Luffy!"

"If Robin makes it to the Gate, all will be lost. It's a battle for time," Sogeking said gravely.

Greg rubbed his chin. Gen imagined a small beard there. "Sir Roylton isn't going to sit still and wait for the prey to come galloping at him."

"We know," Nami nodded.

"It's just like them: he kicked up a deal with the enemy," Sanji said. "The question is, what did he promise to them?"

"Everything a goddess can give," Greg muttered. "Riches. Power. Weapons."

* * *

><p>Two figures ran through a hall. Their footsteps echoed from the grey walls, and the sound of the other one's heavy breathing trailed them.<p>

"Can't you sniff 'im out or something?" Gen asked. "Time is of the essence!"

"Excuse me for not being a beastial land demon," he had a sarcastic edge to his voice that told her that he too was getting frustrated.

"Don't you demons get some kinds of vibes from each other?"

"'Vibes', Gloria-sama?" he looked at her. "No, I'm not sure _any_ demons can."

They stopped and she pushed her hair behind her ears. "Hey... if he's looking for us, shouldn't we just... stand and wait?"

"I wouldn't know. I still suggest that we go look for him, or at least try going up."

"_Up_?" She whined. "But we already climbed three stairs!"

"It won't kill you," he chuckled. Gen halted, when the multiple meaning hit her, and her expression turned sour.

"You know who Kuina was?"

"No, I afraid not, Gloria-sama. A friend of yours?"

"Zoro's. She fell down some stairs and died."

"Oh... I'm sorry."

They wandered around in silence, peeking in every corridor and room they came across. Many were just big empty rooms, or offices filled with office stuff. One particular room though held lots of space, just like the other rooms, but it wasn't actually space that was wasted on nothing. It was space that had elegancy. In that room was a grand piano, a big potted plant (_tree/shrub_) and a stand she could've recognized with her hands tied behind her back and blinded, stood in the middle of the room.

Her eyes bulged out and her mouth started watering.

"_IWANNAIWANNAIWANNAIWANNA!_!_!_!"

"Get a grip of yourself, Gloria-sama!" Greg grabbed the back of her vest to stop her.

"Please! Can we please take it with us!_?_ I don't have an easel and these bastards won't need it!"

"There's a word separate for that...?" the demon muttered. Gloria had a weird look in her eyes, as they raked over the vast, oh so vast and white canvas, ready like a bride. It screamed to be painted on. "Might I remind you that we're here to save Robin-san?"

"Wah! Right!_!_ How could I stray like that!_?_"

He sweatdropped.

"But it's a very nice easel..."

Now he sighed. "If I promise to find you one, will you please come along now?"

"_Fiiine_," she finally gave up. Still, her feet felt like rooted to the door, and she couldn't take her eyes off it. Greg yanked her in rather ungentleman-like way and apologized for it.

The next twenty meters she sulked, before he started feeling guilty. As cold hearted as it was, Gloria was his first priority now. Everything else came next. To him, Robin came only after the demigoddess, but... Robin was right now her first priority, and the easel haunting in the room corridor away was distracting her even if she couldn't see it. _Especially_ when she couldn't see it.

"I PROMISE you an easel when we get all this sorted out!"

"You already said that, and I said 'fine'."

"Your aura says differently."

"It's fine, it's fine. Let's find that shitty dog and find Luffy. Though... they'd surely do without me either way..."

_That was what was bothering her?_ "The Strawhat pirates are one. They are a strong crew, and everyone has a role. You are one of them."

"I... I... I know. Still..."

"You still feel like an outsider? You can't be serious!" he frowned.

"Outsider? What the netherworld are you talking about?" she looked at him as if he was a stranger. "There's no home other than here now. What I meant was that it doesn't matter if I'm there or not. The plot hasn't changed from its big lines, and I think that that's even impossible to do. I'm kinda glad about it... Wouldn't want to unexpectedly die or something."

"'Died unexpectedly'... I'll remember that when I pick up your gravestone!" The sentence was followed by a maniacal cackle that turned into a high-pitched howl. "If there is anything to bury after I'm done with you!"

"Roylton!" Greg moved to stand up for her, but that wasn't what she wanted this time. She wanted to end this by herself.

"Sir Aecorius VII, I would like to handle this."

"As you wish, M'Lady," he stood poised and bowed with his right hand above his heart. She didn't see the small smirk he had and she wore one as well.

"Cocky, aren't you? Well, it doesn't matter, 'cos a little fuckface like you can't do a damn thing."

"Wanna bet?" she drew her sword with a soft _shwoo_. "I've grown."

"Reaaaaally? You think you can take me on? That sucker" he pointed at Greg "is your only chance against me!"

"We know what happened the last time," Greg reminded him. "And refrain from using such coarse language. Your voice grates my ears enough as it is."

Cray snarled and jumped off the ledge he had been standing on. He headed right at Gen with his own sword raised. Greg tensed.

"Stay calm, and watch. I'm going to skin him alive!"

She was ready when they clashed. The force pushed her back a few feet before she managed to stop. Their swords grinded on each other, making sparks fly but never breaking. She had to pull away when his clawed hand tried to take a chunk out of her side. His sword swung dangerously close to her without her preventing him anymore, but she dodged it and returned the favour by trying to stab him.

Cray grabbed it with his armoured hand. Their eyes met. He smirked and her eyes widened.

Greg would've wanted to rush for her help the second she cried out and the sacred blood splattered to the stone floor. It turned soon purple, as it always did, but he stayed put. _'Her will is my command.'_

She saw his uneasy expression but didn't have the time to say anything to him when Roylton came on again. Gen was in real trouble with him, as his strikes became more and more stronger and faster. The need to evade every single one of them made her adrenaline rush and heart beat in her ears. The only thing she could compare it to was a videogame, when your health was so low that the next hit would mean you had to start over.

Only, this wasn't a game and she wouldn't be given another chance if she now lost.

To her surprise, she was the next one to draw blood. During that moment when her head processed through, he took advantage - and sliced her arm open. The swordarm, mind you. A string of curses so foul no demon would dare repeat flew from her and she made distance between them. The nerves on her hand were on fire and she felt herself tearing up without her say in the matter.

"What's the matter?" Cray looked at his sword. "Purple, eh? The colour of the seagods... so..." he licked it "..._disgusting_."

"Well, first of all, ouch. And second, ew. If it's so 'disgusting', don't lick it like that!" Gen lowered her voice to be more like Cray and crinkled her nose, but didn't take her eyes off him. "You know, fleabag, it would really help if you told me why the freakin' hell do you want me dead!_?_"

"You're really fucking stupid," he shook his head. "You're not in any position to speak to me."

The girl glared at him. She was getting pissed. "You... Do I have ta beat yo ass so tha' ya tell me? Or... is it that your bitchy Avanirte is just jealous o' me?" she smirked.

"Grrrrr...!" there was a hot blaze in his stare. "Shut your fucking face, you dirty who-"

"_ROYLTON!_!" Greg's scandalized voice drowned the last word.

"No wait," she realized something and her smirk widened into an insane one. "You don't know either. My guess is that she didn't see it _necessary_ to tell you..."

He didn't listen anymore. Now she started doubting if provoking him was a good idea. The swings came closer than before and she had nicks and scratches and shallow wounds all over her arms in matter of seconds, putting her on the defence. It was difficult with the way her hand wanted to fail on her and all she could do was to ignore it.

"Strike back!" Greg's advice reached her ears, and she heeded it. Gloria made a risky move by suddenly hitting his right hand's wrist in hopes for his frenzied rhythm to get disturbed. It didn't work and she received another painful wound on her shoulder.

_'Ow ow ow, I can't go on like this!_' she hissed for the pain. Her hand was useless and she barely could lift it, not to mention the sword. '_Doodles, if I only had..._'

"What's the matter? You aren't giving up already, are you? I like my meal struggling and begging for their lives!" Cray wiped the side of his mouth.

"Heeh? Hell no, to a brown-tart like you?" _'Stop taunting him already!_!' a little voice of reason screamed. "Just come clean. Avanirte never told you why she wanted me dead, right?"

He bristled and bared his teeth. His form was shifting and bubbling, and soon before her stood on it's hind legs the big, ugly, doglike demon. "**Just so you know, I do know why. It's because you're scum!**"

"Not really enlightening," she rolled her eyes.

"**Grrrrrrr...! Your mother is the goddess of the puddle, and the bastard who fathered you was nothing but a mere human. How DARE a god show such weakness before a mortal!**_**?**_** A freak like you shouldn't exist! A crossbreed of divine and filth is nothing more than trash!**"

"Taking a leaf out of Ulquiorra*****?" she snickered and eeped when the drooling maws came at her throat. She made a clumsy effort to swat him off with the sharp edge of the sword and it surprisingly hit his shoulder. Remembering the last time she got a hit in, she kept her mind clear.

"**Kairouseki sword...?**" he muttered. "**The only damn mineral in the _whole_ fuckin' world...**"

They faced off again, but as time went she started having serious problems with her protesting arm and her head was fuzzy because of the blood loss. Her reactions were becoming more and more sluggish, and more new wounds appeared on her.

Roylton was toying with her.

Greg was getting antsy- okay, scratch that, he was going to bite his toung off with this rate.

"Gloria~sa~ma~!" he wailed.

"Just keep cool!" Gen panted and grit his teeth. '_Robin..._' "Hey doggy, tell me. Did your MASTER give you a little something shiny to GUARD?"

"**Oooh**," a demon dog sure can pull off a convincing shit-eating grin... "**The keys to that traitor's cuffs? Let 'er rot in jail. You should hear me out, bitch. I know people like her, oh yes! The second you let your guard down she'll stab you in the back and steal away with your... family jewels**," he grimaced and coughed.

She raised her eyebrow at the last comment but refused to say anything about it. "Robin ain't like that. And believe me... I know. Now, ya 'ave the key or not?"

"**Oh... you mean... this?**" he suddenly held the small object with his paw, standing on his hind legs again. "**Sure. It's a pity though, that you won't get it.**"

"Let me guess, you're going to kill me, thus preventing me from getting it?" she deadpanned.

"**Ah-ah-ah...**" he tutted, flipped the key up in the air and promptly swallowed it. "**It's now in my stomach, and it's only a matter of minutes before the key is turned into sludge!**"

The hand of panic grabbed her insides for a moment, enlarging her eyes, but then the feeling passed. '_That's right, that's not the right key..._' "Fine, all I need to do then is to open you like a fish and look for it!"

He snorted. "**With that arm?**"

"Shit..." she glanced at the arm, hanging limply on her side and still grasping on to Caermare's hilt. The tip of the sword rested on the ground. Greg had tried to teach her to use it with her left hand, but she proved to be completely useless. Her blood, a slick, purple and red mess, was dripping down and it had messed her vest. Drip, drip, _drip_...

_Eh?_

_Eeeeehh?_

"Gloria-sama!" Greg's voice cut through her haze. Roylton had moved closer to her and she only blinked when his golden, crazed eyes and the big teeth filled her vision. "_GLORIA_!_!_!"

It all happened in the span of few seconds. The demon's jaws were about to crush her head, but instead he clamped his teeth on Caermare.

The whole arm was covered in blood from the tips of her fingers all the way to the shoulder. Unlike earlier, it wasn't now simply coming out of the wound and then falling to the ground.

'_She's using her own blood like water!_' Greg realized. He was aching from the strain to sit back. _'Gloria-sama is supporting and controlling her own hand. I just hope she knows what she's doing...'_

The girl had a smirk on her stained face and those sea blue eyes churned with renewed determination.

* * *

><p><strong>*<strong> The guy's from Bleach.

Still no good with fighting scenes! *_Cry* _And my sister is watching one **creepy** movie with her friend...


	59. Goodbye, old foe Fly free, little bird

Chapter 59 is HERE! Enjoy it, you sweet little bastards!

Gloria: -_-' You're calling your readers 'sweet little bastards'...?

Snoara: Yeah, so? We are all! Horraay!

Gloria: ...when was the last time you slept properly?

* * *

><p>Cray had thought it to be over when the girl became quiet. She said nothing, did nothing and her head was drooping low. The bitch was exhausted, he saw, and all there was to do was to end her, take the body back to Her Excellency and get his reward.<p>

The Lady of the Earth had been very displeased when Ålbert came back with his tail between his legs.

Stupid squirrel, he got what he deserved in the end.

But it was far from over. The girl still had a spark in her, and got the arm working. He saw the look on her face.

Yes, far from over.

"**What a burden,**" he sighed. How long was this stupid little girl going to continue her struggle? Usually the demons and occasional mortal he played with were done for by now.

The arm now concealed completely with purple moved suddenly to cleave his head in two and he had to let go and take a step back. Kairouseki was such an annoying thing that it pretty much could cut through anything. _Hard as diamond_.

The bitch's left hand was folded to her chest, fingers near the right shoulder, controlling the right hand externally. He could see that it still hurt her, making her hand do things it wasn't supposed to do anymore.

The two rushed in a lethal battle against each other. His own moves were fluid compared to hers, but somehow that accursed sword was always there, right in between her soft, weak spots and his teeth. One more bolder strike left a deep wound on his side.

* * *

><p>Gen blocked out everything that could've distracted her. She was alone in the world with Cray. The stench of blood was thick in the air and she couldn't care less. She rolled all the nameless little emotions she'd developed lately into one big mass, named it 'frustration' and channelled it into her fight. The girl wanted this demon off the face of the One Piece world. She realized that she didn't actually have any personal issues with this guy, even though he'd tried to orchestrate her death. It was simply a kill or be killed situation, and the netherworld she was going to die. Gloria had too many plans made for her near future.<p>

The rest of their fight was just as primitive as it could be. Cray used all his weight and bashed into her, knocking her off her feet, and placing the beast right on top of her. The position was way too familiar to Gen and she was quick to kick him off with all her muscle power. Her thighs were left tingling from it.

The doglike demon attacked again, dodged her swipe, feinted to right and bit into her left arm. She let out a scream and changed the grip on the sword's handle. It pointed right towards the demon's back, and with one thrust she sunk it into him.

Now it was Roylton's time to scream and gurgle. Blood poured out of his mouth, but he didn't go down. The sound made Gen sober up and curse, now she was without a weapon.

'_Can't help it... Just have to try!_' she spread out what she called 'sixth sense' to locate the nearest source of water and was positively surprised: it looked like there were pipes running inside the walls. Her musings were cut short as the demon gone wild tried to chomp off her head once again.

"Hey, listen up, ugly. I've got more important things to do than dance here with you," she called out to Cray. "And you're kinda starting to piss me off. No hard feelings!"

Gloria raised her left hand, made a grabbing motion and pulled. The wall exploded and water jetted out in a steady stream, collecting around her and cleaning the floor from splatters. She heard Greg's gleeful 'Yes!' and saw the demon snarl.

"**If that is how it is...**" his voice was a low growl.

The demigoddess didn't wait for longer, but all that water she had now swirling around her started forming many long, thin tentacles. With a little more effort she sharpened the tips of them into barbed arrowheads.

"Serpent's Wrath," she said with finality, piercing the demon and tearing it into small shreds with no remorse.

Once she was done she let the water fall in the room. She felt very blank, and Greg too was silent. They stood like that for a while, the water demon feeling odd things when he now saw his long-time enemy laying dead in front of him... and all the way over there... and on the ceiling too...

"Oh shit, I'm gonna-!" Gen clamped her hand over her mouth when it all finally hit her.

The sight truly was gruesome.

As the daughter of the Ocean was hurling out her guts for the second time today, Greg was rubbing her back. "Gloria-sama... should we still get the key?"

"Fuck... I'm not going anywhere near _that_, so if you could...?" she waved her left hand in a vague motion.

"Sure," Greg nodded and walked to the, uh, stain. He grimaced, and he'd seen a lot in his life. He started poking around the pile, picked up the sad little piece of metal and rinsed it in the water flooding around.

Gen stared at it for a loooong time, resting on her open palm, once the man had dropped it on it.

"...This is just great."

"It doesn't look like a key anymore," Greg commented. The key was half way melted and twisted. If one didn't know what it originally was they'd never guess it right. "Are you okay, Gloria-sama? Your arm..."

"I'm fine... but my legs feel like cooked spaghetti," she sighed and slipped the 'key' to her pocket. Her knees were ready to buckle beneath her and her calves were trembling to keep her standing.

Greg turned his back to her and bent to one knee, holding his hands back in a familiar gesture. "I'll carry you," he said with a gentle voice. "You've deserved it."

She grinned tiredly and got on his back, hugging his neck and settling her cheek against the back of his head. He walked out of the room and down a corridor before Gen finally spoke.

"Greg, are you sad?"

He didn't answer immediately. "A little."

She ached all over and her hand was killing her. Her lovely vest was ruined. The little piece of metal in her pocket was poking her with Greg's every step. It was a grim reminder of Roylton, but somehow she felt that she just had to take it with her. The fight hadn't left much behind, just a sick image and a void in her chest.

To Greg, he had probably been the archenemy. She could easily imagine the two crossing blades and claws on many occasions.

'_Only the enemy knows you best,_' she let her eyes slip closed. "I still want that easel," she reminded him, dropping the subject.

"I will get you one."

"I need a big one... 'cos 'M gonna make a biiiig picture of Merry... and hang it in the kitchen..." she yawned. "And after that... maybe... if I remember... a picture of Luffy... and the others... and mom... and you... and Roylton..."

* * *

><p>There were some very confusing details that made her head ache when she tried to remember them. She remembered a gigantic Chopper busting up a wall or two, and Nami yelling at Zoro and Sogeking. Oh, and she remembered a giraffe... what an odd thing. There was also Sanji, who kicked a big, gray wolf she mistook for Cray for a few seconds.<p>

_'It can't be Cray... this thing has a mustache,_' she giggled. It didn't do well for her headache.  
>Also, Greg's face hovered in those fragmented memories. He was obviously worried, but told her to stick to someone, and then he was gone.<p>

Her more intact memories started from Zoro, or more precisely, his backside. There were hundreds of little flashing lights raining down on him, and where they touched him appeared cuts. Then he was swept away by yellow and brown spots.

"Heeeeey look... It's a giraffe!" she smiled lazily. "Gi-gi-giraffe, giraffy gir-giraffe~!"

"Oh, the young woman woke up," the giraffe said.

There was a grunt on the side. Zoro was laying on a big rock, dirty and beat, but not beaten. He had tied the bandana around his head. "Bastard...!_!_ She's defenceless!" he panted and got up again.

"You're a tough man... you amaze me. You even managed to shield her."

"Hmph! I've trained myself to be so, Kiringer," the swordsman spat out some blood and wiped his mouth. The two went into a verbal scuffle about Kaku's way of speaking.

"I won't let you get away if you make fun of me...!_!_" the giraffe was annoyed.

"First... let me break that 'tekkai' thing of yours..." Zoro pulled Wado with its sheath out of the haramaki and rotated it behind his back to his side. "Ittoryuu, iai... shishi..."

"Rankyaku..."

"Sonson!_!_!" / "Roudan!_!_!"

They passed each other in a flash. The giraffe's rankyaku's light left spots dancing in her vision. She blinked and smiled like an idiot, trying to catch them with her hand. "Pretty..."

A big crash distracted her from the pretty little lights, that started to fade too, and she looked how the big giraffe straightened itself from the wall where he had crashed.

"After all those cheeky comments... you had never... imagined that you'd fall, huh?" Zoro asked. "How arrogant!_!_!"

"SAME GOES FOR YOU!_!_!"

"Teehee, the giraffe is so clumsy!" they heard an excited voice and glanced at the girl. She was clapping her hands.

"_Clumsy!_?" Kaku roared and turned his neck to look at her. "After I'm done with this guy I'll kill you!"

She smiled an eerily wide smile, her eyes were half lidded and Zoro could see a mischievous sparkle in their blueness. Despite her being high on something, he got the feeling that she wasn't completely out of it. _'Oh...?'_

She laughed. "You can't do that! The second you lay a finger... excuse me, a _hoof_ on me, you're done for!"

It spurred them back into the fight. Kaku's neck was pushed inside his own body and then it uncoiled like a spring, catching the swordsman off guard.

The second time Kaku did it, his arms and legs extended instead.

"How the hell does your body work!_?_"

And the giraffe started talking something about pasta. "Pasta Machine!_!_"

"DON'T NAME YOUR ATTACK ON THE SPOT!_!_" Zoro yelled.

"I named _my_ attack on the spot," Gen tilted her head to the side. Then she saw a bee and started following it around the grass.

Nothing really interesting caught her attention before Kaku started rampaging. It looked like a snake striking many times in a row at one spot, Zoro defending from them. Where did the giraffe get swords?

And more importantly, where'd the bee go?

Kaku froze and a cold sweat broke on his forehead.

"Don't get too carried away!" Zoro said.

"Then, I'll use the strongest rankyaku, amane-dachi, which sliced this tower, to cut you in half and end this!_!_!" the giraffe stood on his left arm and started swirling around like a break dancer.

"Give up! You have nowhere to run! This is different from the earlier demonstration."

"Idiot," Zoro scoffed and took a stance. "You're the one who should give up. Demon spirit... kyuutouryuu, Asura."

'_Asura..._' Gen stopped smiling and the gears in her cobwebbed head started turning. '_Asura... Asura... where'd I hear that name before...?_'

She looked at Zoro and gasped, stifling a high-pitched squeal of fangirlism. He had three faces and six arms, his swords spreading out. The aura around him screamed raw, controlled power.  
>The rankyaku shattered into mist before Zoro and once he had executed the move, the giraffe fell down. He reverted back into a human before he hit the ground. The target of Gen's admiration sheathed his sword.<p>

"Haa... I have... one message from Galley-La's boss... haa..." he pulled the bandana off. "You guys are fired."

"Paulie, huh... I see... that's a problem... Assassin as a profession... won't be able to get me another job..."

"You'll always have the zoo," Zoro glanced at Kaku.

"Wahahah! That's funny...!" the guy laughed and dug out the prize of the fight: the key. He dropped it midway when he was struck with a coughing fit.

"Sorry about that," the swordsman muttered, but Kaku never heard it. Zoro picked up the key and turned it around a few times before looking at the girl he'd been given custody of. She had a solemn expression as she stared at him, or perhaps somewhere far, far away to his left. He walked to her and crouched down to her eye level.

"Helloo? Reality to Snowbrain?" he called out and looked her over. He'd seen the wounds before briefly and Greg mentioned that she had fought (_and won_) against Roylton.

She blinked owlishly and finally looked at him. "So green..."

"Okay..." he sweatdropped. "Listen, you have the key from that guy you fought?"

A depressing cloud appeared above her. "Yeah... and no..."

"Come on, don't be so vague!"

He heard rapid footsteps closing in on them. He could tell who it was, too.

"Hey, Marimo!_!_ What happened to the key!_?_" the cook skidded to a halt right outside the room.

"Ah, I just got it."

"Gen-chwaaan! Are you okay~!_?_"

She looked at her arm and tried to lift it. "I'm alive, aren't I?"

"That's not the same thing as being okay..." the swordsman muttered. "Gen, do you have that key or not?"

"I... do... it's here..." she pulled out a mangled piece of metal.

The guys' jaws dropped.

"THAT'S NOT A KEY!_!_!"

"OH NO!_!_ WHAT IF THAT'S THE RIGHT KEY!_?_"

"Relaaax," she said. "It's not this."

"Are you _sure_?" Zoro asked.

"I am! Don't you trust me with this?"

"Not exac-"

"I trust you~~!" Sanji sang. "But this tower slid again. I wonder if it'll be okay..."

"Who cares? Anyway, with these... keys here, we've got all of them. Let's hurry to where Robin is!"

"Awwwww~!" Gen cooed.

"What now?"

"You're so cute!" The girl leaned into him as a substitute for a hug.

He chuckled and put his hand on her shoulder blades, drawing her closer against him.

"Red clashes badly with green."

"SHUT UP, COOK!"

* * *

><p>Sanji picked up her bag that Greg had left behind and Zoro carried her on his back. Gen instantly found all the differences between him and the demon.<p>

Zoro was warmer.

With Sanji they found a way to the right place, but they couldn't get further. Gen spotted Robin, dragged around and treating her like a dog. She wanted to wring his neck, but alas, there was a gap between the Tower of Justice and the Bridge of Hesitation.

The Gate was all the way open.

"Why is there no bridge?" she asked out loud.

Up on top of the teetering tower stood Sogeking with his cape, mask and the staff-like slingshot. He shot the marines around their dear nakama and the soldiers were boggled.

"Look! Our sharpshooter rules! Take that, shitty bastards!_!_ Robin-chwaaan, run away~!"

"Does he really need to sing...?" Zoro asked, watching Usopp boasting about his alter ego's skills. If the voice could've been condensed, she would've used it to smack the sniper.

Robin ran. The marines tried to shoot her, but Franky stood there suddenly between the marines and the woman. Spandam quite possibly wetted himself.

They had put all the keys including the key Gen had obtained in a red pouch and Sogeking had shot it to Franky. Of course, Spandam got even more freaked out, hearing that they'd gotten all the keys.

Then...

"WHHHHAAAAAAATTTT!_!_!_!_?_?_?_?_"

"What is it now?" Sanji looked up where Sogeking's scream came from.

**"NONE OF THE KEYS FIT!**_**!**_**! IT MUST'VE BEEN THE ONE THAT WAS DAMAGED!**_**!**_**!"**

"WHAT!_?_" Sanji roared.

"You said you were sure that wasn't the key!_!_"

"Netherworld XXXX XXXX-sucker, that umbrella-XXXXX XXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX!_!_!" Gen cursed, making Sanji splutter. "If that guy wasn't dead already I'd kill him again!_!_"

"You... actually killed that guy?" Zoro frowned. He at least hadn't killed Kaku, just kicked the crap out of him.

"What the hell are we supposed to do now!_?_" Sanji grit his teeth in rising panic. "This is not going as planned!"

"Whatever, we have to solve th-" the swordsman's words were cut short when Gen started wriggling on his back. "Will you stop that!_?_"

"'Anything locked can be picked, if not with a good ol' wire then with good ol' dynamite', said a friend of mine once!"

"Who?"

"Chis' brother," she tried to grin, but it came out as a pained grimace when she was finally dropped to the ground and it went straight to every cut she'd acquired previously.

She walked to the edge and looked down to the water lapping against the structures.

"Pick the lock? You're a genius, Gen-chwan!" Sanji's smile was bright like the sun. He told Sogeking to relay the message back to Franky.

"Does he have the tools and skill for it?" Zoro doubted, looking at Sanji.

"I pray he does."

They turned their heads in time to hear a distinct splash.

Zoro swore, but it sounded like loving words compared to what the girl had said moments ago.

* * *

><p>She didn't let herself plummet under the water, but as it reached her waist she felt the self made wave lift her. Gen looked like she was wearing a big, blue skirt. Ignoring the sting in her arms, she started off towards the Bridge and Robin. To her it felt like forever to reach it, but in fact it only took less than a minute. She hoped that they could fend for themselves until she got there. Not really trusting her feet, Gloria let the tide sweep her all the way to the people. She heard the marines' shouts: "What's that!<em>?<em>" "Is that a PERSON!_?_" "_Aaaaaargh!_!_! It's coming right at _**_us_**_!_!_!_"

Spandam, Franky and Robin all stared at her, all surprise etched on their faces. Gen wondered what she looked like, in all her watery glory, five feet above them on top of the tide. The object of their rescuing had the cuffs still tightly around her wrists. She let the water drain away and leave a large puddle around them when she descended on the ground.

"Robin!" she squealed and took a step towards her, but her feet betrayed her. She would've fallen over if not for Franky.

"Careful there- wow, you okay, sis?"

"Yeah, 'M okay! Robiiin! You okay!_?_"

"I am," she smiled.

Gen's eyes welled with tears. "Uwaaah, I'm so sorry for the key! I was so sure it wasn't the one, since the giraffe was supposed to have the real key~!" she wailed with big anime-tears streaming down her face.

"Hahahahaha!" Spandam laughed. "The luck is on my side! You may have beaten my CP9, but you still can't free her! Now, surrender Nico Robin and yourselves!"

"Like hell," Gen scoffed. "You be quiet right there."

"Men!_!_" he yelled.

"Quick, Robin! Come a bit closer and turn around," Gen made a twirl with her down turned finger. "And try to stay upright."

"What are you doing?"

The girl never answered, but leaning over Franky's massive arm, placed her hands on the bulky cuffs.

"Take aim!_!_" Spandam finished his order, pointing at the three.

The archaeologist felt a wave of dizziness waft over her and the muscles in her went lax. Yet, she stubbornly stood, as requested by Gloria.

The demigoddess' power flowed through the stone like electricity through a conduct. Biting her lip, she poured a handful of water inside the lock and started blindly fondling around.

"Hurry up!" Franky warned. The arm that the white haired girl didn't occupy was making sure that Robin didn't fall.

"I'm doing my best...!"

_Click._

"_THEY'RE OFF!_" Franky yelled in triumph when the cuffs suddenly gave way. Gen raised her hands off from Robin and pushed off from Franky to sit down on the ground with an evil, satisfied smile. He gave his attention to the archaeologist.

"N-NO WAY!_!_" Spandam shrieked, eyes bulging out. His hands went to grab his head.

"Hey Nagappana!" Franky spoke to the den den mushi. "Nico Robin's free! White-sis helped us out!"

"'White-sis'?"

"Odd-chan, thank you!" Robin had a relieved smile on her face.

"No prob! But, save yer words fer later, the others 'ave ta 'ear 'em too!" Gen would've rubbed the back of her head if she could. "And now..."

"Yes," Robin turned to the marines and crossed her arms. "Seis fleur."

"Eh!_?_ **What!**_**!**_**?**" Spandam's eyes swivelled when he saw six arms sprouting from his chest.

"Slap!"

Oh, how Gen enjoyed the moment. She burnt the picture into her head so she could sketch it accordingly and slip the drawing in the logbook Nami kept in the mapping room. She wasn't sure if any of the other members knew about it.

The demigoddess hooted. Franky called out to the small snail and asked the others to hurry over so they could get the hell out of there.

"I won't hold back!" Robin grinned.

The marines watched their superior fall to the ground with a badly bruised face. "No! The criminal's kairouseki handcuffs are off! Catch her again!"

"Guess again~!" Gen stuck her tongue out.

_KABOOOOOOOMMMM_

A high statue of fire and smoke rose from the left side of Enies Lobby. Everyone stopped to look at it, Franky, the marines and the Strawhats. The fence was busted. "Can'd be!_!_"

"Bombardment from the warships!_?_ The fence...!_!_!"

"Umm... Could someone tell me what's going on?" Gen asked.

"Spandam triggered a Buster Call on Enies Lobby," Franky said gravely. "Normally when the Gate is closed, there are huge whirlpools preventing any ships from sailing, but now that they're gone, the warships have no problems."

Gen knew the whirlpool thingy, but didn't point that out. So okay, a Buster Call was coming-

"Oh crap," she simply stated.

"Do you even know what a Buster Call is?"

"Sure. Big ships come and whacks the island."

This was Franky's first clue to that she had perhaps a screw or two loose.

"Don't," Robin shook her head to Franky. "You will only hurt yourself."

Franky scratched his head and Gen laughed.

_KABOOOOOOOOMMMM_

"Uwooo!_!_! The Tower of Justice!_!_!" The marines yelled. The structure, already split in half by Kaku, fell down to the waterfall. Robin and Franky looked uneasy until Sanji confirmed that they were all alright.

"We'll head over there now!"

"Oh, good..." Robin sighed in relief.

"Then we'll do something about this situation... Can I count on you two?" Franky asked.

"Of course."

Gen squeezed her hands in fists. Her left hand felt fine if you didn't count the nasty bite mark on it. The same she couldn't say about her right hand. "I think I can fend for myself."

The cyborg nodded in approval and looked her over. "I'll watch your back, just in case."

"Thanks."

"Hurry, guys! Catch them before the bombardment gets serious!_!_!" Spandam was up bossing again.

"Yes sir!_!_!"

"Do you see the convoy on the other side of the bridge? Don't you think that's the key to our escape?" Franky cracked his knuckles.

"I guess there's no other way than stealing a ship." Robin did not sound sorry at all.

"It's... too late already...!_!_!" a terrified, tubby marine said with a quivering voice. There was disturbance in the smoke still floating above the sea and they could make out something big moving in the fog. It scared the living daylights out of the soldiers and they all fled.

It was the Buster Call.

Everything went into chaos in a blink of an eye. Cannons started blasting and the main island was soon set on fire. Nothing Spandam said could stop the marines anymore. Franky gaped at the horrible scene, but Robin fell on her knees and started trembling like a leaf.

The demigoddess went to her and pressed her head on her good shoulder for comfort. The other stopped shaking, maybe because of the sea's power or because there was someone near her. Gen kept muttering things to calm her down. At the same time, she watched how a gigantic fist broke through one of the buildings. That wasn't the only limb she saw, as a massive leg made more destruction on the battlefield. When Luffy landed accidentally on one of the warships, the other warships simply blew it up.

Spandam laughed at it, Franky growled at their inhumanity.

"This is the power of the Buster Call I triggered!_!_ This is justice! Cutty Flam! Now!_!_ Hand over Nico Robin to me!_!_ Then maybe I can pardon you for your crime!_!_"

The archaeologist may have been in shock, but that didn't stop Gen from hearing every word he spoke. Her eyes narrowed. '_I'm going to kick him, after Robin's done with 'im._'

"Besides, why do you have to protect that woman!_?_ You're not a pirate!" and Spandam kept tossing threats at Franky. The second he said Tom's name, the cyborg hit him right in the chomper, making him fly several feet backwards.

He got up and drew his sword, identified as Funkfreed by the marine soldiers. He flung it towards Franky, but the elephant that sprung from the sword made an arch and went for Robin and Gen. It was enough to draw Robin from the dark depths her mind had drowned in. "Eh?"

"_Bastard!_!" Franky growled and grabbed the elephant from the base of its blade-like trunk. He managed to stop it only inches away from the girls, and Robin stared at it a bit blankly. The thing truly was intimidating.

Gen noted the big gash on Franky's right thigh where Funkfreed had cut him.

"Funkfreed!_!_! You're an elephant, yet you're being controlled by him!_?_" Spandam yelled.

The elephant had a good reason not to go further: Franky's left arm-cannon was pointed right between its eyes. "Turn your nose back to normal... or I'll shoot your brains out."

_'Did... he really say that in the series somewhere...?'_ the demigoddess raised an eyebrow.

"Slash him to pieces!_!_" Spandam screamed.

Funkfreed was smarter than it's wielder, and Franky patted it's forehead. "Okay, that's good, you're a good boy. White-sis!"

"It's _Gen_."

"Will the other Strawhats come?"

"Absolutely!" the girl grinned in that wide way that made others weary.

"I told you that I've placed my bet on them, Spandam!_!_" Franky yelled.

"Whaaaat!_?_"

"I've never thought that this day would come. If only I'd had the power that day... I wanted to get Tom-san back no matter what! Despite knowing Enies Lobby's unrelenting myth... despite knowing the power of the WG, the Strawhats abandoned all of their common sense and marched ahead!_!_" Franky spoke.

"Ohh, we never had that in the first place," Gen piped up, receiving a chuckle from Robin.

"Just for one of their nakama, they didn't hesitate to make the entire world their enemy! It's such a refreshing feeling..." he sighed, grabbed Funkfreed's nose and started running. "I've never forgotten Tom-san's death till today!_!_ Every time that official's idiotic face crossed my mind, I always wished that I could crush him!_!_!"

"Hey, wait, idiot! No, _don't do that!_ _**Noooo!**_**!**"

"Darn, there goes my chance," Gen pouted, but not too sadly.

"Just like this!_!_" Franky threw the elephant on Spandam. The sound it made was very satisfying. "Thanks to them... my wish has come true!_!_" He cocked his arm at the common soldiers and shot a round towards them. "I've been dead once. If the Strawhats can get out of here alive, I wouldn't mind sacrificing my life again! Surrender your ship! I'll make a way for them to escape!_!_"

Robin made a mark that she wanted to get up and Gen let go of her gladly. "I'll help too! I think I'm fine now. It's different from that time in Ohara... I have nothing to fear, because I'm not alone anymore!"

"Hey, that's what that one guy told you a long time ago, ay?" Gen tilted her head. "What was his name now... Something D. Something," she got on her feet, ignoring Robin's long stare.

"Was it Saul?"

"...I'm never getting used to you."

"So it was Saul."

"Hey!_!_ Would you two help out here!_?_"

"Oh, sorry!"

The takeover of the ship was ridiculously easy and she didn't have to do much. Almost right after the ship was clean of marines, Gen heard a noise... like a fish swimming... but not.

"Dooooooonnnn't... DIE~~~!"

Oh, that was just Kokoro. She wondered if Cronip had any spare eyes in case she had to gouge out hers.

The wet, mostly unconscious Strawhats were spread on the deck. Franky merely said that it must've been a miracle and Robin ran a verbal analysis on them with a calm voice. 'A state of apparent death' was in there.

"I wonder what cause that..." the old hag in a seashell bra was thinking out loud. Gen just stared at her feet... tail... whatever it now was, but it looked like she was wearing scaly pants and flippers.

"It was you," Franky said immediately.

"It's you, rigt? The nakama that pirate king brat came to rescue... I met you at the shift station. I remember you," Kokoro turned to Robin. "I didn't imagine that you would cause something like this..."

"GET DRESSED ALREADY, OLD HAG!" Franky yelled, and the woman picked up her coat and pants she'd shed when they had been swept away by the water. Gen remembered that they had tried to take the underwater corridor and that Lucci was the one behind it's flood.

Kokoro kept rambling about Luffy's dream, saying that maybe it wasn't as impossible as she'd first thought. Also, Usopp, Zoro and Sanji woke up coughing heavily. Their reactions were funny to watch once they were reminded of who had saved them and what that who was.

"I'm glad you're alive."

"GYAAAAAH! IT'S REALITY!" Usopp's eyes really shouldn't go that far away from his head... "Mermaids don't exist!_!_!"

"The legend about dugongs being mistaken for mermaids was true, after all!" Even Zoro's eyes were misbehaving.

"Idiot! She hasn't said she's a mermaid yet!_!_ Don't give up on your dream!_!_" Sanji had his back conveniently towards the hag.

"I'm an ice fish mermaid."

"_NOOO~~~!_"

Sanji sobbed and Usopp brought up that Kokoro had legs, making the old mermaid explain the thing about that.

"Oh, I know! I heard that the tail of a 100-year-old cat will split and the cat will turn into a monster!" Usopp told them.

"Ah, you mean a goblin cat?" Sanji hit his palm with a fist, as if it would've made complete sense.

"No, no, that's the vampire cat of Nabeshima*****!" Gen said.

"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!_?_ Why don't you express your gratitude a little!_?_"

"Thank you very much, Kokoro-san, for saving these idiots," the demigoddess bowed politely.

"Ngagagaga, no worries!"

Chopper and Nami finally woke up, and just when Sanji was about to tackle Robin for a hug the two did it for him, making him crash head first into the mast.

"I'm glad we made it, Robin!_!_ You're safe!_!_!" Nami blubbered.

"BOBIIIINN!_!_" Chopper hiccupped. Then, he promptly fell on his back, unable to move.

Gen had spotted Zoro walking to the bridge to watch the island burn. Sogeking and Franky joined him shortly. The only reason the bridge was still standing unharmed was because of the order not to kill Robin. The chances were that they'd come for her after the island was demolished.

Another thing was Luffy. He was still off fighting Lucci, and all they could do was to wait for him.

The girl lay carefully on her back and stared up to the sky. _'Just a little more, and we're all safe. And where the heck is Greg again?'_

* * *

><p><strong>*<strong> The vampire cat of Nabeshima is a vampire disguised as a two tailed cat. It doesn't kill by biting but by strangling the victim with the tails.

ROBIN'S FREE! YAAAAAY!  
>And the big bad wolf is dead...<p> 


	60. Beneath the veil of mist

So, it's time for chapter 60! Longer than usually, but that was just my carelessness which I doubt you'll be sad over, I think :D. Stuff happened, I had a mini panic attack during my french class over some stupid mental image the teahcer gave me and SPRING IS COMING! YAAAY! *_throws paperflowers from a basket*_ which means I'm soon going to be 18. And I'm taking a tattoo, though I haven't decided what it'll be... or where... or if I really want to...  
>I have to thank all of you reviewers - old and new - for the generous compliments you gave me, they made me all giddy and I feel like I've succeeded~! Though, I do hope you'd tell me if there's anything wrong with the fic. From our mistakes we grow.<p>

* * *

><p>In fact, Greg was back in Underworld. The 12 hours of free time had been used up, but he trusted the pirates to take care of themselves. Besides, he had to report back to Her Holiness that Gloria-sama had taken Sir Cray Roylton's life.<p>

By now, his journey to the goddess' throne room had taken double the time it usually took.

"**Sir Aecorius VII, I'm glad to see you alive**," a sharp female voice said from his right.

"Ryena... uhh..."

"**Don't 'uhh' me!**" she was _pissed_.

Ryena was a beastial demon, in the human world known as a pumpkinseed sunfish. She was a short woman with short, golden hair and big plump lips. Her back, which was visible with the colourful halter neck she wore, was crisscrossed with squiggly, neon blue lines like veins, and she had a fine off yellow dorsal fin. On both sides of her head, on her temples, were round, black spots.

The yellow eyes were glaring at him accusingly.

"Ryena, I... I'm sorry, okay! This mission is taking all my time!" he rubbed the back of his head in shame. "I promise I'll take you out when I have the time!"

"**WHEN? You promised to do that two weeks ago!**_**!**_**!**" the voice bounced off the walls. "**_When my birthday was!_****!****_!_**"

"Listen! I'm so very sorry, please forgive me! And this isn't the first- I _mean_!" he drew breath to calm himself. "I mean, I have a mission from the Holy One, a long term mission. You know that my position in the Royal Guard requires my complete attention, and that it's a miracle that we even have the time to exchange words."

She sighed sadly, tapping her foot to the ground and letting her eyes roam the corridor. "**I know that. Sorry, I've been on a lot of stress. Things aren't going all too well, but you would've known it if you weren't that busy.**"

Greg laid his hands gently on her shoulders and pressed his forehead on hers. "I know, after I make the report, I have five hours. I have to check on Huck to see that the RG is still standing. Oh, and... I see you got my present."

She giggled and fiddled with a luxurious necklace resting on her chest. "**I did!**"

"Can't go wrong with jewels."

* * *

><p>The ship was ready to sail off, but Zoro, Usopp, Franky and now Sanji too were standing on the top of the steps, waiting for Luffy. Everyone was silent, as the last words of the marines' announcement on Enies Lobby faded from their ears.<p>

No survivals.

Franky was just staring at the island, silent. Galley-La, the giants that helped Usopp, the king bulls, even the frog, all gone. She could hear the distant crackle of the flames mix with the ocean's lapping. It was an odd, somehow macabre combination that sent a chill up her spine.

"Can people... die so easily?" Nami asked softly.

"You cannot see humans on the map," Robin answered. She was on her knees next to Chopper. "They just erased an island from the world map without hesitation. That's what the Buster Call is!_!_"

"To some... mortal lives are only like shooting stars in the night. I understand if a demon becomes a true monster, but when it's human against human it turns into sheer madness," Gen spoke.

"You just said some weird stuff there," Chimnie commented joylessly.

"All the same, she's right," Nami said.

"HURRY UP, STRAWHAT!_!_! YOUR NAKAMA ARE WAITING FOR YOU HERE!_!_!" Franky suddenly yelled. "BASTARD, I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU IF YOU END UP DEAD!_!_!"

The end of the bridge blew up.

"Luffy!_!_" Usopp yelled.

"Lucci is... really strong!" Franky said. "If the Strawhat hadn't been holding him back in that place for a long time... Honestly, I don't know how many of us would've died."

"When I think about it, it's sometimes as if Luffy knows whom he should fight... from the very beginning," Chopper said.

"It's just that his animal instinct for these things is good," Nami said and looked at the reindeer.

"Apparently better than yours."

"Hey, now...!"

"He... wouldn't die, would he...?" Usopp asked from Zoro.

"Idiot."

"Whaaaat!_?_"

Gen giggled. "Of course Luffy can die! It's just that he's not allowed to!"

"Not... allowed to?"

"Nope!" the girl smiled. It lost it's all sweetness in a second. "Otherwise I'll skin him."

_BOOOOOOOMMM...!_

A cannonball destroyed half of the bridge, separating them from their captain. The impact also tore a hole into the side of the tower, giving them a view on the fighters inside.

"Uwaaaah!_!_" Chimnie yelled.

"The warships are coming this way!_!_!" Nami so kindly pointed out.

**"All ships: From a battle formation around the Bridge of Hesitation. We have confirmed that there are ten pirates including Pirate Hunter Zoro and Nico Robin on the Bridge and the convoy."**

"They're here for Robin again!" Zoro grabbed his sword.

Nami snapped the clima tact into it's full length. "We won't let you do that!_!_"

"They are probably the main force who defeated the CP9 in the Tower of Justice."

Gen got slowly on her feet and summoned some water for her aid. Kokoro and her two little friends were intrigued by it, and Robin looked at her for a moment too, when she gathered the water into a big ring around her.

"Hey!_!_ Look over there!_!_" Usopp yelled suddenly. He had seen Luffy, and now called his name, adding the suffix -kun as a Sogeking.

"We all got to the bridge safely!" Franky yelled.

"Don't worry about us, Luffy-kun!_!_"

"We got Robin-chan safely, too!_!_"

"_Defeat him!_ We'll get outta here alive and together!_!_!" was Zoro's words. Luffy didn't say anything to them, but it would've been a Luffy-thing to just give them a big, goofy smile or something.

"In the end, this is what it comes down to. A game of endurance," the first mate turned his back to the tower and returned to the others with Sanji and Franky on his heels. Usopp watched for a bit longer, but his eyes bulged out when he saw what was against them.

On both sides of the Bridge, there were huge warships with a shitload of people. Sanji took it up to him to disappear on them, too.

**"CHAAAAARGE!**_**!**_**"**

"We've got to move away from the ship!_!_" Nami yelled. "If they inflict damage to the ship, we won't be able to escape!_!_"

"I'll never get caught again!" Robin swore. Poor Chopper was still unable to move.

The marines came pouring in and they very quickly found out that they had devil's fruit users in their ranks. Gen watched how Robin strangled some guy right next to her, and she flicked a tentacle at a group of marines.

She got to test out her effect on the devil's fruit users. She found out the guy had one only after she had grabbed his wrist in weak attempt to defend herself from a sneak attack, and he just... fell on his knees. They were both confused for a heartbeat, before she grinned like a lunatic ready to set a kitten on fire.

"Ya ain't no kitty," she reach out a tentacle and pierced his chest. "'Cos yer a government dog."

They were all fighting for their lives. To her horror, she found out that she enjoyed it - the people falling before her, by her, and she felt powerful. Her body was aching, screaming for her to stop and rest, but she wasn't listening to it.

When Usopp took off the mask and faced Luffy, she just glanced at it and went back to hacking and slashing. The sword was gripped by one of the tentackles, but the rest of them had pointy ends as well. The water was coloured red from the blood of her enemies.

Then there was another explosion from the tower when another of it's walls crumpled down by Luffy's jet gatling gun. Lucci flew somewhere on one of the ships' deck and the rubber boy fell to the ground in exhaustion.

"Luffy...?"

"WE'RE GOING BACK TOGETHER, ROBIIIIINN_!_!_!_!"

**"R-Reporting to all the warships!**_**!**_**! Rob Lucci of CP9 has been defeated by the pirate Strawhat Luffy just now**_**!**_**!**_**!**_**!"**

"LUFFY WON!_!_!" Usopp couldn't contain it, and the other members were congratulating too.

"GUYS, GET ON THE ESCAPE SHIP, RIGHT NOW!_!_! WE'RE SETTING OUT!" Nami yelled from the top of her lungs.

The marine radio/den den mushi woke up and Franky's bros' voices reassured him that they were all okay. Through the same system (_what the hell? Are the singals messed up in one or something?_) they heard one soldier's report saying that Luffy was both fatally wounded and unable to move.

"What!_?_"

"Luffy! Hurry up and come here! If we won't get away, we won't survive!_!_ What's wrong!_?_ We're almost out of here!_!_" Usopp yelled. "Jump over here! I'll carry you from here!_!_ We're surrounded by the ocean and warships!_!_ You'll be killed if you stay there!_!_!"

Luffy simply couldn't move. Nami said that it was possible to sail the convoy to Luffy and pick him up, but the thing was blown up in the next second. They also thought that Kokoro, Chimnie, Gonbe and Chopper had been killed in it, but Sanji emerged from the fire, carrying the four of them.

"Sanji-kun!_!_ Where have you been all this time!_?_" Nami asked a tad bit irritated.

They hadn't been careful enough, and a soldier had managed to slip by and to the little group. Kokoro's fast reflexes saved Nami. Also, the bridge had started to fall down from under their feet. Gen didn't notice it in time, but lucky for her Franky did, dragging her to the last standing piece of the Bridge of Hesitation.

The girl was done for, and couldn't even lift up a tentacle.

"Shit! The bridge is gone! We're trapped on the prop! There's nothing we can do anymore!_!_"

"We'll just have to fight all of 'em here...!_!_"

"Don't be stupid! There's gonna be a bunch of stronger ones coming out!_!_!"

She felt tiny as the ships all suddenly turned the cannons at Luffy.

"Luffy!_!_" Zoro's eyes went wide. "He's in danger! We should at least get him to this side!_!_"

"It's no good. Even if I try to pull him, he'll fall into the ocean on the way here," Robin had arms sprouting from her elbows. She was looking at Gen now.

She got the message and shook her head. "Can't help it. Besides..." she smiled fondly. "We're already saved."

There was a voice. Like someone was singing with foreign language and behind a wall, but she caught two words.

"Look down!"

She wasn't the only one who could hear the whispers, though.

Usopp, who kneeled on the edge of the structure, looked down. One by one, the fighting

Strawhats also paid attention to it, but Chimnie and Kokoro couldn't.

**"Firing at Strawhat Luffy in the first prop in 5 seconds."**

"LUUFFYYYY!_!_!" Usopp cried out. "JUMP INTO THE OCEAN!_!_!"

**"In 4 seconds."**

"Robin!_!_ Can you drop Luffy into the ocean!_?_"

"Leave it to me!"

"Idiot!_!_ Are you trying to kill yourself!_?_" Zoro yelled. The countdown said 3. "Being desperate won't save you!_!_"

"Zoro!_!_" Gen shouted. "Have faith."

"Faith in what!_?_"

"We'll survive!" fat tears were falling down Usopp's face. "She came to save us!_!_ We still... We still have one more nakama!_!_!"

The demigoddess felt a thick lump in her throat.

**"2..."**

Robin grew a valley of her hands, making Luffy roll.

"INTO THE OCEAN!_!_" Sanji bellowed, followed by Nami and Chopper.

"TO WHERE WE BELONG!_!_" Gen yelled and let herself fall down.

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD, PIRATES!_!_?"

**"FIRE!**_**!**_**"**

And a determined, gentle voice said: _"Back to the sea of adventure again!"_

"GET ON BOARD! IT'S MERRY~~~!"

_"I've come to take you home!"_

They all climbed on board the sweet little caravel, in a way or another. Gen needed help to get on as well, and now she was hugging the ship's floor with all her persona and kissing it silly. She was chanting her name in between the kisses. They were all voicing their appreciation for Merry. Nami was the smart one to ask who had steered her here - but Gen was pretty sure she knew who it had been.

Luffy was coughing out water and thanking his deities that he was still alive. Robin's hand clamped on his mouth when he was about to thank her for saving him.

"Everyone! Thank you!" the woman smiled widely.

Gen laughed weakly. "Ne, Robin! Welcome home again! But you know, you're really late. I wouldn't surprise if Luffy grounded you for life!"

The Strawhats smiled, also welcoming her back. Luffy's grin was widest, naturally. "Shishishi! I'm not letting you go anymore!"

But Zoro just had to be the wet towel. "Talk nonsense AFTER we get out of here!_!_"

"What do you mean by nonsense, Marimooooooo!_!_?"

"Shut up!_!_ If we die here, everything would be a waste!"

"Apologize to Robin-chan, bastard!_!_"

"Oh, to be young again..." the demigoddess sighed.

"Morons," Nami deadpanned but smiled nonetheless. "Sanji-kun, go steer the ship, please!_!_"

"Haaaaaai, Nami-swaaaan~!"

The marines weren't going to give up. Spandam spouted nonsense, and the ships started shooting. Would've been perhaps a bit more fruitful to shoot at them rather than each other... Despite the feeling that her gut was going to rip open, she still laughed her ass off.

The reason to it was that the gates were closing, giving birth to the whirlpools again, and they overrode the ships' steering systems. Gen watched how the ships started panicking and trying to get away from each other.

"Whoa, that was more than what I expected!" Sanji was shading his eyes with his hand and leaning to the rail.

"Sanji!_!_?" Usopp's eyes bulged out.

The chef tapped a finger on his head. "They're not the kind of enemy that we can get away from just with out guts, right?"

"A-AMAZING!_!_"

"Hahahaha! So awesome! Sanji, you're like 007, but better!_!_" Gen was gasping for air.

"ARE YOU A GENIOUS!_?_" Luffy shouted in surprise. Sanji was rubbing the back of his head and grinning.

"Don't be so happy, all right?" Zoro descended from the upper deck. "The whirlpools are dangerous for us, too!_!_"

"Oh yeah!_!_ We're gonna die~!" Chopper yelled.

"No, Choppie, don't be ridiculous."

"Eh?"

"The sea wouldn't kill _me_!"

"Waaaaahh!_!_"

"Hey! Shut up, people and... you!" Nami pointed at Gen who just started laughing again. Ah, it was such a good feeling! ...not really, she was in a lot of pain. "There's no sea that the Merry couldn't cross while we are on it!_!_ Just hang in there until I manage to read how the currents flows!_!_"

"Sure thing!" Was an answer.

There was some more cannonballs flying at them, but there was no way they could dodge it, so together Sanji and Zoro grabbed Luffy's both ends and used him as a sling to shoot the thing back. It blew up the original sender.

Then they all struck a victory sign, even Luffy, though he looked half dead.

"What are you, devils!_?_" Usopp sweatdropped.

Nami saw an opening and Chopper steered the Merry to ride the whirlpool. Spandam was not happy, but his raving was eerily cut short.

"Clutch."

"Nice going, nee-chan! Though I would've wanted to kick 'is ass too..."

"Thank you..." and there was a short thinking pause, "Gen-chan."

The girl giggled and blushed, rolling on her side to face away from the woman.

"Franky!_!_ Your turn!_!_" Nami ordered.

"Sure thing!" he answered from the poop deck and soon the little ship was flying with a coup de vent. The marines were all surprised. Gen snorted, this little girl had flown 10 000 meters in to the sky and the same thing down, so this was nothing to her. The marines prepared to shoot again, Usopp made a smokescreen and the Strawhat pirates escaped from Enies Lobby's claws.

* * *

><p>She was staring blankly at the horizon, as the ship sailed steadily and slowly back at Water 7. Luffy and Chopper had in some point regained their energy and the doctor started looking over the biggest injuries to make sure none of them would get worse without treatment. Since the ship was empty, the reindeer had to work with the kit he always carried in his bag. He would've ordered Gen to drink, but there wasn't any fresh water around. Her whole upper body was bandaged tightly and the ache was finally starting to die down.<p>

"How can't they recognize him?" Zoro, standing next to her with his back to the sea, watched dully at the remaining male members of the crew. Presently Usopp was telling Luffy and Chopper another halfassed lie about why 'Usopp' wasn't there. Sanji's shoe came up to meet with his head.

She abruptly noted that she didn't refer to Usopp as a boy anymore.

"Gen?"

"Ah, what?"

"Nevermind." He sighed and coughed. "Hey... when we... get back..."

"Yeah?"

"Aaaaahhh... N-Nevermind..."

She looked at him for a while, staring at his oh so interesting boots with a slightly reddened face. "Weirdo."

"You are not the person to tell me that!"

Nami came from inside the ship. "I checked, but no one else is on board."

"That's strange," Sanji puffed on his cig.

"I did hear a voice calling us," Zoro was over his... whatever it had been.

"Is that so?" Kokoro put her hands on her waist. She was still without a shirt, and in her scallop-bra.

"I'm sure we were called," Robin agreed.

"Like I said, that was Merry's voice!" Luffy insisted.

"Eh!_?_ Really!_?_"

"Right, Merry!_?_ Say something!_!_"

"Idiot, there's no way a ship can talk," Zoro crossed his arms.

Gen replaced her foot on his toes with feminine gentleness.

"_OW_!_!_ You little-!"

"I somewhat thought so, too... but it's impossible," Nami leaned to her hand.

"..."

"..."

"Hrmm? A ship's coming from ahead," Luffy ended the thoughtful silence.

"What? Who?" Usopp was on the defence.

"It's the Galley-La!_!_"

Their ship was huge. It had a triple sail with the company's logo and name on them, and the people on it were throwing confetti, calling out to them and congratulating them. Iceburg was there too, with his bluish hair and the cute little rodent on his shoulder. The man was happy and a little amazed that they had gotten everything back from the world government successfully.

As Merry glided closer to the bigger ship it suddenly shook and the whole upper deck they were standing on broke and bowed down very close to the waterlevel. Gen hung to the railing, watching how Sanji reminded them that the Merry couldn't go any further.

Luffy turned to Galley-La, and it was depressing to see him begging for them to help her.

"I'm... seeing a miracle right now. A miracle... From a ship that has reached it's limit a long time ago. I've been a shipwright for many years, yet I've never seen such an amazing pirate ship. It lived a very admirable life," Iceburg said. The captain swallowed and closed his eyes. The decision had been made, and it was a high time to let their beloved nakama go.

_'I only wished that Greg was here...'_ she thought as Sanji helped her to the rowboat that had been lowered from the other ship. There was another one as well, but it was taken by Luffy. They all watched how the boy went to the ship with a torch.

"Merry. The bottom of the sea is dark and lonely. We'll see you off here!" And he lit the ship from the spot it had tiered. "Maybe it's best that Usopp... isn't around... There's no way he can... endure this."

"And what about you?" Zoro asked Sogeking with a lowered voice.

"He'll be all right... A time of separation has come. When men part ways, tears should not be involved in it. He's fully prepared for this moment."

_'Bullshit... And I have to talk to him about referring to himself in the third person. That's not healthy.'_

The fire spread quickly up the mast and engulfed the flag. They were quiet. Nami caught a big snowflake on her palm and started weeping.

"Thank you for carrying us all this time, Merry," Luffy said.

Gloria let out a small sob, her cheeks were wet. She remembered the very first day she had been on the ship. It had been incredibly boring and exciting at the same time, and it had been the day she met Greg too. Luffy had thought she was a mermaid...

_"I'm sorry."_

"Eh?"

_"I wanted to carry you just a little bit further..."_ It was definitely Merry's voice. It was tired. The front of Sogeking's cape was flooding, and she spotted a shadow sliding towards the sinking, burning ship. _"...I'm sorry. I wanted to go on more adventures with you..."_

"Merry!_?_" Chopper gasped.

"But I..."

"We're the ones who have to apologize, Merry!_!_" Luffy yelled with a choke to his voice. "I'm not good at navigating, and I crashed you onto an iceberg!_!_ I've even ripped the sail sometimes!_!_ Zoro and Sanji are idiots, so they broke many things, too!_!_ Usopp always tried to fix you, every single time, but he's not good at it either!_!_ We're so sorry...!"

_"But, I was happy. Thank you for taking a good care of me until now. I was really happy."_

"MERRYYY~~~!_!_!" Luffy cried out and fell on his knees.

Gen sobbed again.

"...sing something."

"Huh?"

Zoro, who had whispered, didn't say it again. She sneezed and wiped her face to her sleeve a bit before rummaging around her mind to look for something appropriate. She never thought that it fit the moment as well as she wanted to, but she still sang.

"'_F-Far from the light... to reach... beneath a veil of mist..._'" her voice was thick from the tears. "_'Countless stories, were left to rest in peace...'_"

She hoped that her mother would guide Merry to wherever the ships went when they died.

"_'Darkened and calm, the grave uncared, once a haven filled with hope... the archive of lost dreams.'_"

Her voice gained a little strength. Nami was crying openly to her left side.

"_'We send our inner fears for the ocean to score. Waiting it takes them all, away from the shore... Deepest beliefs, from billions of souls, longing for our wishes... to find a way back home.'_"

"M-Merry," she heard the reindeer hiccup.

"_'Aaaa-aaaa, Naiad: the last one in the unknown, the keeper of our written dreams. Aaaa-aaaa, promises: none of them were left behind, she blessed them with her kiss...'_"

* * *

><p>"RAAAAAAAAHHHHH!<em>!<em>!"

"Calm down, sir!"

"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!_!_ HOW WEREN'T YOU ABLE TO CATCH A _LITTLE_, _TINY_ PIRATE CREW!_!_?_?_"

Spandam was in a foul mood and throwing a tantrum. He'd been taken along with the rest of the marine fleet to Headquarters only this evening. He was still on about the failure, and his victim was a small group of soldiers that had been with him back at the bridge.

He dismissed them, telling them to get lost, and sat heavily in his chair. After a moment he stomped his feet, got up and walked to the balcony his room provided him.

He stood outside for some time before he heard a thump from behind him and he whipped around to see who it was.

"Who the hell are _you_!_!_?"

Three men. All of them had white capes, shoulder pads and they all carried a sword with them, and the apparent leader was holding his at Spandam. Two of them had black hair; one's was more like a deep blue.

"You are hereby arrested for upsetting the daughter of Her Holiness and accepting bribery from a recognized enemy of Her, as well as for your crimes against humanity and abuse of given power."

"Arrested!_!_? _ME!_!_?_" Spandam snapped. "With _what_ authority!_? _Who are you!_?_ Who are you people working to!_!_?"

The man's face didn't show emotions. "You are not subjected to know that." He waved to his companions who stepped up and grabbed the wildly thrashing marine from his arms.

"NOOOO!_!_!"

* * *

><p>After two days from returning everyone was mostly healed and spread out to the town to stretch their feet, in exception of Luffy who had come up with a new skill: eat while you sleep.<p>

They were also given new clothes, and she actually found the coral pink shirt with a black logo acceptable. She had flat out refused the magenta one of the Franky family sisters tried to give her. The deep blue pants were good, though she didn't like way they flared out a bit at the bottom.

Both the big king bulls were okay and resting in the docks with the Franky family, as the boys were fast building up their house after it had been destroyed. Galley-La was busy too; they were fixing up the back streets.

Both of which had been Luffy and Zoro's fault...

She visited the bulls and they were overjoyed, though the conversation was a bit one-sided.  
>Greg came back. She had asked where he'd disappeared and he told her that since the time went out, he returned to the underworld. She reminded him again about the easel, just in case.<p>

The Galley-La people who had stayed in the Water 7 for the whole time were trying to apologize for calling the crew assassins and bunching them up with the real criminals. They had become quite famous.

Nami was angsting. The log would set itself in couple of days, but they didn't have means to get anywhere anymore. "The 100 million beli to buy us a new ship... all of our clothes and furniture... and Bellemere-san's mikan trees..." she was drawing circles to the tabletop she was half laying on. "They were all taken away by Aqua Laguna... so we're stuck here."

"We stored them all in the back street's inn," Sanji clarified to Kokoro.

Gen was weighing a whetstone in her hand. When Greg had come back he'd given it to her in a small cotton pouch. The demon didn't believe that a sword made from kairouseki really needed one, but he got it to her nonetheless now that they still were in Water 7. She silently wondered what kind of stone would ever sharpen kairouseki, but he had just shrugged - he didn't know either. Said it was a trade secret.

She heard a squeal and lifted her eyes from the stone. She 'hmph'ed in amusement as she watched the navigator hug her precious tree.

"We took away all your belongings when we kicked you out because we thought you were Iceburg-san's assassins. Sorry about that," the owner of the inn had heard where they were and returned the stuff. Gen looked over hers, found them undamaged, and thanked the men. Her little cactus was good too!

"We're back!_!_" Chopper declared. He'd gone with Robin to the town. "I examined the Franky family's injuries. I didn't take my eyes off of Robin, either!"

"Right! Good job, Chopper!" Sanji praised him and gave a military salute.

"Fufu, I won't go anywhere anymore," the woman chuckled.

"Look, guys!_!_ My trees are safe! Our money and belongings are safe, too!_!_ We can continue our adventures!_!_" Nami beamed.

"Oh yeah, yaaaay!"

"Good day, Gloria-sama!" Greg came from the door, hair tussled and open. He had taken off his cape and the jacket too, and wore a white and green striped shirt, making the shoulder pads look a bit weird on him.

"Hey, you have a garden hanging around you on a pastel background again," she deadpanned. "And sparkles. A lot of 'em."

"He so just ignored us rest," Nami sweatdropped.

"Oh, hello, Nami-san. Didn't notice you there."

"DON'T IGNORE NAMI-SWAN, YOU BASTARD!_!_" Sanji roared.

"I see you got your things back," the demon continued, looking at the mound and the trees.

"Yeah! How's the-"

"Easel? Still haven't found one. I'm working on it, Gloria-sama."

The door opened a third time, but this time it was more like 'slam-against-the-wall-and-bring-in-the-crack-party' -open. That was Franky and the girls. "AOU! You guys being SUPEEER!_?_ ...All of you... Meh, not all of you are here, but it's all right!_!_"

"Franky!_!_"

"Guys, I've got something to tell you! Listen!_!_!" And they just sat down against the wall like they hadn't just been striking a perv-show.

Gen didn't really pay attention when he started speaking about the Adam wood. When he brought up that it was a very expensive thing, and connecting it with a mention of a 'pirate group with a lot of money', Sanji snapped.

"BASTARD!_!_! DON'T TELL ME YOU BOUGHT THAT _CRAP_ WITH _OUR_ MONEY!_!_?"

"Just listen!_!_ Once... I made a decision not to build ships anymore, but before I knew it, I was already drawing the blueprints because I wanted to catch up to the person I look up to..." He slammed his humongous fists to the floor. "My dream is to make a 'dream ship' that can cross any sea with the treasure tree!_!_! Now that I have the parts from the treasure tree and the blueprints for a ship ready as well_!_! I'll build this ship no!_!_ So, when I finish it, will you guys sail with the ship that I made!_!_?"

"Then... are you giv-!_?_"

"Sure," Gen interrupted Sanji.

"Gen-chan?"

She winked at the cook and saw that he got the message. Chopper was moving his head from side to side, from the girl to the blonde guy.

"It would make me the happiest if someone I favour would sail with it. Besides, I got the money from you. The only ship that managed to go around the world, Gol D. Roger's Oro Jackson, was also made with the parts of this tree. I'll make a terrific ship."

"Ngagaga, can't be helped. Tom-san and you, in the end, you're all the same kinda shipwrights."

"Yeah... Now I can understand Tom-san's feelings when he died with his pride."

Nami went ecstatic, thanking Franky from earth to heaven.

It was short lived, as suddenly something crashed through the wall, putting everyone on edge, except for Gen, who grinned widely.

"What...!_?_ Who is it!_!_?"

"You... are the Strawhats crew, aren't you?" the man with a hat like a dog's head asked. She may have hated dogs, but Garp was cool. Must've been a family thing. "I brought someone I want Monkey D. Luffy to meet..."

"MARINES!" Sanji, Franky and Chopper were all defending the captain, who still had a sizeable snotbubble coming from his nostril.

"Gloria-sama, should I...?"

"Naaah. Sit down and have some popcorn."

"But there isn't any?"

"Oh, darn."

Garp flew past the defence and rammed a fist into Luffy's skull. "WAAAAKE UUUUUUPPPP~~~~~!_!_! LUUFFFFYYYYY!_!_!"

It woke him up and he started writhing in pain. "OOOOOUCH!_!_"

"'Ouch!_?_' What are you talking about!_?_ It's a _punch_! It wouldn't hurt your rubbe-" Sanji tried to say.

"There's no way anyone can escape the fist of love!_!_" he said and pulled off the hat. "I heard you've been doing reckless things, Luffy!_!_"

The boy, cradling his head, took one look at his offender and his eyes widened in horror. "OH SHIT!_!_ G-GRANDPA!_!_!"

"WHAT!_!_?"

"GRANDPA!_!_?_?_"

"Luffy, don't you owe me an apology?" the Headquarters vice admiral asked, crossing his arms and grinning. It instantly reminded her of Luffy, just much older version of him.

"'Garp', you mean the hero of the marines!_?_" Nami gasped.

"Luffy! Is he really your grandpa!_?_" Sanji asked.

"Yup! Don't mess with him!_!_! You'll get killed!_!_! I was nearly killed by grandpa on many occasions in the past."

"Hey, hey, don't say such scandalous thing," the old man puffed his cheeks childishly. "I pushed you over bottomless cliffs, threw you into the jungle at night, tied you on a balloon and sent you flying in the sky, and that one time when I dropped you int othe volcano..."

_'Volcano? That's new...'_ Gen tilted her head.

"All that was done so that you could become a strong man!_!_"

Sanji had a 'should've known' -face. "...I think I just saw the root of Luffy's endless life force...!_!_"

"And his stupidity," Gen giggled.

"In the end, I entrusted him to a friend of mine and trained him with Ace..." Gen whimpered on reflex, clamped her hands on her mouth and hoped, HOPED that no one had noticed. "But as soon as I took my eyes off of him, this happened... I TRAINED YOU TO BE A STRONG MARINE!_!_!"

"I ALWAYS SAID I WANNA BE A **PIRATE**!_!_!"

They went into a verbal fight about Garp's view on Shanks and his bad influence on his grandchild, and then the old man grabbed the front of Luffy's shirt. He cried out and told him he was sorry.

"No shit...! He doesn't even try to fight against him!" Sanji was shocked.

"Oh my gosh! A marine captured Luffy!_!_" Chopper's jaw hit the floor.

"Luffy!_!_!"

...

...

The two fell asleep on the spot.

"I only thought Ace had narcolepsy?" she muttered.

Garp woke up first and started pummelling Luffy. The pirates decided that maybe it was for the best to just drop it and let the D. men have their 'happy family reunion' or something. When Garp was done with him, he went on about the emperors od the world, and the Shichibukai.

She didn't really see the reason for him to tell them all that...

There were sudden yells from outside. "Hmmm? What's this!"

"It's the Pirate Hunter Zoro, the one with a bounty on his head," some shady weirdo in a deep hat and a long, white jacket said.

"I see... Luffy's nakama, right? He seems to be doing well. Well, guys... try to stop him."

"Yes, sir!" was a chorus of two individual voices. They could've not been that much older than 15. Gen remembered the scene.

"Ahh, It's Zoro~kyuuun~!"

"You're really hopeless, Gloria-sama..." Greg sweatdropped.

"Oh, hush."

The situation was quickly taken care of, and Luffy and Zoro met up with Coby. They were both baffled seeing him out in the Grand Line and happy as well. Of course, Helmeppo was there too, but they were pretty cold towards him. She frowned, that bastard had done bad, bad things to Zoro. But, Coby seemed to be a good friend of his, so she let it pass.

"Well then, guys..."

"Yes, Sir!_!_"

"Go fix up this wall."

"_Eeeeehh!_? How can you be so selfish?"

"Why'd you break it in the first place if we ended up having to fix it!_!_?" the people were ranting at their superior. The atmosphere resembled a lot like what was going on inside the Strawhat crew.

"Because it's cool to enter the scene like that!_!_"

_'Yup, exactly like us.'_

Oh course, Garp helped with the wall. He mentioned hearing that Luffy had met his dad, and all that rolled by in Gloria getting slowly extremely bored. She got up from where she had been sitting for some time now and went to Zoro, pulling on the hem of his black Galley-La -shirt.

"Hmm?"

"I'm bored."

"And...?"

"Just so you know."

He sweatdropped.

She, along with Zoro was the only one who wasn't shocked hearing that Dragon was Luffy's dad. She snickered when Garp scratched his white hair sheepishly and admitted that maybe he should've not said anything and asked them all with a nervous laugh to just never mind about it.

They chatted, watched Luffy argue a bit more with Garp as the marines fixed the wall they busted and he wondered briefly out loud where his hat had gone. The goodbye was also a big ruckus. The demigoddess felt a tiny bit sympathy for the shady-guy-with-a-hat who seemed to try and keep the man on the right track.

"I'm just tagging along these two kids here. You can... well, have fun catching up with them. I'm leaving."

"Okay, bye."

"THAT'S TOO DULL!"

_*A fist in the face*_

"BHEE!_!_!"

"Be a little more reluctant, idiot!_!_ You haven't seen me for a while!_!_"

"What do you want me to do!_?_ All you've done is hit me!"

"Even then, I still want to be loved by my grandson, doodoohead!"

Nami, Chopper and Sanji were all sweatdropping at that. "Their selfishness makes me understand how they're blood related."

The marines started marching back to their ship and probably go around the city in their free time. She watched them for a moment with a thoughtful frown.

She stood up and hefted the bag on the bed she had claimed as hers and started walking to the door.

"Where are you going?" Zoro asked.

"Talk with Garp."

"EAH!_?_" Luffy gasped. "Noooo!_!_! _Don't_ join the marines!_!_!"

"...Luffy, I'm not going to join the marines," she said blankly and waved a goodbye, ignoring Luffy's wails.

* * *

><p>The song in the story is <span>The archive of lost dreams<span> by Tarja Turunen, if someone wants to go and listen the actual thing.

Merrryyyy... I cried again while I wrote that part... *_sniff_*

* * *

><p><strong>ExtRRRRa piece<br>**

_- Midnight_

Robin layed in her bed and despite the seductive call of sleep willed herself to stay awake and listen to her dear nakama sleep. She smiled, she was happy. They had all survived, except of course for the wonderful caravel.

Her eyes opened when she realised someone was staring at her. It didn't make her pulse erratic in paranoid of getting stabbed while she slept.

It was a pair of blue eyes, though she could only see the white hair in the darkened room.

"I remind her," she said.

"Who?"

"Your mother. Olvia."

Again, Robin was proven of the girl's vast knowledge. "Yes."

"And you remind me of mine."

"I do?"

"Yeah. Black hair, blue eyes, pretty and smart. Or sneaky, but you're not as sneaky as she is. She's more evil than you. But you're evil too..." the girl kept rambling out her thoughts to the archeologist's amusement. "I bet you could kill a man with a jar of dirt!"

"Your mother seems like a character."

"Yeah... Hey, if I'm awesome enough, can I be your mommy?"

Robin chuckled. "This is a very strange conversation indeed."

"Haha, yeah! But you might have to remind me in the morning, 'cos I don't usually remember anything I do in the middle of the night. Fishsticks..."

The older woman laughed again and scooted back in her bed. She lifted the edge of the blanket, let her slither in and surrendered to sleep.

She never told Gloria that she had sleepwalked into her bed in the middle of the night.


	61. Do you like me?

Helej. This chapter is going to make you _squeel_, I tell ya! :D Not more to say today, except that I bought game time for WoW and it's seriously eating on my writing...

* * *

><p>That night they had a huge party in Water 7. Gen was running late, but she could hear the loud voices and Sogeking's singing, and saw that the giants that had helped the Franky family and the Galley-La. Sodom and Gomorrah were there too.<p>

She was walking the street to the place, when she halted. There was a bicycle coming her way, and she sure did recognize the man on the saddle, munching on a shish kebab. Frowning, she didn't know what to do really, would he just pass her?

Ah, he stopped.

"What do you want, Bluebully?" she asked, giving Aokiji a new nickname.

"I'm just passing by. You people managed to free Nico Robin."

"Yeah, we did."

"..."

"..."

"Sorry."

"Eh?" she blinked, confused.

"For killing you." How'd he know that? And as if he'd been reading her mind, he continued. "Your friend insisted I'd apologize."

"...and you seriously did?" she sweatdropped. Who had asked for that?

They stared at each other in awkward silence - at least on her part. He was still eating, but was polite enough to swallow before he spoke again. "Who are you?"

"'M Gen."

"I mean, WHO are you? What are you?"

Oh. Shit.

"I'm..." _something smart and riddel-ly!_ "...Someone you can kill by freezing the ocean." _IDIOT!_ "I'm someone who has power over the devil." _Better_. "I'm someone who can make the sea dance by my will, and I'm someone who really needs to go to the toilet right now." _*mental facepalm*_

He nodded in thought, licked the stick clean and stuck it in his pocket, before bidding good night and pedaling away. She shrugged it off and went to the celebration.

**EARLIER (yes, it's a flashback)**

She jogged to catch up to Garp and pushed and shoved her way through the soldiers to the old man. It felt eerie, to be surrounded by the white and blue jackets. She muttered apologies on her way.

"Hey! Hey Garp-san!" she yipped up, pushing the last guys off her way. The Shady Guy With The Hat looked at her, but when she didn't seem to pose a threat to him he let her through. The suffix didn't really didn't sit well in her mouth, but hey, at least she has manners. The girl doubted that he would care about it anyway.

Garp turned to look at her. "Oh, you're one of Luffy's nakama, right?"

She nodded and started walking by his side. "You have some time now? I'd love to chat with you a moment," Gen gave him her most charming smile.

"Sure! Take over for me," he told The Shady Guy With The Hat and stepped to the side with her.

They walked in companiable silence by the dock they were at the moment. Galley-La was milling around and she waved at those who noticed and recognized her as well.

"I'm Gen, by the way. Nice to meet you."

He laughed heartily. "A pirate thinks it's nice to meet a vice admiral?"

"Yes, actually."

"You're a funny one!" he laughed again. She found the sound surprisingly pleasant and listening to it made her feel like laughing from the bottom of her stomach too.

"Anyway... I wanted to thank you."

"What for?" he asked.

"For making Luffy's opinion on marines the worst one possible."

"HEY!_!_"

She had to duck a fist with an eep.

Her voice was sober when she spoke. "But truly, think about it, Garp-san. If he had never become a pirate, there'd be many very, very unhappy people... and there wouldn't _be_ certain people. You are familiar with his doings back at East Blue?" He blinked and gave her all his attention now. "Zoro... would be long gone. Nami would live her whole life in misery under Arlong's fist and Buggy would still be terrorizing that corner of the sea. Usopp's home island would've been pillaged by captain Kuro of the Black Cat pirates, Don Krieg would've taken The Baratie as his own, Crocodile" she shuddered "would've taken over Alabasta and Vivi would've lost her whole kingdom. Chopper... well, meeting Luffs was the best thing that happened to him, and again, kingdom saved."

"I see where you're going."

"And I wasn't finished!"

"You weren't?" he sweatdropped. Was she really talking that much?

"Lessee... Without Luffy, Skypiea would've been doomed by a false god, and of course..." she sighed. "Robin would've wandered alone in the darkness, drifting on cold, unfriendly currents."

He looked up towards the horizon. "Well... he is Luffy," was his answer. "But how would you know if he would've not do these things as a marine as well?"

"Marines are just too uptight," she said bluntly and waved her hand a bit. "Besides, who would want just some random people assigned to you when you could just go and scoop the cream off the cake?"

He grumbled some rude things about pirates, rude kids and Luffy.

"How did he help you?" he still had that annoyed edge to his voice when he asked it, but she could tell he was curious.

"Oh... he saved me from a fate worse than rapid gummy bears: wearing a girly dress for the rest of my life."

He burst into laughter, and it got louder when he saw her sulky expression.

They walked again, Garp asking about how Luffy was doing. Despite the... complicated relationship the two held, the old marine still loved his reckless grandchild. As they chattered, she had a wonderful, homey feeling in her chest. They were just two people talking, not a hardcore marine and a green little pirate rookie. She absolutely loved the old man, and he reminded her of her own easygoing father.

"You also met Luffy's brother, didn't you?" Garp asked.

"Oh yeah! We did! It's amazing how he's so polite compared to Luffy. Ah, but I do know that they're not blood-tied, I still regard them as brothers," she said. Though her tone was light, inside she wasn't.

"Luffy told you guys?"

She smiled wryly. "No. He didn't, but I've always known. Garp-san, you know there are always things that no others know of you, and there are things that **no one** knows of?"

"I do, those things are often not important at all, or then they're so important one can't tell anyone in the world," he said. "Like who took the last cookie."

Gen giggled. "Yeah! Though, Luffy usually just kips the whole thing at one time and there won't BE a last cookie."

"So, what about the things not known to many?" he steered the conversation back on track, sobering her.

She stopped, making him halt as well and meet her eyes. He could see them moisten. "You... When he..."

She never could finish the sentence when she broke into tears.

**PRESENT**

She evaporated all the depressing thoughts and memories about Ace and stepped to the street. The cacophony of it all hit her, along with something very strange.  
>There was the idiot trio, with Luffy looking like a chipmunk with his cheeks full of meat and chopsticks up his nose and lower lip.<p>

_That_ wasn't what made her explode in a fit of uncontrolled laughter. It was Robin, who was quickly stuffing her face full from a leg of meat carried in her right hand, and she had a pair of chopsticks in her left. The woman was running away from Nami, who was pleading her to stop for the sake of the navigator's own mental health. It was so out of the world, to see the usually elegant woman jumping over and running around different obstacles while the idiot trio egged her on.

"You're on high spirits!" Zoro was suddenly there with a half empty bottle, a big attractive grin on his face.

She wiped the water from her eyes after getting up. "Yeah! And by the looks of it, so are you."

"Wasn't sure you'd come."

"It's Robin's party, so why the heck not? And look at that, I'd pay for seeing that! Hey, is she drunk or something?" She asked, pointing at the scene. Gen wasn't the only one who found it excruciatingly funny.

"Could be, I wouldn't know. Haven't seen her drinking, though."

"Hey, what's that you're drinking there?" she asked curiously, trying to snatch the bottle from him.

"Mine," he stated, moving the bottle too high for her to reach.

"Eh? Not sharin', are ye? Tell meh~ if I don't like it, I'll leave you alone!" she put her hands on her hips and stared at him.

"It's grog."

"Zoro, are you lying?"

"No."

"My feminine intuition is saying that you're lying."

"I'm not."

"Prove it!"

"You're not getting it, and you wouldn't even like it," he leaned his head towards her.

"Oh yeah!_?_" she leaned towards too, their foreheads nearly touching. Her yell might've been too loud in anywhere else than in a loud party. "Gimme a taste and I'll decide if I like it or not!"

"Go get your own drinks!"

The bystanders could see sparks flying as they stared daggers at each other.

Gloria got an epiphany and grinned evilly. _'Oh... Oooh, ho, ho, ho...! If HE can do it, I can SO do it too!_!_'_

"Why are you so smiley suddenly?" He narrowed his eyes.

_'Okay... I'm so doing it...'_

"Well?"

_'Doing it... now...'_ "EAAAAAH!_!_! I CAN'T DO IT!_!_!" she suddenly stepped back and screamed, running away and confusing him greatly. The swordsman just shrugged with a victorious smile, lifted the bottle to his lips and walked off to find Paulie again.

* * *

><p>Gen didn't wake up the next morning. Then when she did open her eyes, she closed them and decided to sleep for fifteen minutes more.<p>

She managed to slumber all the way to eleven before she was rudely woken up by Nami, who took away her covers.

The girl was grumbling darkly as she dragged herself to the table, hair in millions of tangles and in a semi-foul mood. Greg was sitting around the table with Nami, Luffy and Chopper.

"At least you have your clothes on," the navigator commented.

"Don't stretch it," she glared at the woman and sat at the table. Sanji poured her a glass of orange juice as the others had coffee, and she took a pink frosted doughnut. They were all from the small cafeteria around the corner, but she didn't mind.

"How can you drink that stuff?" she frowned when Chopper took a sip.

Sanji put the pitcher back on a side table and walked through the room. They had been talking how the Franky family was left out from the newspapers. "Hey, how did it happen? The Franky family wreaked havoc over there. Is it possible that your grandpa tweaked the info and said they were innocent citizens who just got dragged into the mess?"

"Nah... he doesn't pay attention to details like that," Luffy said, waving his hand along with Nami, Chopper and Robin sitting on the windowsill.

"Nope, impossible," they chorused.

"I think he's cool."

Luffy almost choke on his doughnut. "ARE YOU SERIOUS!_?_"

"I am. I can't remember when was the last time I've had a conversation like that and our sense of humor goes pretty much the same trails."

"You have... _what!_?" Luffy shook his head. Wow, he actually looked like a sane person when talking about Garp! "You can't seriously think that pushing someone down a cliff is _funny_!"

She drank her juice unhurriedly before bothered to answer him. "Yes, I think that's funny. But no, I wasn't talking about that. And, he... I dunno, kinda reminds me of dad," she cast her eyes down.

Sanji, who was reading her mood easily, coughed. "Anyway... it's good news. It'd be a pity if they had to spend the rest of their lives hiding."

Zoro was sitting on the floor like always, reading the news paper and leaning on a bed's leg. "Yeah, but they did write some horrible things about us. It said that we declared war against the world government, and that we were the reason that the island was burned down." Gen wasn't happy that they were framed for something awful like that, but Zoro smirked. "This means that our bounties will rise again."

"_Oh!_! I wonder if I'll have a bounty on my head, too!" Chopper's eyes sparkled.

"That's possible, but mine would be more problematic... they'll say something like 'a superstar appeared'," Sanji rubbed his chin.

"Ooooh, I wonder what they'll call me~!" Gen grinned.

"WHAT ARE YOU BEING SO HAPPY ABOUT!_?_ ARE YOU ALL _IDIOTS!_?" Nami wasn't thrilled.

"Yes, yes we are."

"I hope I won't get one," Greg coughed. "Her Holiness would bottle me up and sell as lemonade."

Gen remembered something. "Why'd Cray call the devil's fruit users traitors?"

The Strawhats all turned to look at the demon who was aware of being suddenly the centre of the room's attention. "You see..."

Greg told them that there were four gods, not only Gloria's mother. After that, he summarized their divided relationships and that the sea and the land held grudges for each other.

"Is that why they want Gen killed?" Luffy asked. "'Cos she's this sea-lady's kid? Yosh! I'm going to kick her ass!"

"You're not kicking any lady's ass!_!_" Sanji bared his teeth.

Greg sweatdropped. "That's not possible."

"Why not? I already beat one god."

"That wasn't a god, you idiot," the navigator sighed. "So why is it that she wants her dead?"

"I don't know."

"She didn't even tell Roylton about it," the girl said grimly. The picture of blood filled the front of her memories again and she shivered in disgust.

"What's all this got to do with the devil's fruits?" Sanji asked.

"The Lady of the Earth was the one who grew them in the first place, to aid her army and seduce humans to her side. Those who accepted the treats were highest supporters of the Earth, so Her Holiness banished them. Some of our own who were in secret on the enemy sides found it that they suddenly couldn't return home."

"Ouch," Gen muttered.

"Did you know any of the guys who ate the fruits?" Nami inquired.

His expression turned heavy. "My mentor did."

They went to other topics after that, such as how Franky was so nice to build them a ship. Luffy, who heard about it the first time then, couldn't stop grinning as they all decided about the following few days' spending. They didn't have that much money on them because Luffy used most of it to the party last night, so the allowance was thin. Gen knew she had some in her bag she hadn't told the others about, but still took the 10,000 belis. Nami would've wanted some new furniture for the ship.

After a meaningful look that sent heat rushing to her cheeks from Zoro, she went with him to the city's streets.

* * *

><p>They went first to the weapons shop. He didn't get the sword, but she did get her precious oil paints and the two canvases. She looked forlornly at her self-made wallet. All the extra and the allowance was now used, but she was still short on one colour she would've wanted.<p>

"Ah well," she sighed and put the thing back in her pocket. "You really should've not come in the store."

"You were taking too much time and people were starting to stare at me," he defended himself.

"Since when have you been bothered by a few stares? Your hair is green, for crying out loud."

He scowled. "You know what I mean!"

The second he'd stepped in the busy little shop she felt the people - artists and clerks - hold their breaths. First she'd thought that they had recognized him as the fierce pirate he was and wanted to take his head or something, but no, that wasn't it.

They were all over him, asking what his name was, was his hair really that colour, did he train everyday, did he sunbathe... They basically went all artist on him, complimenting his build, young age, his choice in clothes and the three swords hanging on his hip _(or two swords and a useless piece of rust as it was)_.

"They were artists and you can't deny it that you're so... noticeable," she phrased it carefully and watched two seagulls fight each other over food scraps. "You're inspiring to an eye like that."

"You have 'an eye like that'?" he asked.

"Well, I have drawn you at least a dozen times," she confessed a bit nervously. "You train so much and walk around without a shirt, so you're easy to use as a model. Oh, which reminds me, I need a new 'olive green'..."

"You have...?" she heard him take a deep, calming breath.

"Yeah. Luffy whined about it to me once. 'Why don't you ever draw anything else?' exactly."

He didn't know what to say on it. He wanted to grab her hand and drag her off to some quiet ally to hear just how many times she'd drawn him.

Roronoa Zoro decided to grab the bull by the horn. "Do you like me?"

She stumbled but regained her balance in an instant. The state her face had gone to was now beyond blushing and she hid it in her hands in desperate last attempt to hold on to her beating little emotions. They had grown too big to hold on to, though, and they demanded to be heard. She had acknowledged them already, but she found her heart to be a greedy little bugger.

Gloria knew she didn't really need to spell it all to him: he already knew anyway. He just needed a confirmation, to make it official.

"Ay, you s-stupid Marimo..." she stuttered.

She didn't see the larger-than-life-grin on his face since she had turned her back towards him.

"'Ay' what, Snowbrain?" Zoro had closed the little distance and snaked his hands around her middle. She could feel his breath in her neck as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"A-Ay... I... I..."

"Come on, lass! Say it!" an old man sitting on a bench feeding pigeons said loudly. The two looked at the geezer, Gen through her fingers, and they blushed. "Hahaha! Ah, young love! Y'see this, Ertha?" he was talking to the sky now.

Not really needed to tell, but they left the place and went to a small café named after it's owner Wendy. She and her husband were nice people and Gen liked them. The small café was fairing well and one of Galley-La's favourite places to hang out on their brake. Due to the hurry, it was nearly empty today. Zoro was gentleman enough to buy her a piece of chocolate cake with luscious raspberries on and around it.

He watched her devour the thing while leaning on to his palm. "I think I just lost to a cake..."

"Eh?"

"Nothing. Just thinking out loud," he gave her a lopsided smile and turned his head to look out the window.

"Hey Zoro. What are we? And don't say 'pirates'."

The side of his mouth curled up. "If starting from basics, we know each other, we are friends and we are nakama who depend on each other."

"More like I depend on you," she rolled her eyes. "But are we something else too? What am _I_ to you?"

He supported his elbows on the table and leaned over the table to catch her eyes. He succeeded and she suddenly felt very bare against him, like someone'd opened her up like a fish to take a look at her insides.

"You... are _mine_."

"A- M- Wha- Ah- Huh?" she could only say.

"And you can't say no to it, got it?" his gaze was intense but softened when he said that.

"Yeah, I got it," she smiled.

When they were outside, she felt a strong hand twirl herself around and she dropped the big paper bag that held the canvases. Unlike on the previous times when he'd stolen the kisses from her, he first just stared at her. His eyes flickered down her face to her mouth. Her hands slid across his haramaki, past his swords and found each other behind his back.

Gen closed her eyes when his warm breath tickled on her lips, right before he tilted his head and descended on them. She felt like there was a small sun coming from behind thick clouds in her chest. A wonderful golden glow spread to every part of her, it's rays bringing her into life - she hadn't known she was dead before this. Neither of them was an experienced kisser, but that didn't stop them. By a sudden spur she snatched his lip between her teeth and gave a playful chomp, raising a surprised noise from the back of his throat.

"You little imp..." he muttered against her.

"I love your voice," she said her thought out loud before she could stop herself. "It comes from somewhere... somewhere down deep here..."

"Really? Yours isn't bad either."

The compliment made her giddy again and she just grinned dopily. "Oh... You're a badass first mate."

"You're a superb mermaid."

"I'm not a mermaid!"

"Okay, then you're a siren, and you bewitched me."

"Ha! You are a hunk rippled with all those muscles! There's no girl in the world that wouldn't swoon over them!"

"But I wouldn't be swooned by just any little siren that just happens to bat their lashes at me."

"Excuse me!_?_"

"Aww, but your eyelashes are pretty. And your eyes..."

"Okay, now this is just weird," she raised her hands between them on his chest and pushed the man from her.

"Come on, don't be such a cold codfish!"

"A _CODFISH!_?"

The passerbys could hear Roronoa Zoro's wild laughter as he ran away from an enraged woman with the whitest of hair they'd seen on such a young person, carrying a black shoulder bag and a large paper bag on her arm and yelling things not suited for children under the age of 20.

"Aaaah, young love~!" cackled the old man still feeding the birds.

* * *

><p>She still had time to do something after she'd lost trail of Zoro. He'd get it later, she decided, and snatched the lone doughnut she found laying on one of the chairs. As she sat there, munching on the treat, she felt all the blood gather in her face again. This time she didn't bother do anything about it, but relive the kiss...<p>

"Kyaaaaaah~~!"

After Gen giggled and walked the floor in abstract patterns to get rid of the hyper, she pulled the heavy bag on the table and started setting the small, cute cans of oil paint on it in colour-order. She missed one shade of blue, but it wasn't really that important. She could mix it from two others.

She also brought up the paper bag and the two canvases. They were approximately the same size, but the other one was more like a rectangle and the other one was a square. The square was for the portrait of Going Merry.

_'Ah dammit all, I can't do it here...'_ she realized. If someone was to see it, the secret wasn't a secret anymore. Biting her lip, she wondered if she could go to Franky's place. She also realized that she didn't have that much time to do it, and oil paint needs up to months to dry. With the plan she had in mind that could take, like, _forever!_

"Mouu, isn't there any other ways...?" she whined, but no one was there to hear it. She brooded, while playing with the paint cans. The girl was amazed that they had all fitted into the bag in the first place...

She got up and walked to their 'stuffpile' and found the case she had all her brushes in. They were really good quality, made in Alabasta. Caressing them, she sighed and recalled the huge room full of papers, pens, colours, first class clay... and brushes. She had been sure to pick one of each, and doubted she'd ever find quality like this again.

Suddenly, the demigoddess heard thumps and a grunt from behind the door. It was opened and then pushed open, and Greg walked in with a bunch of wooden poles in his arms.

"Awesome timing, Greg!" she clapped to him.

"Here is your easel, Gloria-sama. I hope you like it."

"Oh come on, don't sound like that," she chuckled. "From how far did you carry that?"

He, with somewhat of a rehearsed move, flicked the stand open on the floor. "From the other side of the damn city."

"I'm sorry, honestly. Thanks for getting this!" she beamed. Greg stared at her for a long time, though she didn't notice it when she was all over the easel by now.

"Did something happen, Gloria-sama? You look... happy."

"Hm? Ah, hehehehehe, I ah, talked with Zoro a little..." she looked shy like a young maiden, but then the air around her shifted. "...he's dead meat..."

"I will not ask what he did," he had an amused smile.

Greg left her, and she was back in her problem. She knew there were at least two places she could go; to where Franky was building the Sunny, or to go ask Iceburg for an empty office.

...

"Franky it is!"

She watched the easel for a moment and sweatdropped.

First of all, she looked for Franky. She asked the random Franky family members where he was, but got every time the same answer: "Sorry! We can't tell you, because you're part of the Strawhats and the ship is a secret!"

It wasn't a secret to her. She knew what it would look like, but knew that seeing it and touching it would be awesome.

Still, she wanted to find him.

After the fifteenth guy she was ready to bash someone's teeth in. The man tried to scamper off, but she didn't allow that, oh no. So when she finally burst through the doors of the dock hall, she wore a satisfied grin and dropped the poor man on the ground.

"HA! FOUND YA, FRANKYPANTS!" she yelled in victory. Her hair was dishevelled and she looked borderline crazy. The girl was pointing at him with a... shovel?

"Noooo! Don't come here!_!_!" Franky objected loudly. Gen could see Iceburg there too, wiping his brow and watching the scene calmly.

He tried to turn her around, but she was more slippery than he expected. It resulted in a mini war. The first time he was even mindful of her when he hauled her outside, but the second he let go of her she slipped through between his legs and back inside. He frowned at the smug grin and chased her down, before taking her out again. This time he didn't even manage to get two feet from the door when his grip loosened and she jumped down his back - and in the hall.

The Franky family laughed. A glare from Franky and some sharp words made them chase after her too.

She grabbed a hammer and a saw and stopped abruptly, turning to the big, rowdy men. "STOOOOOOPPP~!" she held the saw on the 'neck' of the hammer. "One wrong move and the hammer dies!"

"..."

They made an are-you-completely-stupid? -face.

"Maa, Miss Gloria, what are you doing here?" Iceburg walked to the front of the group, a white cloth over his hair.

"I'm threatening this hammer's life?" she raised the thing a bit in demonstration and arched an eyebrow.

"That can't be the only reason, right?"

She grinned madly and put the stuff down. "I'm lookin' fer a hidin' place. I've got a pic ta paint, bu' i's a s'prise fer th' others, so..." she shrugged.

"Ah, I see. Maa, we are going to move out of here soon and to the water, though."

"No' a prob. Jus' say if ye need 'elp wif it."

They didn't need her help, but she asked someone to come with her to get the easel, the canvas and the paints she needed.

"Thanks, Gavin!"

"FOR THE LAST TIME MY NAME ISN'T GAVIN!_!_! IT'S **DAVID**!_!_!"

"Whatever, Gavin!"

She started working on her work of art almost in trance, and only grunting a bit whenever someone came over to compliment her. Franky and Iceburg were working fervently on the ship, but it wouldn't be ready for tomorrow, she could see. Well, good for her, she'd have more time to paint.

When the light was starting to fade and the people were starting to go back, Iceburg came to shake her shoulder lightly to rouse her. She rubbed her face tiredly, leaving a grayish smudge on her cheekbone.

"Come on, let's get you to sleep."

"Hnn... a'wigh'..." she yawned and got to her feet. Someone had brought her a small stool for her.

Iceburg sighed. "Franky! Take her back. She'll collapse on the street like this."

"Me! Why can't you do it!"

"Maa, do I look like someone who can carry a girl around the town?"

And so she arrived, deep asleep, to the house where Greg tucked her in bed. Zoro was still awake too, waiting for her return. The two men had a silent glaring match.

_Go to bed._

_Hers?_

_YOURS!_

The following morning she awake right after Sanji, who was already making breakfast. He offered her a plate of chopped fruits and two thick slices of French toast. The girl left before Luffy woke up and started pestering about the wonderful scent that wafted thorough the small room.

She wasn't the first at the site. The shipwrights and carpenters were already working on the ship and Iceburg waved his hand in greeting as she passed them to the spot where she had left the stand and the unfinished painting. Someone had been kind enough to drape a big white fabric to cover it.

Around noon Franky came over with a big sandwich with him that he shared with her. He nodded towards the unfinished picture. "Lots of blue you've got there. What are you making?"

"Merry," she answered, her mind somewhere else. "I want to hang it in the dining room."

"Oh," he raised an eyebrow. "Looks kinda gloomy."

"You'll see when it's ready, it'll be good."

Once the food was gone Franky got up and walked away. "Oh and hey, you look pale. You should rest for a while, take a nap or something," he tossed the suggestion over his shoulder.

She submerged herself again in the work, not really hearing his departing words. The girl let her brush sing and dance for her, as she completed the ominous sky hanging over the roiling waves and the hull of the little caravel. It lacked sails, but there were lines showing her where they would be, and the figurehead was still only a ball on the tip of the ship. Sometimes she glanced at the stretch of ocean in front of her, imagining it as the one during a storm, and then she went back to painting.

In three more hours her head starts to ache and her feet tire, and she had to sit down. She hadn't had the patience to do so when she painted, and the stool was too low for her to reach the canvas. Gen rubbed her eyes, probably getting more paint on her face.

_'Wow... I'm smokin' good,_' she thought as she took a step back to see it better. Then she frowned, one of the ropes running down from the crow's nest was squiggly, and the wall of the galley slightly deformed and curving in a wrong way. They weren't hard to fix, so she dipped the brush in paint again and wiped out the rope.

After another hour, could be more, she smiled faintly, finally satisfied. The sky was lit in a pallet of oranges and reds and yellows, contradicting greatly to the colours she had been staring into for two whole days.

Calmly, she put down the piece of wood she'd picked up to use and mix the paints on, and the brush next to it.

"O-OI! THE GIRL FAINTED!_!_!"


	62. Violated

I'm seriously going to die. I have to read some book from Tolstoi, and it's anything but interesting! T-T And I have 5 days including this to do it! *_crys*_ And I haven't had time to write, or play WoW, because my brother hogged the game!  
>Uhh, sorry for opening up on you people...<p>

Gloria: You have the computer now. Go write!

Snoara: But I wanna plaaaay~!

Gloria: *_glare*_

* * *

><p>Gloria woke up after sundown, feeling a chill deep down in her bones. The girl didn't feel like opening her eyes so she just rolled to face the wall and curled into a tight ball under the blanket. Blankets... Something rolled down her face and she cracked one eye open to see a white bundle of fabric. She instantly knew what it was, from the pink little dots on it.<p>

It was Chopper's handkerchief that he tied from its corners to hold in something only the reindeer knew, and then put on a person's forehead when they-

"You had a fever," a small voice said from behind her. "Because you overworked yourself. What were you thinking? The Galley-La people brought you back, telling me that you just dropped like a fly!" She listened to Chopper's rant with her head drooping slightly. He ended it with a worried look, an inquiry if she was thirsty and a semi-threatening order to drink lots of water.

"What were you doing with the Galley-La?" Nami asked.

"Making friends with Iceburg?" she smiled sheepishly.

Luffy let out a gasp. "You were _spying_ on them!_?_ That's not cool! You can't know what the ship looks like before the rest of us!"

The others sweatdropped. Nami hit him in the head with her knuckles and informed him that Gen most likely would've known anyway. Then the navigator blinked and turned on her heel to the white-haired girl sitting in her bed. "The riddle."

"Hm? What about it?" she stared back.

"_'One too weak, one too angry, one leaves without a word'_, was it?"

Gen gulped. Luffy's stare was accusing. "Gloria..."

And he's using her real name.

"I'm sorryyy..." her voice was meek. "I... couldn't... resist... the words were just suddenly flowin' an' th' pen was whisperin'meevilstuff..." the end of her sentence was jumbled. "I couldn't stop myself."

"Well, since you apologized, it's fine," he nodded. "But you really should try to have a little self-control."

He earned a hit in the head.

"Back to the riddle," Zoro sounded almost impatient. "What was it all about? Who were you talking about it in it?"

She gave a sigh. "It's all happened. Can't you figure it out yourself?"

"What riddle?" Robin asked.

"This," Nami gave the paper. She had kept it to think about it.

"YOU FOLDED IT!_!_!"

"So? You have paper, don't you?"

Robin had read the riddle while the two argued and when she was done, hummed. "The lines aren't in order. 'One too weak' goes with 'the third will have to be left behind', and 'one leaves without a word' goes with 'one defeated in mind', yes?"

Gen stared at her, then grinned and clapped. "You figured it out~!"

"The first is the Merry, the second one is me."

"What about the third?" Chopper asked, innocently enough, but the atmosphere was suddenly very tense.

It was a subject no one wanted to approach with a five foot pole.

Nami walked to the window and closed the orange curtains, closing the darkness out.

"Huh... where are Sanji and Greg?" she noticed now that the two were gone.

"I don't know. I swear, that guy's disappearing all the time," Nami shook her head. "But he's too good looking to scold..."

"I agree," Robin chuckled.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Gen waved her hands, not wanting to listen them. "Are you talking about Greg or Sanji?"

"Greg, of course," Nami deadpanned.

As the others went to chatter about mindless things, like Nami and Robin were discussing about the previous days' shopping and how to get more money, Gen laid back down to the bed. She was startled when she opened her eyes and saw a pair of dark eyes and a mop of green peeking over the edge of the bed.

"You ass!" she struck him in the forehead with a fist. "What are you staring at!_?_"

"You."

"Stop it!"

"I don't have to. Besides, you're now my girl, and I have the right to stare at you if I want to," he smirked, making the room grow eerily quiet. She wanted to say something witty to that, but the lines from her brain to her mouth had been effectively cut, leaving her gaping at him.

"You finally got together?" Nami said with a mischievous glint in her eyes and arms crossed over her chest. "Hey, do we need to get you a separate room?"

"DIE!" a random book hurtled at the navigator. Robin chuckled.

"Shishishi, I'm happy for you!" Luffy was grinning from the foot of her bed. The sincerity of it made her blush and smile.

"Awww, look who went all red," Nami pulled her cheek.

"Zoro!" Luffy turned to look at his first mate and pointed at the demigoddess. "Kiss her right now!"

"YOU CAN'T ASK HIM SOMETHING LIKE THAT!_!_!" Gen screeched, hiding in the sheets and hoping that the bed would suddenly swallow her along with the embarrassment.

"Yeah Zoro! Kiss her!" Chopper encouraged him with an adorable giggle.

Then Luffy said the words that would most likely eventually lead to his early death: "Captain's orders!"

The edge of the blanket was raised and the swordsman stuck his head in. "Captain's orders," he muttered and smooched her on the cheek. There were disappointed groans coming from the rest of the Strawhats.

Eventually, Sanji came back telling that he'd hunted down a few packs of cigarettes, and not long after him came Greg. When he was asked the same question he only winked at Gen and made a 'baa!' noise.

_'Ah, he was taking care of the painting!'_

In the morning, the log was set, just like Nami had said. Sanji was standing around, Luffy was standing on one hand on his bed's post and Gloria sat in the dining table with Robin. Zoro had teased Chopper about something and was now pushing against his head with his boot on the floor.

Kokoro had come in earlier, already drinking. "So you... know where the log's leading you to?"

"No. Where? It's pointing a bit downwards..."

"Ngagagaga... of course. The next island is-"

"Fishman Island," Gen breathed and went pale.

"Gen-chan?" Sanji had noticed.

"It's a paradise at the bottom the sea!_!_" Kokoro had a slightly glazed look on her face, coming from the booze and probably something else too. The Strawhats were staring at the old hag until Sanji went through a dork-morphosis.

"F-F-F-F-Fishman Island!_?_ AT LAST~!_!_"

"Fishman Island?" Nami didn't look as nearly as enthusiastic as he did. "How complicated..."

"Oh yeah, because of what happened in your village..." Luffy stood next to her.

"But, that fishman was a pirate, right?" Zoro reminded them.

"That's right, you really did understand it, right, idiot~? Even though you're stupid!" the chef was making pirouettes. "Fishman Island is a famous landmark on the Grand Line! The world's most beautiful mermaids draw arcs in the sea, a dream kingdom where you can coexist with the fish~!"

"Is that so!_?_ Amazing!" Chopper chirped.

Kokoro coughed, making Sanji look jerkily at her. His face went blue and he dropped the cig in his mouth, before going in angst-mode.

They were concerned for the part where the mermaid said 'at the bottom of the sea', but she said that wasn't the most problematic part and put a newspaper down on the table. Missing ships and the Florian Triangle was the mark of Thriller Bark arc's start.

Kokoro scared the living daylights out of Chopper and Nami, telling about ghost ships and deceased sailors who still wandered the sea. Gen could only repress an amused grin when Luffy asked enthusiastically if they'd see living skeletons. Then Robin pointed out that ships like those would most likely have treasures and maps to treasures and Nami started whooping along with the captain.

Gen was far from happy. She was biting on her tongue to keep her face expressionless.

"If I may..." her bodyguard coughed. He had a piece of paper in his hand that he was skimming over. "On the way to Fishman Island, there is another island."

"I haven't heard about that," Kokoro stared at Greg.

Nami frowned. "If there's an island, wouldn't the log pose point to it?"

"It doesn't show you where Shabody is either," Gen muttered darkly.

"Shabody?"

"It's a mangrove forest directly above Fishman Island," the mermaid said. Nami was peering over Greg's arm to see the paper - a map - with curiosity and the man gave it to her for studying. Gen decided it was finally time to get out of bed and sat up, stretching her arms. They were aching, and her head felt ultra light for a moment.

"That's my personal map. My... a person very close to me made it. It shows the sea currents, these are the strong ones and these are the weaker ones. The currents marked with red are dangerous to use, the green ones are unstable and they change every now and then, blue stands for normal currents. The darker the line, the deeper it runs."

"What about that weird island?"

He traced a finger on the map. "This here... splits into two."

"It's green."

"Yes. There's a possibility that the current takes the ship to this island over here instead of Shabody, but it's not dangerous. It only lengthens the route for a few days. When a ship goes too near to Secret island-"

"Secret island!_?_" Luffy interrupted him. "Sounds interesting!"

"It's a calm little place," Greg mused. "Perfect for cloud watching."

"Boo," the boy made a face. "Why does it have a name like that if it's not interesting at all?"

"They say that odd things happen there at night. Who knows..."

"Yosh! Let's stop there!"

"It's not that easy, Luffy-san. If the current isn't split, we won't get to the island. The log only locks on to it when we are near enough."

"Off to Secret island~!"

"As I was saying," he ignored the rubberboy. "The current won't take us directly to the island. It'll take us, hopefully, near enough for the log to set on the island's magnetic field. Once it's set on Secret Island, it points to Fishman Island again in a day or two."

Nami muttered. "I see... but I don't like the way this red place is so close to this..."

"Don't worry. The current guides us correctly."

There was yelling and someone was running, before the door was slammed open. The Franky family girls along with Chimnie and Gonbe collapsed on the floor, panting and smiling widely.

"The dream ship is done!_!_"

"Eeeh!_?_ It's done already!_?_ That's much faster than planned!_!_!" Luffy was all one excited grin that the others mirrored.

"STRAAAAAAAWHAAAAAAAT-SAAAAAAAN!_!_!" a long drawn yell rang and they saw from the open door that it was rest of the Franky family. They filed out to meet them.

"What's going on, guys? You're all out of breath!" Luffy asked.

"Haa... Haa... I have a favor to ask of you..." Zam... bei? Was that his name? "Did you see the... wanted posters!_?_"

Gen's ears perked at this. _'Did I get one?'_

"Wanted posters?"

"You... you have an outrageous bounty on your head, Strawhat-san! The others too... you _all_ got bounties!_!_"

"Me too!_?_ Cool!" Sanji smiled.

"Me too!_?_" Nami did not.

"Me too!_?_" Chopper looked anticipated.

"Here... see for yourselves!" the man dropped a stack of papers on the ground.

Her eyes zeroed on her own picture, and she felt her stomach make a flip. Gen didn't know if it was a good or a bad feeling, but...

_**"Evil Enchanter" Gloria E. Kindheart 87.000.000 B**_...

"Eigh... _Eighty seven_...!_?_"

"WOO HOO!_!_ MINE INCREASED!_!_" Luffy laughed obnoxiously and pointed out that there was one for Sogeking too. Zoro merely smirked and Robin smiled. Nami looked horrified, poor Chopper had gone into shock and Sanji as if he'd woken up from a heavy night's drinking and found himself castrated.

"We-Well, I can feel ya... and I know you've got lots to say, but... W-wait! Our request is in regard to this!" Zambei pulled out another wanted poster from inside his shirt. It was Franky's, bounty of 44.000.000 B. Luffy listened with a serious face as the Franky family begged him to take Franky away, with force if necessary.

"You don't have to say it," he adjusted the Strawhat on his head with a grin. "I've already decided to make him my shipwright."

* * *

><p>They packed up their stuff and the Franky family dragged the luggage to the ship. Greg had went with them after a long, contemplative look at her wanted poster, then smiled and said it looked good.<p>

She sat at the table, staring at the piece of paper. "How the _hell_ is it that high!_?_ What did I ever do to them!_?_ ...but that nickname's cool... Wait a freakin' second! How'd they find out my whole name!_?_ I FEEL VIOLATED!_!_"

She looked like an absolute madman in the picture, with her hair falling and flying around her head like an angry nest of snakes. The picture was pretty close up from her, but she could see her torn vest soaked in blood, and there was some on her face too. Her eyes were gleaming and drilling through anyone who dared to look at the wanted poster.

_'Okay, eighty seven isn't that bad for a face like that...'_ she grimly agreed with whoever had decided it on her. Quickly counting, she realized that it was third highest in their crew. They were now worth... 754.000.050 B.

_Crap._

"Hey, I'm not _that_ bad, am I?" she frowned.

Zoro strolled by. "That's impressive. And you look just like yourself."

Gen growled and buried her elbow in his gut. Then she looked at Zoro's poster he'd put down on the table next to hers and snickered. "You got trolled!"

"Huh?"

"See, there. Doesn't that look kinda familiar?" she pointed to the lower left corner of his picture, where against the flames was a silhouette of Usopp. He was holding his hand up with his finger curled into a hook, much like Crocodile.

The swordsman facepalmed. "I didn't notice that earlier." He turned to the other occupants in the room. "You guys, have you made up your minds about Usopp?"

"Zoro," Luffy pulled an orange backpack on his shoulders.

"This is a matter of pride," he said.

"I know that. Sanji, how long are you going to stay depressed?"

"Shut up! Why am I the only one with a drawn picture!_?_"

"That's an amazing amount for the first time," Luffy tried to cheer him up.

"Which part of this picture looks like me!_?_ Where am I in _this_!_?_"

"It looks exactly like you..." Zoro muttered and the cook got into his face, muttering something incoherent and making Zoro sweatdrop. "I can't understand a word."

Sanji fell on the floor. "I'll be the laughingstock of the whole world's ladies..."

Nami had been tricked to pose in the poster by a guy saying he was the town's magazine reporter, but the picture turned out cute. Chopper was outraged for his ridiculous 50 belis.

Once they got Sanji mobile again, they walked out. The navigator said goodbye to Chimnie, who was shedding tears.

Since Gen knew where the ship was, she worked as the guide. They could see from far away that a huge tarpaulin covered the ship. Iceburg (and the mouse~), Paulie, Peeply and Tilestone were waiting and snoozing when they arrived. Greg was with them, waving and calling her name.

Luffy was excited and Iceburg's little speech only added to his jittery.

Then he grabbed the tarpaulin, yanked for all he was worth and revealed the Thousand Sunny, for now named as King of Beasts. They were all very pleased with the ship. Luffy was staring at it like a little kid would look at a pop-up book, ready and eager to search its secrets. Gen found herself giggling too. She couldn't wait to see the aquarium~!

They rushed to the ship and Greg climbed up after them.

The ship was more amazing that she remembered. The lawn under her feet was soft and moist and Luffy took it to roll around in it the second he noticed it. Robin chuckled as Chopper found a slide and stated that they'd be able to do some gardening as well. Gen loved the huge tree at the middle of the deck, with the swing swaying in the motion of the ship. She squealed and ran inside just when Sanji's delighted voice floated from the kitchen. He finally got a fridge with the lock.

The tank... was incredible. The whole room was dimly lit by the sunlight flickering through the water and a few lamps on the main mast that ran through the room. It had a table around it that it pierced, and several chairs around it. The sides of the room had a one, long sofa going around invitingly. For now the tank was empty, but she already planned to plant some seaweed and coral in it. Maybe a pet fish?

She returned to the main deck, running into Nami and Chopper going to the aquarium, to see Luffy talking with Iceburg. The mayor told him that actually Franky really wanted to leave with them, but didn't want to. It sounded very much like Gen's case that she couldn't help the smile.

"Franky really has a liking for you all from the bottom of his heart, but he's always thought of staying on this island as a duty."

"Duty?" Luffy echoed him.

"If you ask me, it's just a stupid obsession."

"Hey! Don't call it stupid!" Gen flared up. "When one has a selfless heart, like him, they don't act on their true wishes."

"Like you?" Luffy gave her a lopsided smile. It made her splutter and flush red.

"Y-You..." _'He had_ known!' She clamped her face into her palms and all but ran to the big tree.

"Strawhat, if you really want him to go with you, you only have one choice: force him. It's the only method for his release."

Gen tripped to her feet and laughed quietly, the kind of laughter that one laughs when they can't get enough air.

'Pervs! All th' lot of 'em!'

"Force? I want him to go with us but... is that really okay?" Luffy replied. "Zoro! Sanji! Chopper! Let's go!"

The four men left the ship. Some time after Gen started hearing crashes - veeery distant - and in twenty minutes top there was a figure flying towards the place.

Greg, standing next to her, gasped and put a hand over her eyes. "What is that man _doing_!_?_"

"Hey! What!_?_ What is it!_?_"

"N-Nothing, Gloria-sama- no! Don't look! It's not suited for your eyes!"

"...It's him, isn't it?"

"Yes, Gloria-sama..."

"Without pants?"

"Yes, Gloria-sama..."

Luffy and Chopper were flying right behind them and they managed to land on the ship. Luffy stepped up to stand on the railing, holding Franky's pants up in the air like a flag.

Of course, Gen couldn't see all that because of a thoughtful demon.

There was a groan and crashes that comes from big, heavy objects moved.

"Franky! Thanks for the ship! It's the best, ever! We'll treasure it!"

"Yeah! I pray you to have a safe trip!"

"If you want these pants back, you'll have to become our nakama!"

"And do it quickly, you cannot walk around like that in M'Lady's presence!" Greg sounded irritated. The people gathered agreed, yelling at him to put his pants on.

"He destroyed the city again!"

"Get out of here, pervert!"

"Hn! Give me back my pants, Strawhat!"

"Then, be our nakama."

"Don't be stupid! Don't think just because you got my pants, you can make me your nakama!" there was a brief pause. "AOU! What kind of man is that who, even naked, faces straight the countless waves as it would be a lion!"

"He struck a pose... a pose!" Greg moaned, and the onlookers screamed 'don't look!' and 'my eyes! MY EYES!'.

"I took him lightly!" Luffy gasped. "How determined! He's the man of all the men!"

"HE'S JUST THE BIGGEST PERVERT OUT THERE!_!_" there was a resounding smack as Nami hit the captain.

"If I'm allowed to be a little violent, I can help out," Gen could hear Robin's smooth voice. A thought entered her mind, but then it was put to a shelf to wait when Robin announced her attack 'dos fleur'.

There were intakes of breath, and she could feel Greg standing ramrod straight.

"Grab."

Then he flinched when the cyborg howled out in pain.

"EH!_?_ HEY, ROBIN_!_!" Nami's voice yelled out.

"THEY'VE BEEN GRABBED!_!_"

"THEY'LL BE SMASHED, ROBIN!_!_"

"Truly evil...!" Greg whimpered.

"Hey, Robin, I want him to still be a _man_ when he becomes our nakama! Don't take them!" Luffy had a little desperate edge to his voice.

"It hurts just by looking!"

"If you ask a group of pirates to back off in front of a 'treasure', then you'd better have some good explanation, otherwise there's no way they'll back off," Robin sounded calm and her tone was matter-of-fact as she spoke, but she could detect the little hint of mischievousness from it.

"I... I said I want to stay on this island!_!_ I'm really thankful to you guys... more than I can ever imagine!" And Franky started telling his reasons why he gave them the ship and that he already stopped being a shipwright long ago with a voice thick from emotion. "So that ship would be the last ship that I'd ever make! It was my wish... that is the 'dream ship'!"

"Maa. Wait, Franky, this ship hasn't become your so-called 'dream ship' just yet." This was Iceburg. He had a pleasant, round and rough voice.

"I changed my mind what I want to do...!"

"What you want to do!_?_ No, that's not right. Whatever you are doing on this island now is all just atonement. You are still regretting and blaming yourself because of what happened to Tom-san. He already forgave you and gave you a new road to take! All the things you've done for the Water 7 was for atonement, and you quit building ships. Even if Tom-san forgive you, and I forgive you... why can't you forgive yourself, Franky? You can live your own dream, right?"

The big, tough man made halfway from iron started bawling and rolling in pain when his own little family threw his duffle bag to him, though Robin had already let go of him.

The touching moment was broken by Zoro and Sanji's arrival. They were in distress, and for a good reason too. Garp had decided that he wanted to give hell for his grandson.

"They already took the offensive in the coast over there and are looking for us!" Zoro yelled while running.

"Eeh!_?_ Why!_?_"

"I thought we wouldn't get caught here!" Nami wailed.

"How would we know? Prepare to set sail!"

"Whoa, Franky!_!_!" Sanji noticed the butt naked shipwright when he passed him. Luffy looked at the piece of fabric in his hand and threw it to it's owner.

"Get on my ship!"

"Hehehe... I'm taking none of that! You amateurs. I'd pity this excellent ship if it didn't have a proper shipwright. All right! I'll take care of it! I, Franky, will be the shipwright for your ship!"

"Woohooo! Another nakama!" Luffy whooped.

There was a silence, but Greg didn't take his hand off her face, which meant that Franky hadn't put the pants back on. Her ears picked up the noise of footsteps.

"I'M GONNA BE AWAY FOR A WHILE~!_!_" the man bellowed with tears.

"Put your pants on already," Sanji said with mild irritation.

"Yes please," Greg wasn't any better.

"Come on, I've seen naked men before!" Gen whined.

"_When?_"

"Alabasta."

There were some interesting noises coming from the people around her, and the sound of someone facepalming (_yes, she could hear that)_.

She was returned her eyesight when the demon saw it sufficient, though he would've wanted to wait until he had found a pair of real pants, but arguing with the man about it was like hitting your head in a brick wall.

Franky simply couldn't see why he should.

"Set sail!" Luffy said and sat down on the bench circling the main mast with his arms crossed behind his head and right leg over his left.

"Hey Luffy!" Nami frowned, and there was threat of tears in Chopper's eyes.

"Luffy...!"

"Are you sure, Strawhat? Don't you have to wait for one more person?" Franky asked.

"I was waiting for him!" There was a fake, nervous smile on Luffy and beads of sweat were starting to appear on his forehead and cheeks. "Ever since Sanji told us the story."

Gen was confused, and looked at Greg to get an answer. "I'll tell you later," he said, and went back into the vessel.

"I waited for him in that room at Galley-La so someone could welcome him, but he never showed up! This is his answer! I'm sure he... will have fun too." Gods, that expression didn't suit him at all. Come on, you dork-nose! _Hurry up!_ "I don't think he'll quit being a pirate, so hopefully we'll see him on the sea sometime!"  
>The ship lurged when a cannonball smashed in the water right next to them and she fell down.<p>

"Crap! They found us!" Franky stood by the railing, holding on to some ropes.

"Grandpa!_!_"

"Damn, it's him," Gen sighed.

The Franky family could see the warship approaching. "Everyone, run!"

**"Hey Luffy~~~. Can you hear me!**_**?**_** This is your grandpa!"**

"Hey, grandpa!_!_ What's going on!_?_ You told us that you wouldn't arrest us here!_!_" Luffy yelled.

**"Yeah, things happened. So I'm sorry to say, but I'll have to ask you to just drown and die!"**

"EEEEH!_?_"

"I can feel the _loooove_ pouring from him," Gen rolled her eyes but grinned.

**"It's not like I can make up for it. But I'll face you guys by myself!"** and he held his hand up, asking for a cannonball that a soldier was bringing to him. It looked heavy... except when Garp received it, and simply tossed it barehanded at them.

"HOLY SHIT!" Gen exclaimed and fell again. The cannonball didn't hit them, but a random little boat near them.

"H-He threw the cannonball with his bare hands!_!_?" Sanji yelled in surprise. Well, thank you captain... cook obvious?

"It flew much faster than a regular cannonball would, too. It's not a baseball, dammit!" Zoro unsheathed a sword.

"Can't be helped! We have to run away! Our new ship will get wrecked!" Nami yelled.

The soldiers rolled a conveyor belt full of cannonballs to Garp, who was grinning like an evil, older, marine version of Luffy and who was taking off his captain's jacket.

"Doodles."

"Shall we begin, kids?"

Gen tried to raise water against the barrage of cannonballs hurtling towards them, but water just isn't enough to stop 'em. She pouted and let Sanji, Luffy, Zoro and Franky do their job.

"Not fair."

Chopper was trying to tell everyone that Usopp was finally there. She strained her ears and truly, saw the boy running like all hell in his overalls. He was yelling about some random stuff about weather and going fishing with Chopper, but Luffy and them 'didn't hear anything'. Not until:

"**I'M ZOOOWWWWY**_**!**_**!**_**!**_**! I'M ZOWWY FOR BEING SDUBBORN!**_**!**_**! I WAS WRONG!**_**!**_**!**"

Luffy froze, wide eyed, and Zoro grinned.

Usopp was a blubbering, embarrassing mess when he fell to his knees. "I know it's shameful!_!_! And I know I zaid I left da crew!_!_! CAN I... CAN I TAKE BACK WHAT I SAID!_!_? Can I please!_?_ ...please. Please let me stay with you guys!_!_! PLEASE~!_!_! PLEASE MAKE ME YOUR NAKAMA ONE MORE TIME!_!_!"

Luffy didn't waste time, and his hand shot out as far as he could stretch to Usopp, he too crying like a fountain. "IDIOT!_!_! HURRY AND GRAB MY HAND!_!_! Uwaaah~!_!_!"

"You're the idiot!" Zoro laughed.

"Ahaha! You guys look so lame!" Nami was crying a little and wiping the water out of her eyes.

"Finally... everyone's together!_!_! Let's just get away from here and head for adventures again!" Luffy sniffed, hugging the sniper with vigour.

"**Uoooh!**_**!**_"

The demigoddess felt like crying too. "Yeah, lameass, embarrassing idiot, but he's our lameass, embarrassing idiot."

BOOOM splash!

Their emotional reunion had to stay short, because Garp wasn't going to stop the bombardment just because of it. The ship with the ugly doghead (_if it's a dog, it's ugly. Period!_) was chasing them and she could still hear the townspeople's encouraging shouts from the shore.

By Franky's suggestion, they took in the sails, and Gen knew immediately what was going to happen.

"Oi, are you really sure about this?" Zoro asked from the sail where he was finished tying up the rope.

"'Are you really sure about this', you say!_?_ Idiot! You gotta trust the ship!" the cyborg laughed and posed. The idiot trio was dancing cancan behind him.

"That's right! You gotta trust, idiot!"

"Idiot, moron~!"

Nami sweatdropped. "Usopp, just a while ago you were..."

"Eeh, let 'em be. It's all past now!" Gen slapped her on her shoulder, maybe a bit too heavily as the navigator slumped.

"Hey, you! Stop fooling around and help!" Zoro had pointy teeth. Sanji kicked another cannonball away. "Hey Franky! The sail is furled now, so hurry up or the warship catches us."

"Idiot, the ship needs a good name first," Gen bit the swordsman's arm.

"Ow! Okay, I get it, now off!"

"Gen-sis is right. A ship without a name won't be any good."

"Yeah, mom won't know what to call her when she takes it to the bottom of the ocean... muhahahaha~!"

"Aaaaah! Don't jinx us!" Usopp screeched and she stuck out her tongue. Franky and Nami gave her slow looks as well and she just scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

"How come...?" Sanji booted another flying object. "Well, it's gotta be something like Lion."

"Yosh! I just thought of an awesome name for it!" Luffy thrust his hand up in the air. "Bear! The Polar Bear Lion!"

"Too weird!"

"Then, The Tiger Wolf Lion!"

"Stop with the animals! Those sound like some sort of curses!" Usopp slapped him with the back of his hand.

"What about The Ninja Duck?" Gen tilted her head to the side hopefully.

"Yeah! Or The Ninja Squid Octopus Chimpanzee!"

"No Lion!_?_"

Franky grinned. "Well, Lion is good for a ship, even though the guys from Galley-La didn't get it. What about... The Thousand Sunny?"

A shiver went down her spine.

"That's so cool!" Chopper piped up.

"So much better than The Dango Gorilla Lion name I just thought of!" Luffy's smile was wide.

"Even better that The Lion Master I thought of."

"Better than my Being of Darkness..."

"And my Monsieur Sunflower."

"Have you all lost your minds!_?_"

"I had one more!" Gen chirped.

"We don't wanna know!_!_"

"A ship that can sail a thousand seas sounds nice, so does the sunny part" Robin looked up the ship's mast.

"Wait up, you guys! The certain name for it is one I prepared!" Franky still tried, but his name fell on deaf ears as they all agreed that the name Iceburg came up was the best.

"Now that we have the name, we can finally continue with the journey," Zoro sighed.

"You're right."

"Ahem, Franky..." Gen nudged the cyborg who was drawing small circles to the deck with his finger and pouting.

"Hey! Hurry up and shake off this so called secret weapon!" Sanji said.

"Yeah, hurry up."

"I know!" Franky got up and told them to take a last, good look at the Water 7 before they'd be too far to see it and disappeared off to somewhere. Luffy got on the railing.

"Grandpaaaaa! Also, Coby and..." pause "I'm glad I had the chance to see you after a long time!"

"What are you talking, Luffy!_?_ I've got many cannonballs left!" and another came their way. The captain just chuckled and swatted it aside like a fly.

_'Damn...'_ Gen couldn't but think.

"No use! From now on, we'll be serious about escaping! Let's meet again some day!"

"Bastard! You're the son of my son...!" and the man went on with his ranting.

Luffy thanked Iceburg and the lot, and they watched how a humongous iron ball teetered on the deck of the marine warship.

"Unholy everything!" Gen blurted. They had a small panicking moment as the ball started descending on them as if in a slow motion, but suddenly the ship exploded forward and out of the ball's way. They were all amazed, and Usopp was remembering the trip the Going Merry had taken to the clouds.

"It takes three barrels of cola, but I can send us flying 1 km away. There's nothing your previous ship could do that this one couldn't do! It's better in many ways! However, that ship's brave soul lives in The Thousand Sunny!"

"Is that true, Gre- oh yeah, he left," Gen looked around. "Somehow I don't believe that."

"What!_?_ Don't you have any faith in you!_?_" Usopp asked.

"I'm talking about the soul part... it's just that... Hm, never mind," Gen frowned and sat down. Good thing too, because the ship's flight finally stopped and it came down on the waves.

* * *

><p>Until next time, which could take a while.<p> 


	63. Secret Island ahoy! Mary's little Badass

**R.I.P** to our cat. There was some confusion in matters, but to put in a nutshell: didn't eat, was about to be taken for the last trip to the vet, ate afterall, wasn't put asleep, checked in the vet, was diagnosed with asthmatic changes in the lungs which makes his life painful and now he's again booked for that last trip. Now though... the boy's sleeping on my pillow. -_-' Hasn't lost an ounce of his character. It's rude for him, but mom's already planning to get another.

* * *

><p>A clear, melodious laughter echoed through the Palace's halls.<p>

"She's such a wonderful girl~!"

"Yes, My Lady," the stream demon was still holding on to the piece of paper, an amused smile on his handsome face. "She has truly grown."

"Don't sound so sad, Sir Aecorius VII! This is time for celebration!" Herka twirled, her tail sliding on the floor. Her voice turned softer. "Your mission has not ended yet."

"I know... I only fear that I will be useless to her in the future, My Lady!" he laughed sadly.

"Coral's poop, Gregory! Now, call up the Royal Guard, the heads of the nobles and- ah, what the heck! Tell EVERYONE it's a party night! My treat!"

"Y-Y-Your Holiness...! _Everyone_!_?_"

"That's what I said! The nobles, the soldiers, the civils, the nobles...!"

"You said nobles twice, My Lady..." he sweatdropped.

"Call the poor, the rich, the idiots, the smart guys - though I don't really like the smartys - and send a messenger to old granny Margara!"

"Do we have funds for all that!_?_"

"Who cares!_?_ My little one is now a notorious pirate~!"

* * *

><p>The sun was high in the sky, making the snow sparkle. In the middle of a pine forest sat a pretty little house, its porch swept clean. A woman sat outside, her son in her lap. The boy was watching the white winter wonderland with his young, innocent eyes, saying a random word or a piece of word every now and then. 'Whiiit' was his favourite, but 'noos' came second. (<em>Not hangman's 'noose', just a mangled version of 'snow'. Or at least that was what the woman hoped it was.<em>)

She sighed, making a cloud appear in the air. Her husband had gone in town with her eldest son, Adrian. She hadn't heard from Mrs. Newark ever since her daughter had passed away and felt somewhat lonely.

Already two whole months, and still no sign of her daughter.

'_God gives and God takes_,' she thought, not knowing how accurate that was. They had received a call from Chiselle's brother, asking if Gloria had come home, but of course Mrs. Kindheart hadn't even known her daughter had run off. In hindsight, she knew she should've. She had always been a good girl, just... very often in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Two months. The police had given up on finding her after one, but the case was still open._ Two months_ of restless nights that started to show on her face as wrinkles and worried lines, but she didn't lose her hope.

_'My only wish is that you're okay...'_

* * *

><p>When the ship was finally sailing in peace and Nami declared that the weather would hold, they started rolling out kegs of grog (<em>whiskey for Gen<em>) and Sanji set out a low table on the grass deck with snacks.

Gen was sitting down next to Sanji, the others stood. Luffy stretched his hand up in the air, let go of his mug and caught it when it came down.

"Hey everyone! Ready!_?_"

"Yeah!"

"Then, for the return of Robin and Usopp, and for our new nakama, Franky and The Pirate Ship Thousand Sunny! Kanpai!"

"Kanpai!" they all echoed him and started chugging down the alcohol.

"Next stop: Secret Island!"

The girl stopped in her tracks, the whiskey spilling on the front of her shirt. _'I've never heard of Secret Island! What the netherworld, again with this-'_

She felt like a cold hand had suddenly gripped her spine through her lower back, and her breath hitched in her throat. Her mouth opened, but no word came out.

The feeling pulsed in her blood and pounded behind her forehead. There was something on her cheek, and she confusedly raised her hand to wipe it off. Somehow, she expected it to be blood or bird poop or something, but no. They were tears, and she felt so, so miserable.

Something was happening... or already had. Gen had a grim suspicion about it, but didn't want to think about it.

Yet, she couldn't stop crying. Gloria tried, but it proved to be more and more impossible, so she excused herself, saying she had gotten sleepy because of the drinking.

The library was pleasant, quiet and light fell from the windows in rays. She buried her face into the pillow sitting conveniently against the armrest of a large, comfortable couch.

Gloria had probably nodded off for real, since the next time she opened her eyes the shadows had moved. For a moment she didn't know where she was, but it all came back slowly. Brooding over Ace again, she composed herself and stretched herself before exiting the room.

'Where are everyone?' she blinked blearily. The first thing to think was the kitchen, but no one was there. What she did find though was that there was a covered object on the wall, with a note stuck to saying 'ABSOLUTELY DON'T PEEK! CONSEQUENSES WILL BE HORRIBLE!'.

"What...?" she walked closer. The note was signed by Franky. _'Okay...'_

The next she ventured to the aquarium room. Zoro, Nami and Chopper were absent, but otherwise they were all there, and counting out Gen they had all had the chance to change from the Galley-La clothes.

"Gen-chwaaaaaan~! Would you like to have some tea?" Sanji asked her with a swoon.

"Yeah, that'd be great. Hey, there was something odd in the kitchen, Franky..." she looked at the cyborg.

He grinned toothily. "You said it was a surprise, right? And that's where you wanted it anyway."

"Huh?"

"She seems to be still half asleep," Robin smiled.

"That weird cape-guy brought it to the ship when we were furnituring."

"What are you talkin- oh yeah, that cape-guy! Wait, I still don't get it."

He sighed. "The thing you were making and why you passed out. You know, that _thing_."

"..."

"Doesn't ring any bells?"

"...ahhh... Oh yeah! _That_ thing!" her eyes lit up.

"Franky said not to touch it, but I'm already at my limit!" Luffy whined. "I wanna seeeee!"

She considered it for a moment. "Tell ya what, I'll show it t'ya lot when lunchtime comes 'round."

"Ehhhh!_?_ Well... I guess it's okay..." he pouted. Then, he stared at her for a moment too long with a sober face. She was getting nervous. "Is everything okay?"

"W-what are you talking about?" she feigned ignorance and looked at the tank. A lone shark (_it had horns..._) swam around with a big belly and a smug grin on its face. "Isn't the tank a bit empty?"

"Did you cry?" Luffy didn't take the bait, and when he said it the others turned to look at her as well. "Why did you cry?"

"Oh no! Gen-chan, what made you upset? The Marimo!_?_" Sanji was by her side in split second. "Can I get you something? Ice cream? Chocolate cake? Something soothing to drink?"

"We have ice cream? I mean no! No, no one did anything. To me at least..." she sighed.

"There's nothing any of you can do. It's something I can't do anything about, and that's what's making it... all the... all... ah _damn...!_"

Sanji made a sympathetic noise and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Gen-chan is so cute even when she's sad."

"Eah! You're crying right now!" Luffy's eyes bulged out in alarm. Gen looked at him and swallowed, before hugging the living daylights out of him and running off to find Zoro.

He was in the crow's nest looking immensely bored, but when she opened the door and he saw her, he jumped to his feet and strode up to her. Zoro let her bury her face into his chest.

Only after he felt that she was done, he asked her: "Something I should know?"

"No."

"Okay."

And that was it.

* * *

><p>"Hello evryOOOONNNEE!<em>!<em>!" The next time Gen was seen was at lunch. Those who had witnessed her second breakdown had naturally told Nami and Chopper, and the most of the crew was bewildered when she slammed the kitchen door open (_making it __almost fall out of the hinges_).

"Out of my way, Snowbrain," Zoro pushed her through the doorway and took his seat. Nami's eyebrows shot to her hairline. The girl bounced past the swordsman and slapped him in the head, before taking her own spot. Robin handed her a plate since Sanji was busy trying to figure out what had happ-

Ah, he turned into an ice block.

"You," she pointed at several individuals "are all a bunch o' _perverts_."

Luffy laughed. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but as long as you're happy it's all good! Now! That mystery thing!" he pointed at the painting, still virtuously hidden.

Gen smiled and got up from the table. Sanji was crying against the table with rivers of anime tears falling from the edge of the table and she settled for patting his back when she walked to the wall.

"Okay, people," she detached the note and placed it on the table. "This is why I was with Franky and the guys at the scrap island," and the fabric was removed.

She looked at her painting; with a mind set to pretend that this was the first time she'd ever seen it. Someone had given it golden frames, and she could only smile fondly. The others were gaping and gasping in awe.

Gloria allowed herself a little pride. The picture was awesome, Merry was just coming down from a wave, and the water was splashing around its front. She didn't draw any people on board, so it was just the ship. The sky was a deep stormy blue, and a lightning was flashing from one cloud to another in the distance. Her name was painted in the lower right corner as unnoticeable as she could make it.

"That's..." Nami's eyes widened.

"SO COOL!" The captain looked amazed.

Usopp looked to be on the verge of tears. "IT'S MERRY~!"

"A beautiful piece, indeed!"

She chuckled and sat back down again. "It's not completely dry yet, so don't go touching it," she warned them.

Sanji was spouting hearts. "Gen-chwan is so talented~!"

"Hey, good job," Zoro ruffled her hair, making her giggle.

"I know!"

"Anyway..." Chopper coughed. "I found a sheep in the infirmary, but it dashed off before I could speak with it."

They stared at the reindeer.

"Eh?"

"A sheep?" Sanji echoed.

"A sheep!_?_ Can we eat it!_?_"

"NO!" Chopper roared. "It had a bow around its neck, and I think I saw a note too..."

"Yosh!" Luffy got up and put a foot on the table. "Let's catch the sheep! Sanji! What can you do with sheep meat!"

"Let's see... I could make a stew, or roast it, or if I feel like it I could make some very good kebab out of it..."

Gen laughed. "Hahaha! Oh Sanji, you naive little boy!"

"Huh?"

"You think they make kebab out of sheep?"

He smirked and asked. "Then what do they make kebab from?"

"Of course:" she looked absolutely serious. "From the kebab-animal*****."

"I'm pretty sure that's not a species..." Nami sweatdropped.

"What the hell is a kebab-animal?" Franky asked.

"It's a handless, feetless slob of meat wriggling in the middle of savannah, and it says **URRRNGNOOOOOHH!**_**!**_" she sounded more like a constipated moose with its balls stuck to a metal lamppost in winter.

While Sanji was scrubbing the dishes after the dinner, the captain started the sheep-hunt. He and Usopp had small butterfly nets, but she doubted they'd be any good with a sheep. Chopper didn't really like the idea that the two were running around and scaring a sheep like that, but went along anyway. Gen sat on the grass, listening how the boys' calls and loud rampaging travelled throughout the ship.

Gen looked down at her clothes. She felt like having a bath, but didn't know where her belongings were. Nami was sitting on a lawn chair, her newspaper forgotten and left open on her thighs as she talked with Franky. The demigoddess could see Robin walking over with a book under her arm and a cup of coffee held in the other.

"Oi, any of you know where my stuff is?" she asked.

"It's in the women's cabin, why?"

"In the women's..." she fell silent.

"Oh yeah, you used to have your own room back at the Merry," Nami remembered.

"You did? Ah..."

"Don't worry about it, Franky. It was a high time for her to come out of the hermit hole!" the navigator smiled and Gen had the feeling that it had bothered her in some way. "You were isolating yourself from us," she looked at her slightly accusingly, making the girl look at her feet.

"I agree," was all that the archaeologist said before taking her seat.

"**SHEEEEEEEEEEPPPP!**_**!**_**!**" Luffy yelled, only a moment before the door to the deck burst open and a panicked 'maaaaah!' accompanied the white and red blur that scampered to its feet and made a beeline towards the stairs. Chopper ran out next, a tickmark on his forehead, shouting at Luffy to stop chasing the poor animal, and Usopp was walking out the door panting heavily.

"Oh dear, they found it."

"Yup."

"If they hurt the sheep, I'll hurt them," Gen promised.

The sheep ran up the stairs to the front deck, down the other stairs and made a tight circle around the tree. From there it started off towards the poop deck, but upon noticing the people in its way, it halted unsurely. Luffy tried to tackle it with a slide, but the sheep jumped over his head and let him crash into a wall. Chopper trotted next to him to see that he was okay.

The poor little sheep was shaking on its cuddly feet. It was a baby sheep, with pink ears and trembling, little, gray nose, furry legs and small, cute tail frozen in horror.

"Awwwwwwwwwwww~~~~~!" Nami and Gen were completely taken. The little animal saw its chance and its eyes turned pleadingly at the women.

Who were now giving the captain murderous looks.

"Hey look! We found the sheep!" he grinned.

"I swear, he doesn't have any self-protection instinct," Gen sweatdropped. The sheep maah'd.

* * *

><p>What surprised her was that the sheep was a gift from Suhaiba. Just like Chopper had said, on the end of the ribbon was indeed a tiny envelope with weird squiggles on it. Robin had told them that it was the written language in Alabasta and on one of its neighbouring islands, and that it spelled Gloria's name. The whole note was written with the same weird... well, they didn't look like letters, really.<p>

"'Again, I thank you for helping me and my brethren, and as I promised here is your gift. I truly hope you will grow to like him. You did have to give up on the dragon, who by the way has become a mighty beast in your absence!'" Robin read.

"Who is that guy?" Usopp asked.

"A cloud shepherd from Alabasta. He was suffering, because Crocs was making the clouds rain way before their time," she answered while cuddling the sheep in her arms. "What am I gonna name ya?"

"What about Cutie?" Nami was feeding him blades of grass.

"Um, no. He's a guy. What about..."

"Steak?" Luffy suggested.

"Hell no! I'll name him..." she took a good look at the cute little thing. "...Badass."

"BADASS!_?_" Usopp tripped on thin air.

"Yeah! I'll train 'im to, I don' know, maybe head butt a person's balls?"

"DON'T SAY THAT!" Nami hit her.

"Oww..." Gen rubbed her head. "Baddy, Nami hit me!"

"Maah."

"Do something."

"Maah."

"...you're not really smart are you?"

"He's a baby," Chopper reminded her. "But, I wonder, maybe he'll grow big horns?"

"Horns?" Luffy tilted his head. "Sheep grow horns?"

"The male ones do," the reindeer told him.

"How can you not know that?" Nami asked the captain with her hands on her waist. There had to be a line how stupid a person could get.

"I thought only goats had horns. And reindeers."

They all looked at the grinning boy, sweatdropping. _'Moron...'_

In the evening, when people were ready to get to bed, Gen tried out the bathhouse. It was pure bliss, and she sighed in content. Since the demigoddess had dumped all kinds of salts and soaps in the water, she didn't breathe it in. She wasn't stupid enough to try that. After the bath Gen wondered if she could just forget the clothes and walk to the girls' room naked. The other two women had shown her where that was. Her little area contained the bed, a chest at the foot of her bed and another that she could just pull out and push under it. Each of the beds were beautifully made as well, and her bed had a carving of three, wispy-finned goldfish on the headboard.

Staring at them and thinking that she should have a little chat with her mom, she fell asleep.

* * *

><p>The navigator was about to rip out her hair. She and Greg had been planning together how they would get to the Secret Island, as the captain had loudly demanded, but there was one little problem.<p>

The area was way too shallow for the Thousand Sunny to sail over.

"What are we going to do?" Nami asked, sighing heavily.

"We could use a coup de burst," Usopp offered.

"We could, but it's still not enough."

"Not enough!_?_" Franky flared. "This ship can do _anything_! Let's see... how far the shallow goes?" he walked over to peer over the navigator's shoulder.

"Over three kilometres."

"Three times three... nine barrels, maybe I should make it ten... But there isn't enough space for ten barrels..." he started muttering.

"And we don't have that much in the stock anyway," Sanji said.

"Can't you do anything?" Zoro asked Gen. By now they hadn't done anything 'couple-y', mainly because Nami was haunting them like a shark. And because Greg was giving him the evil eye whenever the two were within two meters of each other.

"Three kilometres? Are you an idiot? Of course not!" she huffed. "Can we ask mom?" the girl looked at Greg.

"I wouldn't count on it, Gloria-sama. She doesn't like affecting the mortal world unless it's crucial," he shook his head.

"Wait, what if Franky sends us flying half the way, and then I take over the rest?" Gen had a brilliant idea.

"Not bad," the shipwright nodded with a grin.

"Yosh! Off to Secret Island~!" The root of most of their problems was running around and chanting that one sentence over and over again. Badass had gotten over his fear and he had joined the game of tag with Luffy and Chopper. Gen thought it was kinda cute how the latter was so protective of the sheep.

"Sanji-kun."

"Hai, Nami-swaaan~!"

He kicked Luffy into the ship's railing. He could only be happy that he hadn't fallen over, or the boy would've probably been left to drown this time.

Gloria was both excited and anxious. She had never heard of this Secret Island, so she had no idea what would happen to them. All she could do was enjoy the ride and stay alive.

Dying was _not_ fun, and she was not ready to test her luck further than she already had.

It started raining in the afternoon and Greg was eager to give her another training lesson. They had climbed up to the crow's nest (_if it could be called that anymore. Now it was more like a crow's mansion with a hot tub than a measly nest_) and she'd pulled on some more comfortable clothes, and her hair was braided.

"Warm ups first," the demon showed her through stretches and they had a small game of tag in the room. He caught her four times before they took out the swords. Vaguely, she thought why the hell didn't he train her with ones made of wood. Oh, the times she almost cut off her own head...

Or Zoro's.

"Hey!" A yelp came from the side of the room where the man was sitting on the couch by the window. The sword she had lost had flown towards him and clattered to the floor after hitting the wall only inches away from the swordsman. He had walked in little after the tag ended.

"Sorry!"

"Try to _sound_ like you're sorry!" he frowned as she walked over to get the sword. She grinned and blew him a kiss before prancing back to Greg.

After two (_AGONISING_) hours he let her take a break. It didn't last long, because Nami called him down. The Crossroad Current hadn't appeared yet, but they were already at the correct area. The whole crew gathered on the deck to hear it.

"It's because we are a tad bit early. Not much, only for a half an hour at most," Greg shrugged it off.

"Oh, then that's good."

"Wohoo! Secret Island~! Hey! Tell me about the Secret Island!" Luffy pointed a finger at him, making him chuckle.

"There are no words to describe it really, but a beautiful dream come true. A piece of the Sacred Garden in the middle of the ocean."

"Wooow..." the idiot trio was sighing.

"Are there equally beautiful ladies too!_?_" Sanji asked, hearts already in his eyes.

"Sure, but I'd say that you shouldn't approach them," he warned.

"Why? Are they cannibals or something?" Gen raised an eyebrow, making Usopp suddenly very nervous.

"Uhh... I think I have this illness-"

"No, Gloria-sama, no cannibals," the demon sweatdropped. "And no there are no 'evil little midgets ready to pummel you with candy-canes'."

She had been about to say something, but snapped her mouth closed now and narrowed her eyes. "I wasn't going to say that... but now that you did, I can see the danger factor there."

"Midgets...?" Chopper tilted his head adorably to the side. Zoro shook his head in retaliation to the weirdness, thinking that the last of the saner ones had finally fallen.

"If they're not cannibals, then what? Zombies?" she asked again.

"To put it short: you kiss one, you die. All the habitants of that island have poison on their skin."

"_Poison_!_?_"

"Now that I think about it, there was a record about an island with 'poison people'," Robin rubbed her chin. "I am intrigued as to why that is."

"POISON PEOPLE!_?_" Nami asked in a high pitch. Then she turned to glare at the demon.

"Oh my, look at the time! I need to be on my way _bye_!" and he poofed away. Or faded very quickly, if you want to be so literal about it.

"Let's not go that poison people island!" Usopp suggested, with his knees shaking.

"Yosh! Let's go to the Poison Island!" Luffy laughed merrily.

"It's Secret Island," Gen reminded him.

"Yosh! To the Secret Poison Island!"

"Now it sounds like an assassin's paradise!" Gen sweatdropped. Then: "I wanna meet an assassin!"

"Assassin Island!"

"Robin's an assassin, right?" Chopper asked.

"Yes, lil' on', she is," Gen cooed to the reindeer.

"Maah~!" Badass stared at them.

"STOP WITH THIS NONSENSE!_!_!" Nami yelled and punched both the captain and the demigoddess. "If we turn the course away right now, we will still be able to get away!"

"LET'S GO TO THE SECRET POISON ASSASSIN ISLAND!" Luffy yelled and threw his fist to the air and the poor navigator knew she'd lost.

"Whoah!" slipped from Gen and she went tumbling down when the ship suddenly lurged forward like on a string.

"Hey! What was that all about!_?_" Sanji asked.

"It's the Crossroad Current," Nami sighed, a cloud of depression on her. "We're on our way to our doom..."

"Keep ye chin up, ay?******" Gen patted her shoulder after getting back on her feet. Usopp and Luffy had fallen too, and Chopper had rolled all the way to the other side of the deck into the railing. The little baby sheep was lying on the ground and struggling to get up.

For some time, nothing big happened. Nami had told them all to keep an eye on the sea, so they wouldn't be surprised by anything. The red area in the map that came too close for the redhead's comfort was according to Gregory a very fast and strong current that went through a maze of big, unfriendly rocks. Even with the Merry it would've been hard, and with Sunny it was double the problem. If that current was to get a hold of them, they'd get swept all the way to there, and the journey to the Fishman Island would be even more long lasting.

If they even survived the red-marked current...

They found the shallow. Franky went under the ship with a few barrels of cola to get prepared.

"Are you ready, Gen?" Nami asked her.

"Yup! As ready as I can be!" she gave her a thumbs up. "You just tell me where to go."

The ship shook.

"What NOW!_?_" the navigator cried out.

"Aaaagh! What's happening!_?_"

"Hey! The ship is turning around!_!_!" Zoro yelled from the rail. He had Chopper secured under his arm.

"Whooo! We're spinning!" Luffy laughed.

"SHIT! FRANKY!" Sanji realized. The nose of the ship was pointing in a completely wrong direction.

"There's something under us!" Robin yelled, making everyone peer over the side to see what she was talking about.

"Oh... that's just a clam."

The said clam was opening its shell.

"IT'S FREAKIN' HUGE!_!_!" Usopp's eyes popped out.

"AND IT'S CAUSING A WHIRLPOOL! WE NEED TO GET AWAY FROM HERE!"

Luffy was staring at the thing with wide eyes. Maybe...

"Can we eat that?"

Or maybe not.

"Sanji! Go to Franky, and tell him to do it the second I tell you to! Take the den den mushi!" she pushed the small snail in his hands.

"Hai, Nami-swaaaan~!"

"Luffy! Do something about the clam!_!_" She told Luffy... who was nowhere to be seen. "What...?"

"He fell."

"HE _FELL!_?"

"He fell."

"WELL _DO_ SOMETHING!_!_!"

* * *

><p>They somehow got past the monstrous clam <em>(which Luffy didn't get to eat at the end)<em>, and flew over most of the shallow. Zoro had fished the captain from the water after putting Chopper down.

It was much more simple than she'd thought to gather water under the ship, and much more harder to keep the wave going for such a long distance. When they were back in deeper water she was allowed to slump down on the lawn.

"Eaaahh... someone tell the world to stop moving..."

"Are you okay?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah. Don' worry 'bout it."

Nami was cursing that the stupid demon had left so abruptly and asked Gen to bring him back, though the exact wording was a lot less polite.

"Where's the island?" Luffy was looking around.

"We're not there yet, Luffy. The log is still pointing at Fishman Island. Gah, I really hope this island even exists!" the navigator started at the odd compass.

"Don't worry, Nami-swan, if that bastard pulled our leg I'll brake his~!" Sanji promised. "Ah, I will go and make something refreshing~ Gen-chwan looks so exhausted~!"

"Idiot," Zoro deadpanned.

"What!_?_"

"Oi, you two. Stop fighting," Gen said half heatedly. She didn't really have the energy for their bickering now. "And get me that drink. Put some whiskey in it."

"Grog for me, Servant-san."

Sanji tried to kick the swordsman's ass for that, but was reminded that Gen still wanted that drink and retreated to the kitchen. Zoro seized the opportunity and sat down, dragging the girl with him and into his lap with a grin. The action made her giggle and Usopp roll his eyes at them.

"You're just jealous," she stuck her tongue out to the sniper.

"As if!" he scoffed.

Luffy was suddenly looking down on them from behind the swordsman's back. "Will you two kiss now?"

"No. Go away," Gen said.

"Yes. Go away," was Zoro's answer.

"Don't you dare!"

"Dare what? This?" and he tipped her to lie on her back across his folded legs to kiss her senseless. That would've been his plan, but she decided that he was being a jerk and kicked his ass.

"Ha! Take that!"

"Ow! Why you little-!"

Gen could hear Nami sighing and Robin chuckle, before the navigator resumed in watching the log pose. "Hey! It's set!"

"Yosh! Let's go to the Secret Island!"

"Wow, you finally got it right!" Usopp looked surprised.

"You two! Stop making babies and get to work!" Nami told Zoro and Gloria, who was in fact busy trying to rip his balls off and maybe use them as fish bait later. Their faces went red and once she noticed his discomfort started laughing loudly and pointing at him. Nami saw his eyes go wide as he told her something in a low tone, and then he grinned. Gen squeaked in an undignified way and hid her face in her palms after hitting him. "NOW!"

Zoro left to help the others with the ship and Gen sipped on her drink. Badass nudged her leg before laying down in a cute, clumsy way only a small baby animal could. She awwed and smiled to him, petting the soft fur.

"Yeah, you'll be a big, strong Badass when ya grow up!"

"Maa- hic!" the lamb blinked when he was interrupted by the hiccup.

"_Awwwwwwwww~!_ You're just so _cuuute~!_"

"Hic!"

She proceeded to smother the poor little animal with her love.

All life went to normal once Nami announced that the course was steady. Sanji disappeared to make dinner, Zoro went to train and Luffy took an uncharacteristic nap on the deck. Usopp found a deck of cards to start a solitaire and Badass left to see what Chopper was doing. This left Gloria all alone, but she didn't mind it. She had lots of things to do. Fetching three empty notebooks and her pencil case, she entered the kitchen and sat at the table. Sanji greeted her and put a plate of cookies next to her things.

"Are you going to draw something wonderful, Gen-chwan?"

"Not this time. I need to write down some things, before I forget them all."

He smiled and looked at the painting, an unlit cigarette hanging from the side of his mouth.

"I'm kinda honored that you wanted to hang this here."

"Ah, don't mention it."

"You are truly a great artist~!" hearts sprung into his eyes and she sweatdropped.

"Yeah... But Usopp's pretty amazing too. And didn't you have food to cook or something?"

"Hai, Gen-chwan~!"

He left her to her own and the girl grabbed the first notebook. They were all alike, blue cover and lines inside. On the cover she wrote DO NOT TOUCH, though she suspected that it would only pique interest. No matter, she'd skin them alive if they ignored it.

First of all, she just had to list out all the song lyrics she still knew. Some had slipped her mind, for which she was a bit sad, but to her fortunate that wasn't many. As she wrote, she started humming.

Food was suddenly ready and Sanji set the table. She moved her stuff off the table and on the couch to safety. Nami and Robin came in, then followed with thunderous footsteps as Luffy stormed in with Usopp and Chopper hot on his heels.

"Hey there," a hand landed on her shoulder and she turned to see Zoro. She smiled at him, he had taken a shower recently, and she reached to sweep the damp hair from his eyes. He in turn leaned closer and she put her palm on his face to push him away playfully.

"And what do you think you're doing, marimo?" Sanji's eyebrow twitched.

Zoro stared at him for a moment, before casually wrapping his arms around her. The action made her sweat drop and a vein pop on the chef's forehead.

"Mine."

"WE GET IT!"

During the dinner Nami told them that they'd get to the island in at least two hours. Sanji asked Usopp to help him with the dishes and Luffy insisted that Gen played with him and Chopper.

"Luffs, I can't."

"Come on! It's been forever since you played with me!" he frowned. "And don't worry about us! It doesn't actually hurt when you touch us."

"It really doesn't," Chopper nodded.

"Come on, Gen-chan," the boy tried to pull the puppy-eyed look on her with no success.

"Don't try and make me feel... wait, why am I even defending myself from you? I really need to write this thing now- _Hey!_"

"Run, Chopper!" Luffy had snatched the notebook from her.

"Hyaaa!"

"You son of a-! GET BACK HERE!"

* * *

><p>* The kebab-animal is Sami Hedberg's joke. He's a Finnish stand-up comedian.<p>

**_ Keep ye chin up, ay?_ is another WoW reference. It's one of the flying phrases that the worgens say.

I'm sorry for the slight delay of this chapter, and the following few chapters may be as well, since I'm making an arc of my own. Fingers, fins and tentacles crossed that it comes out right!


	64. Wanted: Navigator and Snowbrain

Happy Easter in delay. I had 5 days of NO SCHOOL~ but all kind of shit happened: fought with my sister (_If you don't hear from me in about a month, assume me to be dead)_ and lost my Mp3 *_cries_* besides, we didn't even go see the kitties T-T... Not that there would've been any. Have to wait until June or July for the new ones. On a brighter note, I got meself a new cellphone.  
>Enjoy.<p>

* * *

><p>"Well that's... certainly <em>interesting<em>," Robin took a good look at their new destination.

The island, in a word, was glowy. The flowers glowed. The odd fruit hanging from a tree glowed. Heck, even some of the small animals they could see scurrying around the shore and the lush forest glowed. The trunks of the trees were all black and the branches gnarled, the moss growing on them hanging like sad rags, also emitting a fluorescent light blue.

"Why do I have the feeling that the second I step on this island something's going to eat me?" Nami wrapped her hands around her midsection protectively, making Sanji coo. Usopp agreed with her fiercely.

"Lets go see!" the captain was ready to bounce off the rail already, into the water... that was a bit too green for Gen's liking.

"_Whoooah_, hold up!" Sanji pulled him back before he could do just that. "If the residents are poisonous, I would assume that the food they eat is that as well."

"And they get their food from around the island," Chopper ended the thought with an understanding nod.

"Poisonfood?" Luffy asked. "I wanna try that!"

"YOU DIMWIT!" Nami yelled. "It means that we _absolutely cannot_ eat _anything_ while here! We have to rely on our own supplies."

"Damn, I kinda wanted to try the food too," Gen muttered, earning a pointed look from several Strawhats.

They dropped the anchor, and after a strict lecture from Chopper not to put anything in their mouths and avoid injuries at all cost, they set off. Even Nami had actual trousers now, to prevent scratches, but Franky stubbornly refused them.

They found a path soon, twisting in the strange forest's vegetation that consisted mainly of different kinds of grasses and ferns. Luffy was busy inspecting the bugs he saw. One looked like a pink version of a ladybird. It was kinda pretty too, and she would've wanted to draw it. Usopp was taking interest in the same things as the captain but Sanji and Nami looked disgusted. The cook shrieked when a spider the size of a dinner plate suddenly fell from its web in a tree.

"I _hate_ spiders..." he muttered after gathering what dignity he had after the small 'get it off me!' -dance he performed.

"I'm sure it's more scared of you than you are scared of it," the sniper was grinning.  
>Luffy and Zoro were still laughing. "Sanji's scared of spiders!"<p>

"SHUT UP! I'm not scared of them! I just... strongly dislike them!"

"One bite and you would probably die a slow, agonising death."

"Robin-nee, you're cruel. I don't think it's that poisonous, it's just big."

"Gen, we're on a POISON island," Franky pointed out.

"I thought the name was Secret Island?" Chopper muttered.

"Hey, I can't remember every single detail!" the girl rolled her eyes.

"Luffy, don't!" they heard Nami's yell from the tail of the line and a resounding slap.

"But Namiii!"

"I said _no_!"

Zoro, who was leading them, suddenly tensed. Without a warning a huge something screeched and jumped from the bushes. The man had drawn his sword on it and Gloria cringed at the deafening clang.

Next, it was gone, leaving them all wide-eyed and startled.

"W-W-What the hell was _that_!_?_" Usopp asked in a high pitched voice.

"I think it was an armadillo..." Robin blinked. "But I cannot be entirely sure."

"An armadillo!_?_ They are _NOT_ supposed to make sounds like that!_!_" Nami had goosebumps all over her skin.

"No kidding. The sword didn't even make a scratch!" Zoro looked slightly bewildered as well as he checked Wado for 'injuries' and resheathed it.

"Hey... If we come across them again, can I have one?" Gen asked, a hopeful glint in her blue eyes.

"**NO!**"

The group walked some more, crossed a green river, Chopper was almost eaten by a ravenous school of piranhas, and once the forest started turning more normal looking Franky was ambushed by an angry pair of birds whose nest he'd disturbed.

"I was right, the forest is trying to kill us," Nami sighed.

"Sanji! I'm hungry!" Luffy whined.

"Me too!" Gen felt her stomach rumble.

"Meat~!"

Nami agreed with the plan and almost managed to take a seat on a nearby rock when the chef stopped her. "Sanji-kun?"

"Let me see first..." he scrutinized over the rock that looked all the way harmless, and spread a cloth over it. "There! I don't want my beautiful flower dirtying her clothes~! And in this forest we can't be too careful."

"Oh! Good idea, Sanji! Get me a rag too!" Usopp hit his palm with a fist.

"Get your own."

"Huh!_?_"

"Here you go, Robin-chan."

"Thank you, Sanji-kun."

"Oi!"

Gen felt eyes on her and turned to see Zoro. He looked thoughtful before sitting against a tree. The man looked at her again and made a 'come here' -motion with his hand, and patted his leg in a wordless message.

"No way!" she turned away with a red face. She sat down, Sanji slipping a cloth under her as well, before digging out her pen and pad. Glancing at the swordsman she saw him pouting and starting a verbal bicker with Chopper just for the heck of it.

"The forest is very interesting," Robin stated, sipping her coffee. "The insects we saw, and that armadillo... But here everything seems ordinary again."

"Maybe there's something in the soil that makes the forest so, so... that," the sniper waved his hand in a loss of proper word for it.

"Twisted?" Gen offered.

"Yeah, that's the word."

During the brake Chopper wanted to go look around a bit and Zoro, being the good big brother, went with him. Robin left alone, Luffy wandered a bit further from the camp with Usopp and Gen found herself suddenly with Nami, Sanji and Franky.

"Hmm..." she frowned.

"What is it?" Nami asked.

"Oh, nothing. There's just nothing in my head right now. It's so... weird."

"I thought your head was empty from the beginning," she commented dryly.

"Boo you."

"Anyway, what're you scribbling?" she walked closer. Gen was unsure if she should show the woman what she'd written.

"Ahh... just some poems..."

"..."

"What? What's with that look?"

"Just don't let Luffy know."

"Eah!" her face spelled 'busted'.

"Strawhat doesn't like poems?" Franky was confused.

"Oh yeah, you don't know," Sanji blew out a cloud of smoke. Damn chain smoker, didn't he just snuff one out?

"Know what?"

"Gen-chwaaaan~ can see into the future~!" he twirled. "But Luffy doesn't want to know. It'd ruin the surprise of an adventure."

"Really?" his eyebrows shot to his hairline. "Can you tell if I'll get a girlfriend?"

"Dunno. You haven't so far, but who knows? People like to pair you up with Robin a lot," she shrugged.

"Eeeh!_?_"

"Robin-chan!_?_"

"_Nico Robin_!_?_"

She laughed. "Your faces! Ahahahahaha!" the girl wiped water from her eyes. "No... don' worry, Frankypants. Won' 'appen. 'Nless... ya start havin' feelins' or somthn'," the girl added slyly.

He coughed. "Won't happen."

The navigator raised her eyebrow and was about to say something, but decided then that it wasn't worth it and rolled her eyes.

"Wait, what _people_?" the cyborg asked, still weirded out by her.

She gave him her crazy grin that almost split her face in two. "People."

"Is she always like that?" he asked from Sanji.

"What do you mean 'always like that'? Gen-chan is wonderfully unique!"

"As an answer to your question, I don't think there's a person more unique than me. Actually..." Gen looked around paranoidly before fixing her gaze back at him and putting her hand next to her mouth as if whispering: "...the Lady Ocean is my mother."

"Lady Ocean?"

"The supposed goddess of the sea," Nami translated.

"You sure you're not trying to pull my leg here?" he arched an eyebrow.

"She's not, believe it or not," Nami muttered.

"Gen-chan is literally a goddess~!"

"Only a halfling. Mom told me that my father was a regular pirate she just... bedded." She grimaced. "But, me being almost divine and definitely mortal, I need a bodyguard. That's what Greg is here for."

"Speaking of him," Sanji said, sitting carefully on a tree stump. "Where is he? I haven't seen him all day."

"Oh... I dunno. He got scared of miss bitchy-"

"HEY!"

"-and fled."

"To where?" Sanji asked.

"The Underworld."

It was far in the afternoon when Robin returned, telling them that there were old, nearly-nothing-there ruins from the middle of the island, and that there was a chain of villages on the north-eastern coast. Their landing place had been in the south.

"No marines? You sure?"

"I am. I asked about it, and it seems that pirates are usually just as scarce. And, we were right about being cautious, the island indeed is toxic for outsiders."

"Even that?" Gen pointed to a random rock (_that ran away on numerous, insectlike legs once it felt that it wasn't watched anymore)_ and got a nod.

"They do seem to have countering potions for the poisonings."

"Great! We'll just need to purchase... and..." Nami was about to say, when her smile froze and she fell on her knees in the grass, heavy depression settling over her. "We are so poor we can't even afford _dirt_!"

"You mentioned ruins," Sanji turned to the archaeologist. "Maybe we could find out something valuable?"

"OH YEAH!" Nami's hopes went up as she grabbed Gen's pad and her pen.

"Oi!"

"Here, draw a map!" the woman handed the items to Robin. Gen stuck her tongue out at her.

"Payback's a bitch."

"Then YOU'RE the payback..."

"Girls, girls," Franky moved between the two before they could get into the fight further.

"Heeeeey! We're back!" Chopper's voice greeted them. He was followed by Zoro, who waved at them, and Zoro was followed by another person they didn't know.

"Oh! Who is this beautiful lady?" Sanji was fluttering around the girl immediately. She had a pretty cream white, pale yellow and sweet pink dress that reached her ankles. Her hair fell to her shoulders in chestnut brown curls and her eyes were a curious hue of green. Her lips though were a very odd colour, and Gen assumed that she had bright orange lipstick on.

"I-I'm Dotter..." she looked awkward and she had a slight accent. As the cook went to grab her hand (_to probably kiss it_) she yanked it back before he could touch her as if he'd burnt her. To his crestfallen expression she gave an apologetic smile. "That wouldn't be wise, there is toxin on my skin."

The sides of his mouth curled up and he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh yeah..."

"A fool is a fool," Nami deadpanned.

Dotter, who they found out was the daughter of the island's chief, had agreed to take them to the village she lived in, but first they had to wait for Luffy and Usopp.

"What if we just wrote a note and left it here?" Gen suggested.

"I'm tempted," the navigator said.

"Then lets just do that," Zoro nodded in approval. Robin, who was ready with the map (which made Gen sweatdrop once she saw it - her skill was... well, it would've been outright cruel to compare it to Luffy, but that was the first that came to her mind), handed Gen the pad and the paper so she could write the message. Ripping the page out felt like ripping off a part of herself, she folded it - another experience that made her cry blood - and set it on the ground under a stone where the boys would definitely find it.

Or so she hoped.

The most probable was that they somehow got themselves into **a**) trouble or **b**) in bigger trouble by Luffy and never even get back to the original campsite.

They walked like chicklings behind Dotter, who was leading them and telling about the island. Just like they'd thought, not only the weird forest - which Dotter called Wraithful Nymph's forest - was a health hazard to everyone who walked through it. What amused her was the response Dotter got from Zoro when she mentioned the armadillos.

"Stupid son of a... Almost broke my sword."

The girl turned around with her big eyes even wider and mouth forming a perfect O. "You encountered one and lived to tell the tale!_?_"

The remark made Nami go pale as the knowledge that the armadillo was one of the most deadly things on the island was supplied to them.

"Why is the forest like that?" Gen decided to ask and got a glance from the girl.

"Well... there's a legend."

"Do tell."

Dotter told them that very, very long time ago the people living on the island worshipped some kind of 'god' known as Efethet. He was the kind of that they feared, and to keep him happy they sacrificed him kettle, money and people. Efethet wasn't selective if the person was a male or a female, as long as they were 'untouched', by the chief's daughter's words.

"Sacrificed!_?_" Chopper froze. The last time he was associated with that word was on Sky Island, which was followed with the unpleasant memory of being left alone to fend the Merry.

Oh, look! A birdy!

"Stay on the path, Snowbrain," Zoro yanked the back of her shirt.

"Later," Dotter continued her story, "as the years went, the people's fear turned into frustration. The god started demanding too much, too many lives and stock, and they turned to another god."

"Another?" Sanji echoed. Gen felt like rolling her mental eye.

_'More gods...'_

"Yes, well, actually she was a goddess. The goddess of Earth."

Gen stopped so abruptly that Zoro smacked into her, making her fall on Nami and Nami to trip on Chopper. Sanji stopped the motion by catching the navigator before it reached Robin and Dotter altogether. Franky who was holding the tail arched an eyebrow.

"_What!_?"

"We cannot be sure if we are talking about the same goddess," Robin pointed out. "Does she have a name?"

"Yes, Evanirth."

A tickmark throbbed on the demigoddess' temple. "Yup, we're talking about the same one, though the name is a bit different, probably because of the culture."

"What's the name you know her as?" Nami asked.

"Avanirte," the name dripped off her like acid. "She's a real thorn in my left ass cheek."

"How can you say that?" Dotter frowned. "She did a great deed, by sealing Efethet into the very bedrock of the island!"

Franky had an epiphany. "Ah, I'm seeing the picture now. Everything being poisonous must be because of that evil god, right?"

"Exactly," Dotter nodded.

"Hey Gloria, what did that goddess ever do to you?"

Dotter didn't seem to like Gen very much at this point.

"Oh, she just sent an assassin and a fuckin' DEMON after me!" she was seething. "Which BOTH I had the pleasure to meet within a single hour!"

"Whoah, calm down, sis."

"Yeah, no need to boil over," Nami told her.

"ROAAAAH! NO DEMON IS ALLOWED TO GO AFTER GEN-CHAN!_!_!"

"Sanji-kun!" Nami glared at the cook.

"Dumbass..."

"WHAT WAS THAT!_?_"

And they all lapsed into a totally normal Strawhat scene, just without Usopp and Luffy. Gen almost felt pity for their guide.

From there on out it wasn't long until the young woman led them to a little better road. A friendly farmer with a hay carriage and a beautiful gray mare picked them up when Dotter waved to him, though Zoro and Franky decided to just walk on the side. He had earthen colours in his clothes, and his boots were dirty. When he caught her looking he gave her a wide smile and she saw that he was missing a tooth.

"It's not often we see travellers here," the man, Toht, said conversationally. "Since the log only locks so close to the island."

"It's a shame, really. I like stories," Dotter sighed.

Nami gave her a smirk. "Just you wait until you get to meet our sniper, he likes telling them."

"You have more friends?" the man arched an eyebrow.

"Well, yes. Our captain and the said sniper are still around. We didn't bother waiting them," Sanji said, careful with the cig so he wouldn't set the hay on fire.

Toht gave a disapproving look at Dotter. "And you just let them?"

"I... Uh, I wasn't really thinking..." her voice trailed away.

"What is it?" Zoro looked up to the man who turned his gaze on the horse's wide back.

"Well... Not all the dangers live in the Wraithful Nymph's forest. Oh no! I should've insisted we wait for them!" Dotter buried her face into her hands in guilt. The pirates exchanged slightly worried or annoyed looks.

"So... what _is_ the biggest threat around?" Nami was the one who voiced uncertainly their mutual question.

* * *

><p>"Those bastards! They just got up and left!" Usopp cried out, holding the note. Luffy sat on one of the stones, picking his nose.<p>

"What's the problem? There's a map on it, right?"

"Well... yeah, but I can't really see where it's going. It's definitely not Gloria's making."

"Show me," the captain held his hand out.

"What? If I can't make any sense out of this, how could you be any better?" Usopp made a face, but the boy snatched the map from his hands anyway.

After turning it around and looking at the surroundings, he gave the drawing - doodle - one more look before frowning in confusion. "Usopp, can you see a big tree with a big nut hanging from it?"

"Huh?" the sniper blinked in confusion and gazed at the small opening. His sharp eyes happened to stop on a beehive, which being quiet he assumed was also uninhabited. "Hey, you sure that the picture's about a nut? Could it be a beehive?"

"Dunno."

Usopp peered over his shoulder.

He then smacked his fist into the other's skull.

"IT EVEN _SAYS_ 'EMPTY BEEHIVE', YOU DOLT!_!_!"

"Hahahaha! Didn't see it there!"

They got up and started walking. Usopp had a creepy feeling that if he followed his captain he'd get into some very deep shit, like earlier when Luffy'd aggravated a huge silvery gray bear with enormous jaws. The paws had been full of sharp claws and only the thing's mother would've loved that face, with the three nastily staring, glowing eyes on its bulking head...

Shaking the memory away and shoving it into his 'story material' -file, he halted his steps.

Luffy had stopped to stare somewhere up and left of the road a few paces ago, hand on his hat and a wondrous smile on his face.

Usopp only then noted the shadow casting over the path, and followed the rubberboy's gaze. Purple, green and glowing neon blue filled his view and dread his insides.

"A-A-A-A-A...!"

"Shishishi! Look, Usopp! It's a butterfly! Oh I know, I'm gonna ride it. Gomu gomu no...!_!_!

* * *

><p>The closer they got to the village, the more ethereal everything seemed. It was as if all the evil had concentrated on the southern bank and all that was holy here. The children were happy, playful and lively with rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes. Everyone looked relaxed, and Gen saw that Dotter wasn't the only one with oddly coloured lips. One of the younger girls had blue, and another had yellow.<p>

All thorough the village there were tall, thin, white-barked trees that spread their green leaves into a shading canopy and the sun filtered through it.

Visibly everything was so beautiful that the villagers had seemingly grown to ignore the overly sweet, nauseating stench that floated everywhere.

"What is this smell!_?_" Chopper had covered his nose as best as he could, but there were tears in his eyes. The guy had all Gen's sympathy, since she felt like amputating her own smelling device (_like Franky had done_). Either Robin was a master with her poker face, or she just didn't feel it.

"It's the flowers," Dotter pointed to a low bush that was spread thick with white, small flowers. Each had delicate, golden middles filled with pollen, and when she stupidly went closer to confirm it, she almost gagged.

"It smells like rotten!" she coughed.

"Is this really healthy?" Sanji asked. The smoke from his cigarette was helping a little, but not nearly enough.

"Don't worry. The pollen is mildly toxic, but all you'll get are light symptoms of a hangover. Once you get used to it, you won't even notice it, and your body will start resisting the poison."

Many of the pirates groaned.

They walked through the village to a polished light brown house that looked a little more expensive than the ones they'd seen on their way. Gen assumed that it was the chief's house, and was proven right when a shirtless, middle-aged man with gray pants and black boots got up from one of the taller bushes with gardening gloves and a pair of shears in response to Dotter's 'daddy!'. He had brown hair like his daughter; lines only age could bring around his blue eyes and stubble covering his strong chin.

"Daddy! Put your shirt on! You're embarrassing our guests!" the girl scolded him and shoved a blue garment that had been discarded on a nearby bench.

"Come on, Dotter, your daddy isn't that old that he should cover his mighty abs!" he hugged the girl and flexed his arm.

"_Daddy!_"

He took the shirt and pulled it over his head. "Okay, okay. Hello there! I'm the chief of island, Vobbert."

"Hi..." Nami said and shook her head slightly. "I'm Nami, the navigator of this lot. I'm afraid our captain has gone exploring the island with one other of our nakama, but we believe he'll get here, eventually."

Vobbert laughed heartily. "Nice to meet you!"

The chief welcomed them, drilling again that they'd have to be extra careful when they were on the island. Robin asked about the ruins and found out that the temple of Efethet had been built in there and sunk into the ground with the said god. His opinion was that Efethet was no god, but a devil, and he too praised Evanirth.

Gloria couldn't be sure that she wouldn't say anything stupid, and since she didn't feel like being rude to such a good person as the chief was, she left to walk around the village. Dotter had been right that they'd eventually get used to the flowers (_she'd thrown up in trashcan once_) and Gen found herself enjoying the view, but she swore she spotted at least one statue on every yard.

Usopp and Luffy had been found later by a couple of hunters. Usopp hadn't had luck with him and he'd been bitten by a butterfly (how that was possible went beyond her) and had to be given a shot. Chopper was intrigued by everything, and had a long talk with the doctor-lady.

Franky and Robin had volunteered to fetch some food for them from the ship and they were given a room from the chief's house. The sun had now fallen low in the horizon, and they all sat around, content after the meal Sanji'd made.

Nami gathered the audience's attention by punching the table. "Listen up! The log sets up tomorrow afternoon, and I do not want to stay here a second too long, okay! So be ready to get going sometime around midday."

"I agree!" Came Usopp's immediate reply. He was still slightly pale.

"I wanna see the butterfly again!" Luffy piped up.

"HELL NO!" Usopp's teeth went sharklike.

"Luffs, if you really want to go out and explore a bit, why don't you do it tonight?" Gen suggested.

"Explore... _AT NIGHT!_? Are you completely _INSANE!_?" the sniper cried out.

"Um, yeah," she made a 'duh' face. "And I was planning to do that too."

"No, you're not," came Zoro's firm answer. "You're staying right here. I don't care what kinds of fates it ruins, but I'm **not** letting you go out there with your messed up talent of getting in shitload of trouble."

"Dude," was all she said, since she didn't have that much words in ready for a situation like this.

"So I'm going to tie you up right now."

"Hm... I knew you had a kink for those kinds of things, but you could at least ask me first," she said as normally as she was able to. To add a score to Zoro's board, all the reaction she got from him was the twitch of his eyebrow and the tensing of his shoulders.

Luffy thought that nightly wandering was a great idea, and asked Sanji to make him a midnight snack-box. In the chef's mind it was best to comply: if the boy wanted to go out in the middle of the night, he would and wouldn't hear otherwise. A boxed lunch would bring down the odds that he turns to the unsavoury treats growing on the island.

One by one, the others crawled to their beds and went to sleep, except for Luffy who left with Sanji as his babysitter. Gen was lying in her bed, listening to the others' breathing.  
>It was strange, but she had in some way become able to tell her nakama apart by only listening them. For example, Nami and Robin's breaths were 'feminine' compared to the boys, and Usopp snored more than Chopper. Luffy tended to shift around a lot in his sleep, more than Usopp. Sanji muttered incomprehensive things in his sleep, often in French. Zoro... she could've been deaf and still know his sound.<p>

There was a light grind from bedsprings. She knew that the man had been awake the whole time, probably to make sure she didn't escape. Gen opened her tired eyes to see a shadow shuffling closer to her.

"Still 'ere," she whispered.

"I know. I couldn't sleep."

"That's a load o' bull. What do you want?"

There was a chuckle. "A goodnight's kiss?"

"Go t'hell," she turned her back to him and pulled the covers to her chin.

"Not without my kiss," Zoro said stubbornly and leaned over to give her a brush of lips on the corner of her mouth. She found that it was uncomfortably hot under the layers of fabric. In a room full of guys, no way in netherworld, would she go to sleep only in her underwear. Despite this she could still feel his solid, pleasantly shirtless form.

Gloria sat up and tried to glare at him, but it resembled much more of a pout. She heard Zoro's breath hitch when their eyes locked and then his arms had slowly encircled her. The girl returned the embrace and he let her rest her cheek on his searing warm collarbone. She inhaled his scent and the out coming breath made the skin on his arms rise to goosebumps.

Some time ago, Zoro had noticed how big of an impact music had on her. He remembered the day when they'd met a travelling band (_they still called themselves pirates_) who'd given them a show in turn for a barrel of rum. The lead vocalist's brother who outwardly looked as attractive as a woollen sock, had started singing in a dark, rich bass voice that had Gen in a happy trancelike state.

Zoro started humming. He knew he wasn't as good as that singer, but she'd said she loved his voice. He had felt back then that the guy had stolen something that was solely his right.

The song he hummed was an old nursery rhyme he'd heard many a times as a kid. It was never sung to him especially, but it was one of the only ones he knew.

The girl in his arms started going lax and he knew she'd fallen asleep. Carefully, he laid her down to the bed and tucked her in before standing up. Silently he asked himself 'when did you started loving her?' and he was startled by his own feelings. He felt that every second that ticked by only made it swell and grow stronger, more intense, and tenderer.

_'Shit, I'm becoming a softie,_' he grunted and stalked back into his own bed, scheduling a hard training session once they were back on track.

* * *

><p>The following morning arrived and both Luffy and Sanji were back and asleep like stones at the bottom of the sea.<p>

On the other hand, Gloria was gone.

"I'm going to trap her into the tank and throw a few packs of soap after her," Zoro had a magnificent scowl on his face and more than one tickmark. His knuckles were white from gripping the window's frame.

"Zoro, you're scaring the mailman," Usopp pointed out with a sweatdrop. The said mailman was standing outside, looking a bit pale and trying to decide if it was worth the risk to deliver the newspaper.

"Uh, hey... guys?" Chopper looked increasingly worried. "I can't see Nami anywhere either!"

"NAMI-SWAAaaann...!" Sanji yelled in his sleep before fading back into silence. Dumbass.

"This is just great," the first mate let his head thunk against the cool window.

"What do you suggest we do, Zoro-san?" Robin asked with a magicked-up cup of coffee.

"First of all..." Zoro walked to the beds and promptly tipped them over, Luffy and Sanji falling out with startled yelps. The latter was in the swordsman's face in an instant and their captain just asked if breakfast was ready.

In the middle of the chef's rant Zoro told the man bluntly that they were two girls short.

"WHAT!_?_ I _knew_ it! I felt in my dreams that my wonderful Nami-_swaaaan_ was in danger! And what of Gen-_chwaaaan!_? Maybe she was taken away by a demon!_?_"

"I get that Gen was all hyped up for a little stroll, but where did Nami go? Wasn't she terrified of the island?" Franky asked. "I say, there's something going on."

"Sanji-kun, Luffy, did either of you see if they were here by the time you got back?" Robin inquired.

The chef was starting on food and was about to answer when Luffy interrupted him. "Gen was, Nami wasn't. I thought she'd just gone to the bathroom and I went to bed. Hey, is breakfast ready soon?"

"I JUST STARTED!"

"You know... I wouldn't put it past her to go off to steal stuff," Usopp said. "So maybe she's in the village."

"And what about Snowbrain? When did you guys come back?" Zoro crossed his arms.

"Around two am," Sanji said without turning his head from his work.

"By then, Nami-san was already gone," Robin nodded. "If Gen-chan was awake or woken up by your return, she would've now been gone for at least five hours."

"Five hours!_?_ ANYTHING could happen in that span of time!" Franky said.

"We just have to find them," Luffy was smiling. "It's not like they'd disappear off the island."

"...or would they?" Usopp supplied, making Chopper fret and Sanji tell him to shut up before he peeled his nose like a raw banana.

"Now that they're awake, do we go look for them?" Chopper asked.

"What about the guys who found me and Luffy yesterday? Can't they help us? This place is practically their backyard. And the we wouldn't need to go..."

"You are coming too, shitty Longnose," Sanji glared at the sniper.

They seeked out Dotter, who in turn sent a word to the hunters. Quickly, they had formed teams being Luffy and Sanji, Zoro and Usopp and Chopper and Franky. Robin was fine going with one of the hunters, though Sanji didn't look happy about the way the man was stealing glances at her. Besides them, couple of hunters were going out with their own men.

"Okay, so you're looking for two young women. Nami has chin length reddish hair and Gloria's hair is long and white, so it shouldn't be too hard to spot them. Be back by noon!" Dotter told the hunters before they dispersed.

* * *

><p>Dotter = daughter. Yes, my imagination is just that great...<p> 


	65. Completely like her

It's snowing. It's effin' SNOWING!_! _And it's already April! Damn, I though spring'd be here today... My bottle of bad luck just doesn't seem empty yet: two dejected's from the exams !#¤, and I just don't want to redo them, but I think I'll try on swedish. Math just isn't my forte. My Mp3 is still missing and I want to punch someone, preferably my brother.  
>But! My school schedule for this month is just awesome! Only two 8:00 days, one 12:05 and on Thursdays I have only ONE class! And hurray, NO MATH! *<em>dance<em>*

* * *

><p>For now, the night was calm, but Sanji had a feeling that it wouldn't stay that way. The nightly critters and creepers were starting to go to sleep and the rising sun would soon wake up the bigger beasts. The fact that Luffy wanted to poke every interesting thing with a stick he'd grabbed from the bushes wasn't helping either.<p>

"Hey, where do you think Nami went?" Luffy asked suddenly.

"Aren't you worried about Gen-chan?" Sanji replied.

"Nah, they can both take care of themselves, they're tough. But, if Nami was so scared of going out, why did she?"

Sanji wanted to dig a deep hole and check if hell had frozen over. Then he stood still, eye(s?) wide and the cig nearly falling out as something clicked in his head. "OH NO! WHAT IF SOMEONE KIDNAPPED NAMI-SWAN!_?_"

"Kidnapped? Then we just find whoever did and kick their asses! This way!"

"Um, where are we going?"

"This way, obviously. I think this is the place where I saw the butterfly yesterday, and there was this very tall tree with these huge bags..."

"A tree?" the cook blinked.

* * *

><p>"NAAAMIIII!<em>!<em> GLOOORIAAAAA!_!_ WHERE AAAARE YOOOUUUU!_?_"

"_Shhhhh!_! Don't yell so loudly, something might find us!" Usopp clung to Franky's arm desperately.

"That's the point," the cyborg sweatdropped.

_*kroaak!*_

"EAAAH! WHAT WAS THAT!_?_"

"Stop climbing on me! It's just a frog!"

Franky wrenched the boy off him and dropped him on the ground rather inelegantly. He got quickly back on his feet and behind the other's back. Usopp turned his eyes to find the said frog sitting on a big leaf. It had brownish green skin and huge, yellow eyes.

"Oh... Just... a frog... I knew that!" the sniper stood away from Franky.

"Come on, let's find them. NAAAAMIIII!_!_ GLOOOORIAAAAAA!_!_ WHEEEEERE AAAAAARE YOOOUUUUU!_?_"

"NAMI! GEN! COME ON HERE, THE GREAT CAPTAIN USOPP HAS COME TO SAVE YOU FROM THIS FOREST!"

They walked side by side, yelling for the women, when Franky's leg sunk into the ground suddenly, all the way to his speedos.

"What happened?" Usopp asked as the shipwright got back up.

"A hole... It looks pretty deep too." He stomped his leg firmly to the ground. "Be careful, the whole area could be like that."

He found a stone and dropped it to the hole. They waited and listened for it to hit the bottom. The sound came only after a moment, and it echoed up like a gong.

They looked at each other.

"So... Can we go back now?"

"No. Let's just be very careful."

* * *

><p>Another animal lost its life. Well, it was the animal's fault, it had tried to take a bite out of Zoro's leg and he was not going to let that slide.<p>

He could've pictured what Gen did in this situation: place her other leg on the miserably dead little... rodent? And laugh how she'd conquer the world.

Muhahahaha~!

"Zoro, please stop hitting your head to the tree! You might get splinters in your forehead!" Chopper frowned. His ears pricked at the other's muttering.

"...her way of thinking..."

"Huh?"

"Never mind about that. Can you get a whiff?" he rubbed his head and pushed the disturbing thoughts from his mind.

Chopper closed his eyes and turned. He took a few blind steps in his tracking ritual. Zoro watched how the little one's blue nose quivered, with his own ears open and alert for more unpleasant surprises.

"Ah!"

"What? You found them?"

"I think I just-" his ears swivelled back. It gave Zoro enough a warning to block a huge pair of antlers. Chopper jumped to the side just in time.

The swordsman looked into the animal's eyes, swirling with fury. "What did I ever do to this thing!_?_"

He would've been comparing a pony to a warhorse when he quickly named the animal 'deer' in his mind. Its fur was thick and shaggy, and the skin marred with several scars that told him that it had survived everything the forest threw at it. Its hooves were enormous and he believed that its kick would've been nastier than the cook's. The antlers were amazing and sharp. They were also pointed at him.

The deer bellowed in a rough, grinding sound.

"'Here to take my life! You can try, young two-feet!' He says," Chopper translated.

"Sorry, but you're not our point of interest," Zoro pushed the beast off him and felt his arms tingle. He found respect for the animal. 'Damn, the thing is strong as hell!'

It swayed its low-bent head in a threatening manner. "'I don't take your lies! Wait... what is that?' he says. I'm a reindeer, and I ate the hito hito no mi," Chopper said to the 'deer'. The way he translated and spoke with the deer was slightly schizophrenic in Zoro's mind. "'I don't know what a hito hito no mi is, but I've never seen or heard about reindeers,' he says. Well, reindeers are deer from colder climates, and I guess there aren't any here..."

"Chopper, we're in a hurry," the man sheathed his swords. It was more like a good will's gesture, and he couldn't help feeling tense when the deer was still aiming it's own weapons at them, though it didn't look like it was going to ram them anymore.

"Ah, yeah. Hey, have you seen a human female around here? We have lost two of our herd," Chopper asked. The deer looked at Zoro for a moment before snorting. He swore the thing was laughing at him. "'Can't keep care of your own?' he says."

"Just answer!" he rolled his eyes.

"'I have only seen one this morning, and I must say she was a fragile one. Red... hair,'" it seemed to frown at the use of word. "'Probably gotten eaten though,' he says."

"Fragile my ass," Zoro deadpanned. "Anyone with white hair?"

It shook its head. "'No. I like you, little cousin of mine. So hear my warning: I have sensed something foreign yet familiar within my kingdom. It's of old magic, powerful and hides away from Grassmantle's kind,' he says."

"Oi...!" Zoro's brow twitched.

"'I do not know if it brings harm and I have been seeking it for a week now. I mistook its presence with yours, and that is why I attacked. I'm sorry,' he says... Eh? Wha- What?" But the deer had already risen on its hind legs and jumped gracefully over a tall bush, disappearing with surprisingly little noise. "Hey! Wait! What did you mean by that!_?_"

"Let it be, Chopper. So, there's something strong in here, eh...?" a smirk stretched on his mouth. "It's on."

"That wasn't a challenge!_!_" the reindeer cried out and followed his companion.

* * *

><p>By noon most of the people were present at the chief's yard. Luffy and Sanji team was back first because Luffy's idiocy had cost another victim. The chef looked ghastly pale, but it didn't douse out any of the angry flame in his eye. The doctor lady was busy mending him and Sanji thanked her profusely, also apologizing for the trouble.<p>

The captain started telling how they'd gone back to where he'd found the butterfly, which had been idiotic and Sanji felt like an idiot for following him there. Luffy had wanted to bring one of the huge cocoons on the Sunny, but the butterfly had gotten pissed when they dropped several of them to the ground.

Not pretty.

And how would they keep a caterpillar that size of a four-seated couch satisfied anyway? They'd run out of plants in an hour.

Three out of five hunter teams were back with no results, saying that the others had gone off on their own to track some monster of an animal. Usopp and Franky had almost fallen into an underground river. No knowledge of the girls either. Usopp was not happy, not happy at all, when he heard that they'd have to get shots. The water was just as healthy as everything else on the island that the sniper was coming to dislike more and more as time passed.

Robin's team member had died. Her story was very vivid and full of unnecessary details, like the texture of his flesh when a bear had tore into him. He didn't have any family to inform, so they simply held a respective quiet moment for the fallen. There was a tone in her voice though which said '_good riddance_'.

Other than that, she too had found nothing. The others sweatdropped when they heard that she'd gone back to the ruins, which would've explained why she hadn't.

Zoro and Chopper had taken the longest to return. Zoro had what seemed to be a permanent little grin on his face that only widened when he told them what they'd found out.

"This island seems to have many secrets," Robin smiled enigmatically.

"Heeeeey! Heeeeeey!" Vobbert was running down the street with three other men on his heels. "Have you found your friends yet?"

"No luck," Franky shook his head.

"How about Dotter? Have any of you seen her?" he looked worried.

"Dotter-chan is missing too!_?_" Sanji jumped up where he'd slumped.

"When did you see her last?" Robin asked.

"Not since this morning..." the man was pouting and there was a little tear in the corner of his eye. "My little girl is gone~!"

"Calm down, we'll find them all," Zoro sighed. More work.

"UWAAAAAAH! THE GIRLS ARE GOOOONNEEEEEEE!"

"SHUT UP, FRANKY!"

"Sanji thinks that they're kidnapped," Luffy said with his hand on his chin.

"K-Kidnapped!_?_ Who would _do_ such a thing!_?_" Vobbert was sniffling.

"The deer-"

"It wasn't a deer."

"_The deer_ warned us that there was something going on in the forest. Something old, and strong," Zoro recalled. "And shy, I guess, if it doesn't like people."

"The thing is hiding from that beastlord as well," Chopper frowned. "Maybe it is shy!"

"What's a beastlord?" Usopp asked.

"Oh, that's the rough translation for the king of the animals. There's at least one on each island, sometimes it could be three."

"Could it be that this being Zoro-san spoke of could be the one responsible for the girls' disappearance?" Robin asked, steering the topic back to the point. "Vobbert-san, do you know something about it?"

The chief had their undivided attention. "No, nothing comes to- wait! There actually is one, but... it's just a bedtime story to keep the children from getting up from beds in the middle of the night..."

"This wouldn't be the first time a kids' story has been proved to be true," Sanji said coolly, blowing a stream of smoke to the air.

Vobbert looked at the Strawhats. None of them seemed to be kidding, so he took a calming breath.

He told them a story about a mean boy who ran off one evening to the nightly forest. He found a goblin and hung him in a tree from its trousers, which wasn't a good thing. The goblin promised the boy whatever he wanted if he let him down, but the second the goblin was free it ran off without listening to him. The next night the boy went into the forest to find the goblin, but came across its big brother instead. The big goblin had heard what the boy had done and did to him what the boy had done to the little goblin: hang in a tree from his trousers. But, since goblins didn't need anything from humans, all pleas fell to deaf ears and the boy hung in the tree until morning.

The boy hadn't learnt his lesson. He went to the forest again and found the little goblin's father. Father had also heard what the little boy had done and hung him to the tree as well. This time the boy was never found.

"Do you know why?" Vobbert asked Chopper, who was listening to the story with wide eyes and clinging to Zoro's leg.

"N-No, I don't."

"The boy was taken down from the tree by the goblin mother. Because, in the whole world, there is nothing more wicked than a goblin mother. She had confused the boy with one of her own for his foulmouthed cursing."

There was silence.

"That was a little anticlimactic," Sanji sweatdropped.

"I know, but it works on kids," Vobbert scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"You think a goblin mother took them?" Zoro raised an eyebrow in doubt.

"No goblin mother would take Nami... she'd _be_ the goblin mother," Usopp muttered.

"WHAT'D YOU SAY, SHITTY NOSE!_?_" a shiny black shoe dug into the sniper's spine.

"We'll keep the story in mind, though there really wasn't any use of it," Zoro said. "All we can do is go back in there and find them."

"Can't we use the perv-o-meter in any way?" Franky asked, pointing at Sanji.

"Says the man in a speedo," the chef rolled his eye.

There was a growl of a stomach followed by an awkward silence, until everyone looked at Chopper.

Robin smiled. "It seems it's high time for lunch, don't you think?"

* * *

><p>It was nearing one in the afternoon, an hour past the time their log would set. The Strawhats were getting antsy. Franky's hand was latched firmly on Luffy's arm so he wouldn't get too far away and Chopper was in his human form, holding Sanji up from the ground.<p>

"Franky! Let go!_!_"

"Stupid reindeer, put me down!_!_"

"Keep your heads cool, you morons," Zoro said, but inside he wanted to just fuck it all and go whack down the whole forest.

A door opened somewhere with a loud bam, and someone yelled Vobbert's name. The man was sitting in the table with the Strawhats, sulking over Dotter and going over different scenarios on what could've happened.

Rushed footsteps and rhythmic clinks of metal came from the hallway. The chief got up just when the door to the dining room opened.

"CHIEF! THE YARD...! THAT CRAZY OLD DERAM IS WRECKING THE VILLAGE, AND IT'S HEADING THIS WAY!_!_" the man yelled before fell on his hands and knees.

"Breathe, good man! Are you sure that it's Ticky?"

"Absolutely!" Another man, not breathing as hard, confirmed it.

"Who's Ticky?"

"Ticky is a veeery old deram that the hunters have been trying to catch for generations. It looks like a very big deer."

"Let's go!"

It was a complete mayhem going on outside. One side of a well had collapsed, and the deram had trampled a patch of flowers. One of the flimsy trees was broken and gone through someone's house like a spear.

Most people had ducked inside their houses, or the houses that had been nearest at the moment, with men and women both alike running around and rushing their young ones to safety. The village guards were trying in vain to restrain the wild animal, that easily overpowered five men by bucking up.

The Strawhats and the chief filed out of the door, however. Luffy ran for the villagers' help. Zoro contemplated if he should warn Luffy or something, but when the boy was rodeo-riding it with his feet wound around the animal's middle and laughing loudly, he didn't bother.

Ticky was trying to get the boy off by ramming onto the walls, fences and trees. Within ten minutes the deram was starting to calm down, and when it just simply stood in place to the villagers' amazement, Luffy decided to snap his limbs back to their places. Down he didn't come, and the animal just looked very, very irritated.

"Nihihi, I had fun! Let's do that again!" Luffy dared to pat Ticky's neck. The deram kicked its hind legs up and the boy tumbled over its downbent head. Robin chuckled. There was a tickmark on the beastlord's head and she wondered if that was where it had gotten its name.

"I can't believe it," Vobbert muttered and scratched his head.

Chopper ran to the two and told everyone that the deram wasn't going to harm them if they didn't try to harm it. Ticky turned its head towards the little one and nodded in greeting.

Franky whistled. "Damn, that's huge!"

"He sure is," Robin nodded.

"It looks so old and tough I doubt anyone could get a decent meal out of it," the cook said and received an evil glare from Ticky.

"That's the thing we met in the forest earlier," Zoro told the rest of them.

"What are you doing here?" Chopper asked it, getting a series of odd voices for an answer. "I see... Okay... Mh. Really!_?_ Where?"

"What's it say?" Usopp asked.

"He saw Nami with another girl, but it wasn't Gen."

"That must've been Dotter-san," Robin mused.

"He also said they were going north, and that's why he came here to tell us."

Vobbert paled. "North! T-That's a complete suicide!"

"What!_?_ What's in there!_?_" Sanji demanded. "If those beautiful jewels are so much as scratched I'm going to burn the whole shitty forest down, with the power of my love!"

"In the north... there's a big cave, and in that cave lives the children of the devil," his expression turned dark and serious. The way he said it told them that the thought brought up unpleasant memories.

"Ticky says 'I could take you on their trail, but further I will not come. I still don't like you humans.'"

Vobbert accompanied them with his most trusted man, Umul. He was a silent one, following the chief like a shadow, and the Strawhats soon forgot he even existed.

The deram moved in the forest like he owned it, with powerful grace and head held high. He didn't fear anything, his posture implied. The moment they were in the place where he'd seen the girls, Luffy thanked it and the beast left. The chief kneeled and looked around the ground. "Footprints... he was right. They were here."

"Hey, I can smell them!" Chopper piped up. "They went that way!"

"Good work, Chopper," Zoro patted the reindeer's hat and made him deny being happy about it.

"We have to find them before anything else does!" Sanji yelled and ran off, Luffy after him. It forced the rest of them to follow, Usopp groaning something about scary forests and running like a beheaded chickens.

"NAMI-SWAAAAN! DOTTER-CHWAAAAN! YOUR PRINCE IS COMING~!"

"You're _not_ my daughter's prince!" Vobbert growled but the young man ignored him.

"Hey, what exactly did you mean by 'children of the devil'?" Usopp asked.

"They are nasty creatures by nature, deformed and foul. They resemble humans, but you will be able to tell them apart with one glance."

"Whoo! Hoh, I feel sooo tired! I think I can't keep up with you, so go on without me!"

"We don't have time for this," Zoro grumbled and yanked him on by the suspenders. He could hear the sniper complain, saying something about how Gregory had tricked them coming on this island and the swordsman found himself wondering what was going on in the demon's head. Then another thought entered: what if the so-called children of the devil were in fact demons? At least it would make sense.

They heard shrill, very feminine screams rise from somewhere on their left and Sanji with his nostrils flaring pivoted towards the sound. "I'M COMING, NAMI-SAN!"

Zoro felt adrenaline surge through his system and he was ready to fight off anything. Dodge a tree, over a boulder, through some thorny bushes and they all came to a more open area. There were a few young trees and one older one. He could see Nami and Dotter immediately, backed up against the trunk of one of them. He didn't see Gen anywhere and cursed silently in his mind.

Zoro changed his mind about the demon theory. Their assaulters were one of the ugliest things he'd seen so far and they could've not been much taller than Chopper in his brain point. They had small, gleaming black eyes, droopy ears and big noses over a thin-lipped, nail-toothed mouths. Their arms were long and thin, ending to a pair of large hands and sharp nails, and their skins were all shades of muddy brown to a slightly yellowish colour. Without much hair and hundreds of wrinkles they looked a lot like mean little old geezers. He couldn't make out if they were all male, or if they were all female, or if they had those kinds of attributes at all, they were all wearing a loincloth made from another weird coloured animal. One of them, which seemed to lead on the things, had a rusted cleaver.

"Don't you dare wave that filthy thing at ladies!_!_" Sanji snarled.

"What the hell are they!_?_" Franky recoiled, bringing his hand up as if the things could've jumped at them at any second.

"The children of the devil," Vobbert's face was twisted in open disgust. "Watch out, they're agile and more stronger than you'd believe, but in the end they run on their instincts."

With a battle cry Luffy ploughed in the army of little geezers, Sanji hot on his heels and Zoro taking out his swords. Vobbert had been right, they were strong, and they worked well together. One danced away from his blade and two others took its place. On his left he could see Franky trying to shake off a bunch of the things that had climbed on him. The man seemed to be creeped out by them and couldn't find himself to blame the cyborg.

The captain was doing better. He had a fierce expression as he nailed another... let's call them goblins. Goblin. Luffy hit another goblin in the gut and it made a strangled screetch of displeasure. Soon he confronted the one with the cleaver.

Zoro noticed a long, blue staff in the ground and recognized it as Nami's. He gave it a kick and it ended up in its owner's hands who was egging the others on.

Vobbert hacked away with his own broadsword, he seemed perfectly adapted for this, unlike Usopp who was running around and screaming his ass off. Chopper and Sanji reached the girls to defend them as well as the man Vobbert had brought with him. Robin looked just fine.

"Back off, you vile maggots!" the chief yelled. "You took away my wife, but you will not have my daughter!_!_!"

Though endless the stream seemed to be, within time the goblins started to draw back. Like on a sign the goblins finally grabbed their fallen kinsmen and disappeared in the forest. As the bushes stopped wiggling and rustling, Usopp slid down the tree he'd climbed in and landed in a heap to the ground. Dotter ran to his father's arms, both crying dramatic anime tears and Sanji rushed to Nami's side.

"Are you okay, Nami-san?" He asked, giving her his hand to help her up. "If not, I can kiss it bet-!"

He was shut up with a fist.

"Nami! What were you doing here?" Luffy bounced to them and asked.

"I was escorting Dotter to somewhere, and then those things started chasing us," the navigator shivered. Her hair was ruffled and she had a tear in her jeans. If she'd had a wound she'd have to get a shot.

"Ah, I see! Then, have you seen Gen?" the captain continued.

"No... should I?" Nami blinked in confusion and looked around, confirming that the girl really wasn't there. "Where is she?"

"That's what we'd all like to know," Zoro crossed his arms after putting the swords away.

"And where were you taking her?" Usopp nodded towards Dotter. Vobbert and Umul were talking quietly with each other.

Nami started her story from yesterday evening, when she'd seen something in the forest. It had been a little girl in a light green dress, bare feet and wild, sunbleached blonde hair. The girl hadn't wanted to come out of the forest, but hiding behind a tree asked Nami to bring Dotter to someplace. She'd leave a trail of hints to follow, small bright stones the navigator would surely spot. Nami hadn't wanted to go in the forest, but at the same time felt bad for letting down a little girl. All that inner struggle however was ceased when she promised to point out a place where would be lots of treasure - and they had a deal.

"I thought so..." Usopp said, sweatdropping along the others.

"Nami-swaaaan is so sweet when helping random little girls~!" Sanji cooed, making pirouettes.

"Why Dotter?" Franky asked.

"I don't know," Nami said bluntly. "But I want my treasure! I doubt cute little kids could do much harm."

"Why didn't you ask us to come with you?"

The woman looked at Luffy. "The girl said not to bring anyone but Dotter."

"And you just went with that? Alone, in this forest, with someone obviously not suited for fighting?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really believe anything after mentioning 'treasure' registers in her head?" Usopp asked him.

"Yeah, she's such a bad person!" Chopper chirped in with cheery voice.

"H-Hey now...!" Nami waved her hand.

"Don't say things like that, shitty deer!"

"I'm a reindeer!"

After some mild arguing between Nami and Luffy, they decided that Robin would go with Nami and the chief's daughter to wherever they were going in the first place. Since the girls had been chased by the 'prune-jiisans' as Luffy called them, they had gotten off the trail of shiny pebbles. They weren't that hard to find, and the now three women continued on while the boys were left to wait for them.

Usopp started telling a story to kill some time, but Luffy and Chopper were the only ones whose attention he could hold. Sanji, Zoro, Franky and Vobbert were trying to think up where the demigoddess had gone off to.

"What we know is that she likes pretty things," the chef started. "Maybe she found something and wanted to draw it?"

"That could be it... besides the possibility that she's kidnapped, of course." Zoro could see Sanji's brow twitch. "Or then it's something completely else," he sighed.

"What else does she like?" Vobbert encouraged their thinking. "High places? Caves?"

"Me," the swordsman grinned cheekily.

"Ah, so she's somewhere where there are big, hollow rocks with moss on them?" the cook hit his palm with a fist.

A tickmark appeared on Zoro's forehead and he opened his mouth ready to lash out ugly word or two about the cook's mother, but Franky told them to quit it.

"Seriously now... She's never been that much in the crow's nest, so I don't think she'd go for high places, and she doesn't really prefer caves either," Zoro said, half time just speaking out his thoughts. "Water. That's what she likes."

"I doubt she'd go swimming here, you saw the water." Sanji dug in his pocket for a cig and a lighter.

"She's a natural at getting into big trouble. What's the island's most dangerous place?" Zoro asked Vobbert.

"The southern parts."

"And the southern parts are also the ones with the most interesting looking wildlife," Franky said.

"She could be there," the cook nodded.

"Or..." Zoro deflated. "She could be anywhere else."

They all sighed.

"She's just too illogical," Franky leaned into his hand. "It'd take another loony to find her."

Sanji and Zoro raised their heads and glanced at each other.

"Oi, Luffy! If you were Gen, where would you go?" Sanji asked.

The boy 'hmm'ed and tilted his hat when the thought about it. Usopp had paused, him and Chopper looking at Luffy. "I don't know. Wherever my feet took me?"

"That wasn't helpful," Zoro muttered.

"Maybeeee..." Luffy scrunched up his face, really trying to think about it. "I'd end up in some pretty place. And if I was Gen, I'd just sit down and draw it, but I'm not her... I'd look for a restaurant!"

"It could be that she didn't go too far, just look around and sit down for hours. At night it's a bit hard to draw, so what if she waited for the sun to come up so she could do that?" Usopp thought. "What's the prettiest place around here?"

They all looked at the chief, waiting for an answer. A few seconds after: "The village?"

"That'd be completely like her, waiting for us in the village, eating candy and clueless about us running around the island," Usopp deadpanned.

"I hope you're wrong about the candy part," Zoro muttered. "But that'd be... completely like her."

* * *

><p>When Dotter, Nami and Robin came back they refused to tell what had happened despite Luffy's curiosity. Dotter's cheeks had a pinkish colour on them, and she was clutching a small round stone in her hand. Robin had a smile on her face and Nami was grinning, her glinting eyes ravaging over an old map she'd acquired from somewhere.<p>

When Luffy's whining didn't work to penetrated Nami's happy cloud, he went to Robin. She simply said that it'd been a matter of the heart, and the captain silenced in confusion.

The walk back to the village was animated with light chatter, but Zoro was quiet. He was both irritated and worried, but couldn't decide which came to the top. Worried, because he felt like an idiot, and irritated because he knew he couldn't do anything about being worried. And, maybe just a little, concerned for her life.

He growled, frustrated, and rubbed his face, making a few people around him give the man a look. He missed the look Luffy had, but the swordsman did feel his hand land on his shoulder. When he turned his head to look, he met Luffy's calm expression and the steady gaze. No words were exchanged, but Zoro felt light years better.

Now that he wasn't worried anymore, he could start planning doom for the rebellious burden of a girl.

* * *

><p>"Dooo~ Reee~ Miii~ Faaa~ Sooo~ Laaa~ Tiii~ <em>Doooo<em>~!_!_!"

The echo answered in broken segments. It gave an eerie feel of space; loneliness and deafening silence that made the listener doubt the voice had ever even existed.

Gloria stood in place, listening to the echoes as droplets of water fell from the roof and the walls of the hugeass cave. Yeah, that's how she was going to describe it to the others when she got back to them, but therein laid the problem: she was lost. There was no light, so she had to rely solely to her other instincts. It was difficult although not entirely impossible. She could feel the draft pushing her faintly backwards to where she came from, and she could hear that she was in a very big space. The very time trapped in here smelled old and musty and she shivered as a response to the chill gnawing on her bones.

Yo ho ho ho.

'_Bit too early_,' she decided with a grin. In truth, the place was making her uneasy. If there'd been any light to see she would've been glancing over her shoulder every other second, just to be sure nothing was following her. Since she couldn't be sure where the walls were she felt vulnerable.

Keeping her calm and swallowing the discomfort, the white-haired girl continued to probe her way through the area like a blind person, the gentle, warm feeling of the wooden staff in her hand. She'd grabbed it some time ago in the forest to fend off a lovesick bunch of spiders.

And how did she end up in the cave underneath the island?

A total mystery.

Or not. She'd gone out after she'd woken up from the bone melting lullaby provided by Zoro, and netherworld if she didn't squeeze another one from him! If he didn't kill her first.

Her wandering (_and running away from a rapid, wingless avian_) had led her eventually to fall from a random hole in the ground to this place, and unable to climb back up she shrugged and decided to just find another way. Now she couldn't even backtrack her steps to the spot she fell, because she had walked into an unstable stalactites... or stalagmite, she wasn't sure, but all the same it had brought the tunnel come rumbling down.

To defend herself against the silence, she wanted to sing. The acoustics were perfect if she kept her tone low enough not to bounce too bad off the walls, but then she didn't hear if something crept from behind.

"What a mess," she sighed.

_What a mess..._

_-a mess..._

_-mess..._

_..._


	66. It's a mystery cube!

Dear dandelions! It's been a bit over week the last time I updated! Spring is finally getting to it, but I still don't have a job for the summer. You people know what that means... more time for writing. Oh, and the appointment to the tattoo place is creeping nearer... o_o

* * *

><p>What felt like an eternity later, Gen found her first little spark of light in the darkness surrounding her. Closer inspection told her that it was a shiny little scorpion, luring in possible meals or mates. The hair in her neck stood up.<p>

_'If you see a snake, you've already passed ten and stepped on five.'_

Did it apply to scorpions as well?

She wanted to take the animal with her, just for the sake of the little light. It was far from bright enough to light her path, nor even the scorpion's path, but she desperately wanted something to focus her eyes on. Walking blind was making her see things that didn't exist.

Like the tiny pink hippos galloping over her toes.

Wait, that really happened...

"Hello little... uh, scorpion," she spoke to it. "Do you know where I could get out of here?" She didn't expect an answer, yet she still asked. She doubted it ever even heard her.

Gen was tempted to just stab the stick through it and make some macabre lantern out of it but couldn't know if the dot of light on it's back would go out. Besides, she wasn't one to enjoy killing harmless...

...

Right, scorpions.

_'What am I going to do...?_' she huffed. There was hunger eating at the walls of her stomach and the sudden groan that came from it woke her to realize it again. "I want out of heeeeereeee!"

_Heeeereeee!_

_-eeereeee...!_

Leaving the scorpion to where it was, she continued walking to where the breeze was coming from.

After another eternity, she saw a real ray of light. Like, honest-to-life ray of sunlight! She giggled joyously and skipped towards the small crack in the wall where the light was streaming. At first it stung her eyes, having ventured so long in the tunnel, but then she peeked out to see what was on the other side.

It looked vaguely like an altar. There was a round pyramid, with steps going all the way around it, decorated with pillars. They seemed to have been archways in some ancient time, but most of them had fallen off to rubble at the bottom of the stairs. She couldn't see what was on the top from this angle, so she squeezed herself from the crack in the wall. The roof had big holes in it, letting in loads of sunlight, but trees had grown to hide it from the outside.

Now Gen could also see that there was an old picture on the wall behind her, and voiced her first thought of it. "Damn, that's one ugly mother fucker..."

It was not ol' Leo who painted the wall, that was sure, but it wasn't the picture that was bad - it was the theme. The whole left side was occupied by a creature that looked at first like a gryphon, but it was obviously not. It had the backside of a lion, but it's tail was long and barbed. It's back was scaly and had a ridge of spikes as well, the ribs were growing _outside_ of the monster and its front legs were what she'd imagine on a dragon. The horse like head was suspended on a little too thin, long neck, it's expression that of utter sadistic glee. It had an unfriendly row of sharp teeth in its open mouth and a twisted horn pointing back from the top of its head with two round ears on both sides of it. As Gen looked closer, she could see that it's eyes were made from some expensive-looking stones, and they were as big as windows!

Why the beast looked sadistic may have had something to do with the figures of humans it was slaughtering in the picture. They were either frozen in place forever to scream their agony, or to kneel in vain attempt for mercy. Men, women, children, and she could see a dead bird hanging from the side of its maw. The crack in the wall was climbing high, dividing the group of people and splitting one of them from the middle.

_'How delightful_,' she shivered and turned away from the gruesome picture and decided to walk up the steps. The top of the pyramid was round, just like the whole thing, and there was a rectangular stone table with some items covered in dust.

A cold feeling slithered up her spine at the sight she next met and drew in a sharp breath. There was a big, dark, rust-coloured stain half on the stone and half on the floor on the other side of the table, right under a bag of bones and fragile fabric ready to give out to the lightest touch. Whoever it had once been, his upper body was laying on the slab of stone along with one of his arms, but the head was gone.

Deciding that she'd much rather stare at the hideous picture than this turned around and breathed heavily through her nose. Now that she had calmed down, she could look around more closely. Part of the floor on the far left (_when she was facing the picture_) of the chamber had collapsed, looking like a big rat-eaten hole. Gen wasn't concerned though; the cracks in the floor didn't even reach half way to the pyramid. On the right was what looked like a doorway, and stairs going down, but that wasn't the direction she wanted to go. Behind her, there was another entrance with two, plain stone doors. To her fortunate they seemed to be open too, so that's where she headed.

The light did not follow her, but in the dim passage she could see there had once been torches on the other wall. Time and moisture had eroded the wooden benches, but she could still tell that they had been here.

_'Robin will have a fit... I hope she'll defend me from Zoro if I promise to tell her where this place is.'_

Taking her trusty stick to use again, Gloria walked on. The hall curved a little to the left and ended to another door. It was closed and she had to put the stick down to push it open. To her surprise, it wasn't that hard to open, even when there seemed to be something blocking it from-  
>Her ears rang from the echo of her own shriek when another skeletal body fell to her feet. "Fffff-ishsticks! I hate this place!"<p>

Exhausted, hungry, dirty and altogether pissed off Gen finally found her way to the sunlit ground level. It had not been a fun to wade through a room full of spider webs, or to jump over a pile of bodies to get to one door, that in the end didn't even want to open for her the first few times. Then she had realized to pull it instead of pushing.

She had also come to a conclusion as to what she had found - a temple dedicated for the evil god. Just her luck. The bodies she had found had been wearing either two types of different armour or now-in-shreds robes. No emblems, and the steel and iron of the armour had rusted.

So, the temple had been attacked? Why? The guy in the altar room was dead, but the huge ruby eyes of the monster had been left untouched? It had taken her some time to figure that one out, but all the other valuables seemed to have been taken, if there ever were such things.

She stretched her arms above her head and looked at the thick vegetation, cursed out loud the one who planted them and started whacking at them with the stick. The stick was going to be soon promoted to The Stick, for it was a mighty weapon in her hand.

The bushes didn't hinder her for more than a few meters. After that, it was easy to walk in the calf-high grass, but it made her paranoid for the blood-suckers of varying kind hiding in it. Between her sock and pant leg was a small strip of bare skin, perfect for latching on.

Judging by the greenery around her, she must've been somewhere in the middle of the island. She didn't feel like walking around for any more than needed, and looked around her for clues. The trees didn't grow much moss here, and she couldn't find anthills... and she didn't know how much the time was to see from the sun, but she guessed it was sometime noon.

_'Damn, that means I've been walking for... for way too long!_' she stomped her mental foot like a five-year-old late from his nap. _'Without food too!'_

* * *

><p>She found her way back to the village in one piece. No puns intended. Though if One Piece was a vehicle, it'd be the most awesome vehicle in the existence. And, if she'd had a One Piece Vehicle, she would've been back a long time ago. Possibility that the One Piece Vehicle was a time machine, that'd be a literal thing.<p>

With these run-a-wild thoughts she decided that she should first eat and drink and go to sleep, but the first two needed Sanji's presence. When the village was too silent she started suspecting that something was amiss.

Gen stood in the middle of the yard of the chief's house and exclaimed: "Have they all been kidnapped!_?_"

She heard someone walking on the gravel and turned to see a very surprised man clad in a light travel gear. His blonde, curly hair was a messy ponytail ready to fall open.

"Who are you?" he frowned, the dirty green eyes scanning her. They were the same green as the water all over this island.

"'M Gen. Do you have any idea where Vobbert-san is? And I think I've lost my companions as well," she let her shoulders slump. "And you?"

"Call me whatever you will, I'm only stopping here to deliver news. As for the chief, I'm looking for him too. Care to join?"

"Yeah."

Gen walked behind the man with her aching feet. She noticed that he was probably a whooping 2 meters high, and she wondered who would be taller, him or Franky. Since the man seemed to know what he was doing she simply followed him.

"There she is!" she heard a familiar voice shout out and she turned to see the whole crew along with Dotter, Vobbert and some other guy walking to the direction of the chief's house. "Ooooi! Gen-chan!"

"Luffy-chan!" she grinned and waved back.

Zoro had also noticed her.

A shiver ran down her spine. It went all the way to her feet and prompted her to run away with a shriek. Alas, Zoro was just that much faster than she was, and the girl was also very, very tired. He caught her too easily, lifted the girl over his shoulder and waited for the others to reach them.

The nameless man went to report with the chief and she couldn't help but hear them.

"Okay, we have her. Can we now get out of here?" Zoro sounded annoyed.

"Don't treat her like a bag of potatoes!"

"Oh yeah? A bag of potatoes would be smarter than she is!"

"I'm hungry," came her muffled comment. "And tired. And dirty. And I think I'll never get the stench of dead people off me, so yell and spank me later when I'm up. G'night."

"Hey! Don't just fall asleep on me!" All he got for an answer was a yawn and an upside down hug.

"I told you so," Usopp whispered to Chopper with a chuckle.

"Um..." Dotter looked frozen. "Did she just say 'the stench of dead people'...?"

They all looked at demigoddess before some of them took a step away from Zoro. He looked at Gen before taking a whiff of her. "I don't smell anything besides dirt."

"Why would she smell like dead people? She didn't do anything... _too_ weird, did she?" Usopp asked carefully.

"Don't be silly, she wouldn't harm a fly," Sanji defended her questionable honour like the gentleman he was. "Now, shitty marimo, hand her over. I can't let you treat her like that. For all we know, she could have a grave injury."

"Piss off," Zoro let out a low, jealous growl and tightened his grip on Gloria's feet.

* * *

><p>The log had set ages ago. And why were they still on the Secret Island? Because Nami is a greedy bastard and Robin an archeo-holic. Luffy was also to be blamed, for his insatiable thirst for adventures was anchoring them still. They had decided to go search the underground temple to see if there was something to see after Gen had woken up and given a short description during the dinner. Then she headed to the bath house.<p>

The bath felt heavenly and the scalding hot water turned gray in a matter of minutes. After all the scrubbing she looked herself in a full body mirror. At first she was confused - who was that girl? Then she started taking in the changes in awe.

Her hair had grown to reach lower than usually for which she was kinda happy, but it was going to be her downfall in the future, she just knew that. Her eyes were one of the only things that hadn't changed.

If she let the light fall on her in a right angle, she could see the faintest hint of muscles in her limbs. Comparing herself to what she used to be a long, long,_ long_ time ago, she looked healthier than ever. Her skin had gotten some colour though it was still paler than the others' on the ship.

Then she noted the bruises on her legs from stumbling in the cave, and the scars left by her misadventuring. She also felt that she had some unnecessary matter around her waist. _'Ah well, no one is supposed to be perfect.'_

Wrapping a towel around her she rummaged around for the scissors she knew sailed around the bathroom for these kinds of moments. Once she did, she dragged a stool in front of the mirror. Before she could start clipping away at her hair, she realized that it'd be better to let someone else help her out. Gen set the scissors down and struggled in her clothes in the after-bath relaxation before going out to find someone even remotely sane and safe to trust scissors with her hair.

Returning to the deck she saw the others ready and waiting for her. Sanji hadn't stopped gushing around Nami yet, but when he noticed a freshly washed Gen more hearts sprung from him and he couldn't decide to whom he'd go.

"Come on Gen! What took you so long!_?_" Luffy pouted. "Show us to the mystery place!"

"I'm not ready yet, so sit down and daydream or something." Then she held up the fine scissors.

"Someone, cut my hair."

"I'd be glad to do it, Gen-chwaaaan~!" Sanji twirled to her. Before he could take them he was yanked from his ankles and he fell on his stomach to the deck with an 'oomph'.

"Gimme those," Zoro grunted.

"What if not," Nami snatched them from him. "Neither of you have the skill to do that."

"And you have a motivation there," Gen deadpanned.

"Ahahaa..." she rubbed the back of her neck. "Of course I don't!"

"Robin, do you know how to?" she looked at the older woman.

"Sorry, I only know my own style," she smiled apologetically.

'_And how is that so much different from mine?_' Gen sighed. "I'll just shave it all off..."

"Please don't!" they chorused.

"Ahem..." Franky coughed. "If you need a pro with hair, I'm your man of action!"

With limited options and the two men beating the living daylights out of each other again (_Chopper and Usopp were pulling them apart_), she handed the scissors tentatively to the cyborg.

He didn't do bad, and satisfied with her hair they could finally leave. She tried to remember the way she came to the village, following the trail of squashed plant life. The path was twisting around like the flying course of a drunken bee. It was after Nami's deceptively sweet question if she had any idea where they were had to explain that she had been lost at the time so the path was a little curvy too.

They chattered some, Gen mostly telling them how she even got lost in the first place, and the others in turn telling their share of the adventuring.

"Prune-jiisans?" Gen repeated the word Luffy used.

"Yeah, and they were reeeeeaaaaaally ugly!" he laughed. "And tough!"

"I believe you," she chuckled.

"Could you tell us more about the temple's layout?" Robin asked politely. Gen did so, reciting what she could from her hazy memory in the dark. The tunnels were even worse than the temple area itself, but it was still a relief to have some light with them. Franky, Sanji and Luffy had all a lantern each, plus Zoro's spare one still unlit.

At the bottom of the stairs they were rendered quiet at the sight. Franky lifted the lamp to cast light on the hall. "Wow... You weren't kidding."

"T-That's a lot of d-dead people!" Usopp was creeped out. Now Gen could confirm that she had indeed walked through a sea of bodies. They were everywhere, those same soldiers, with the two different types of armour.

"Ew ew ew ew, you fell on them!" Nami pointed to where the dust had been disturbed.

"I know," the demigoddess said dryly. "Watch out, this place is full of unidentified bugs I'd rather not see ever again."

Robin walked to the closest body and crouched down to inspect it better. She spoke after a moment. "There was an attack, but I do not know which side was the defensive and which the offensive."

"I think the ones with the spikes was the home team," Gen offered. "There are robed guys up ahead when we go deeper in, I think they were priests."

The woman muttered something and looked around more. She got back up and tiptoed around the bodies to find something else. Then she stopped. "You mean the likes of him?"

"Oh, I didn't notice him. Yeah, like that one. Can you get anything out of this?"

Behind them the others were scattering around to take a look at the massacre's remains as well. Sanji was looking at a person who was stabbed in the chest with Nami staying close. Luffy was more interested in making a tower out of the skulls and Usopp was trying to stop him, telling that they'd get cursed by the dead if he continued. Chopper looked a bit melancholy.

"All these people died..." he sighed.

"It was a long time ago," Zoro said, picking up a two-hand sword and testing it's weight in his hand before putting it down again.

"I suspect that this person here was a traitor," Robin said. "He was first beaten before his leg was broken. He was kicked in the ribs," she opened the decaying robe to reveal the obviously cracked bones "and then hit in the head with a heavy object. He lost his consciousness before a sword was thrust through his lung. This man was left suffocating in his own blood..."

"Good work, detective," Gen couldn't help but giggle.

"You know a lot about dead people," Franky said. The others had gathered around them to hear the analysis.

"Awesome, isn't it?" Gen grinned up to the cyborg. "She once even reconstructed a whole skeleton out of a 400 years old coffin!"

"She... did?"

The others nodded.

"How do you know if he was a traitor?" Nami asked.

"He was killed in a more brutal way than these soldiers," Robin waved a hand around.

"Well... I dunno about that," Gen muttered. "I found a priest without a head."

The navigator shivered. "I don't like this place! Why did we even come here!_?_"

"You wanted to raid this place," Usopp sweatdropped.

"It looks like there isn't much to raid for us, though. These guys did a good job," Zoro kicked a helmet, the sound bouncing off the walls and the echo travelling forward. "Let's keep going."

Soon they came to a large, round room. The walls were lined with doorways, different halls going to each direction. The one they emerged from was slightly wider than the others and it had a little room on each sides of it. Gloria's footprints from before were seen to go in several of the halls before they came to the main entrance. Here too, the dead bodies seemed to be a common element of decor.

"Hey guys... for a while now..." Zoro looked around. "I've had this feeling."

"Could you be anymore vague?" Nami sweatdropped.

"Nami-san, this time the mossball isn't just spouting nonsense. Someone's definitely watching us."

This put them all on edge, except for Luffy, who had disappeared through one of the doors not ventured by anyone yet. His head popped back out. "Ooi! There's something in here! Come see!"

"Luffy, don't do anything rash!" the navigator chided as they started to gravitate towards the captain with the white-haired girl in lead. She bounced in after Luffy.

The corridor wasn't long, but because Luffy had left his lantern in the main hall she didn't see the stairs going down. Her stomach made a horrifying flip and she screamed when she tripped and started rolling down. Her head felt dizzy and she had a hundred new bruises all over her plus an aching back as she finally stumbled into the rubber boy. Once he realized what was happening he latched onto her as best as he could, and when they reached the bottom he cushioned the impact nicely.

"Owww...!"

"You okay?"

"I am. Thanks Luffs."

"No problem!"

"Gen-chwaaan! Are you still alive!_?_"

"I am, Sanji! Ow, I think I broke something..." she got slowly up from him and halted when she saw what they'd come upon.

"Shishishi! Isn't that cool?" Luffy asked. The others came to them as well, Chopper quickly checking that they were both fine.

The room would've been pitch black if not for their source of light, but that too seemed to be in constant battle over domain. What they did see was a huge cube in the middle of the floor, with odd scribbles all over it in stripes.

"Is that a poneglyph?" Came first into her mind, but the archaeologist shook her head.

"No, the language is different. I have seen this before..." she muttered as she walked closer. Sanji was in stride to bring the lamp closer to the cube but it seemed to suck in most of light leaving only a dim glow.

Robin frowned delicately, her hand swiping the cool marble surface. Oddly, it seemed to be the only object that had no coat of dust. As she read silently, she moved her finger under a line to single it out.

"What's it say?" Usopp asked after a moment.

"It sounds like a spell, so I will not say it out loud," she stepped back. "But it also bears a message of someone: 'My own Kin has forsaken me - What did I ever do to deserve this? - I was promised Fame and Power and Riches beyond my all hopes - But what did I get instead? - a puny pebble next to a mighty mountain to play with! - I will therefore take what is rightfully mine - Even from the Hands of The Judge! - The Skies will cry My Name! - The Ground will tremble in fear of It! - I am the Only!'"

Eerie silence fell.

"Hrrr, it became suddenly very cold," Nami muttered. Franky too was rubbing his arm while trying to keep his lamp from tipping.

"I can warm you, Nami-swaaan~!"

"I can see my breath!" Luffy giggled.

"Uh... could we... like, get the hell out of here!_?_" Gen was backing away.

Suddenly, just like in the message, the ground started shaking.

"AAAAAHH!_!_! WHAT'S HAPPENING!_!_?" Usopp screamed.

"AN EARTHQUAKE!_?_" Chopper clung to Franky's leg.

"We have to get... out? Huh? It stopped?" Zoro muttered the last part in confusion. It was true too, and everything was as quiet as it had been.

"Okay, what I have learnt from life is that that was not a good sign," Gen said.

"Should we get out of here?" Sanji asked.

"No! This is just getting interesting!" Luffy had the widest of grins on him. The other made faces.

"What if the whole place crashes down!_?_" Nami stretched his cheek and let it slap back in it's place.

"Ow! Nami! We can't go yet, it's an adventure! You know that!"

"It's not an adventure if we're going to die here!"

"Even if there might be treasure?" he asked slyly.

_'When did he grow a brain cell?_' Gen wondered.

"Off to adventuring!" Nami was pumped up. The others made an anime fall (_sans Robin, she's too mature for that_).

"I will stay here, I want to investigate this more," Robin announced.

"I'd want to stay too," Gen said. "Can you lot survive on your own?"

"We'll be alright," the swordsman nodded as he lit his lantern and handed it to her. "But be sure that you'll be too."

A tingling feeling started to rise on her cheeks. "I'll be."

"Good," he gave a small smile and a kiss on her forehead.

Something came to her mind when they were walking away. "Ah...! Hey! I forgot to mention, but in the altar room at the end of one of the long hallways is a gigantic, mother fuckin' ugly picture with expensive looking eyes. DO NOT TOUCH THEM, NAMI!"

"I won't, I won't!" she waved her hand absentmindedly.

"Someone make sure she won't!" she yelled after them as they disappeared.

Then she turned back to the Black Cube of Impending Doom. It gave her bad vibes but she still stayed. A hand popped from the cube, offering to take the light for her.

Gen couldn't actually read the words, but she humoured her that some initiate had in their boredom started carving random little marks on a big stone. They had overall sharp angles, points and protuberances and not many soft curves or round forms. It looked like the written language of one of her old teachers and she shuddered at the recollection of that man.

"Gen-chan... should've we told them?" the other woman in the chamber said after a while.

Her head came out from behind the corner. "Naah, it's not like we can't tell them later."

She had guessed that Robin was eavesdropping on Vobbert and That Guy's short exchange of words, just like Gloria herself, when she'd been hanging upside down on Zoro's back. That Guy, the one who hadn't told her his name, had said he'd heard rumours about a man who wandered the forests. This man was also said to have attacked several people, though only few had actually lost their lives.

_"He's a cloaked figure and he wears a headdress of young elk's horns. From thereon the descriptions are a bit contradicting, but we can assume he is an incredibly strong man."_

_"Contradicting?"_

_"Yes... Others say he was huge, burly and middle-aged, and others say he was young. I cannot tell if the ones speaking of a 'big, burly man' were trying to cover up for their obvious loss against him."_

"What do you think of it?" Robin asked. "This mysterious punisher."

"Umm... punisher?" Gen blinked.

"You didn't listen to the end?" she tore her gaze from the rock to glance at her nakama. "Hm, you did seem awfully tired back then."

"O rly?" the girl gave a deadpan look, making Robin chuckle.

"It seems these victims were all a part of some shady organisation of poachers."

"I see," Gen nodded and looked at the block from a bit further away. "Hmm... This is all so complex."

"Life usually is."

"Do you think this place could be the temple of Efethet?" the demigoddess asked.

"It is. It says here in the text," she pointed at some part.

She sweatdropped. "Awesome. You do know that I can't read a word of this?"

"Ah, I forgot."

_'She forgot!_?' "Does it say what this thing is?" she knocked on the stone. To their surprise, they heard a somewhat hollow sound come from it. "Oookay... So it's a fridge?"

"No..." Robin frowned and looked at the text again. "I think... if we indeed are in the temple of Efethet, and if he indeed is sealed in this very place..."

"You don't mean that he's in there?" Gen raised an eyebrow and pointed at the cube.

"Could be."

The girl felt the hair in her neck stand up on it's end and she walked to the archaeologist. "Can he get out?"

"If someone was to undo the spell," Robin said reassuringly. "Or if he has enough strength to break the seal."

"H-He doesn't... have that, right?"

"I don't know. He was sealed by a goddess, but if he himself was one..." the sentence was left hanging. "But, I don't believe he has such strength. What I know of the gods that have been proven real, your mother for an example, is that there are always four. The god/goddess may have a child to take over the position."

"And the old god goes to the Grave," Gen interrupted.

"Yes, I read about it."

"...how far did you get in that book?"

"A little over half. Then I jumped to the more recent parts about you. The book really is facinating, there is not only history explained."

"Oh," Gen blushed. _'Maybe I'll just let her read the book and then ask her if I need to know something.'_

"Every god in that book has had only one child, which they treasured over everything else. Since you cannot inherit the position of a goddess due your mortality, your mother still has to produce an heir. Because you will never be the official goddess of the sea, the Law of the gods will never bind you, but you still have the power of one. That makes you a wild card."

The girl just stared at her with her jaw hanging open. "W-Well, that seems a good enough reason to get rid of me..."

_Great._ So she was a pawn in a political game for gods.

An amused smile played on Robin's face, though it was hard to see in the semi-darkness. "By the way, did you know that the book updates itself? It seems your first bounty gave your mother a reason to celebrate."

"What!_?_"

"It took a whole page."

"What kind of party _was_ that, to be put down in a _history book!_?" she asked, bewildered.

The black-haired beauty laughed. "A magnificent one!"

Gen groaned and facepalmed. She should've known, a divine mother knows how to divinely embarrass her daughter.

They looked at the cube for a few minutes more until the archaeologist said that she was done with it. Gen had tried to draw the weirder looking symbols and she tucked the items away in the loyal bag. She had been dragging it with her for so long that it was starting to feel natural to have the weight on her. There was also a rip starting to grow on the other end of the strap, she'd have to fix it when she had the time.

Robin picked up the lantern on their way out, but once they got to the top of the stairs the whole temple shook again by some unseen force. Gen almost fell down the stone steps - again - but managed to grip the doorway before that happened. Then Robin rudely yanked her forward with her shirt and the girl had no choice but to follow her.

_'What would be the odds that Nami touched the eyes after all?_' she groaned in her mind. Another tremor went through the underground building.

Gloria simply followed the other's lead but soon she started recognizing the place. It was the long hallway, and the closer they got the more she started to believe she was correct about the navigator. They heard lots of noise, the ground was suddenly very mobile and something... roared.

The two women reached the altar room and halted. It was Gen's turn to pull Robin to safety from a falling piece of roof that sent shards of rock all around.

Nami and Usopp had chosen the same hiding place.

"What is that!_?_" the archaeologist asked.

"We don't know!" Usopp had to yell over the racket. "Luffy broke the table and suddenly the jewels melted!"

"My jewels~!" the redhead mourned with anime tears.

Gen peeked over the boulder. The ugly monster in the painting had somehow come alive, and now the monster trio was trying to bring it down together.

"Where's Choppie? And Franky?" she asked.

"There!" he pointed at another location but she couldn't see it. "The little guy was knocked out and Franky's taking care of him!"

"Okay!"

She watched the fight proceed. The picture hadn't given credit for the colours of it, the behind was a smooth golden brown and the scales an eye straining purple. All the same, it looked just as awful as it was as a picture.

Zoro was busy with the tail, and she could see all the scrapes all over his arms. He had a deeper wound on his abdomen, but otherwise he looked fine. Sanji looked just a little ruffled, and Luffy was furious. He was delivering punches with a fierce velocity at the monster's face while the cook was trying to break its front leg.

"Are they going to be fine?" Gen had to ask.

"What? You don't know?" Nami blinked.

"Umm, no. This is all new to me, I didn't even know there was this island in the first place," she admitted.

"Huh," was all the navigator said. "Whatever, they can't keep at it forever! Sanji's more hurt than he lets on!"

"_**MOVE!**_" they heard Zoro's urgent call seconds before the tail swiped at the wall behind them, destroying it. She found herself alone on the other side of it when the dust settled a little.

And it was getting worse: the monster's head had turned at the demigoddess, staring her down with its big, red eyes.

* * *

><p>Something's up to eat her again :)<p>

Gloria: OI! *_tickmark_* Don't leave it hanging like that again!_  
><em>


	67. Sweet little Kilir

Oh crap... Mom's finally snapped, she banned all of us kids from ever using her laptop ever again because we just had a little fight over usage... And stuff might've flown. And, I thought, it's not the end of the world, I still have the school's Bookcafé solely ment for me and my peers, but of COURSE it's in lockdown because of the mess we made in there. Go figure. That means that I have no way to continue in a week or so, before I _maybe_ get my own computer. On the brighter note, my b-day is coming up in the next weekend. Just can't wait to get to corck that bottle of bubbly and celebrate my 18th spring.

* * *

><p>There was a puff of warm, stinky air on her face as the monster flared its nostrils. Its face really looked like a horse, only its mouth was wider. And it had fangs.<p>

The head lunged at her with its maw open and her mind unfroze itself with a dose of good ol' adrenaline. This situation was so familiar it wasn't even funny, but she would've taken this any day over the crocodiles back at Alabasta.

"AAAHHHH!_!_! IT'S GONNA EAT MEEEEEEE!_!_!" she ran, dodging rubble and the monster's head. It was way too fast for its size.

"Like hell it will!" Sanji shouted and appeared out of nowhere to give a hefty kick to the side of its skull.

"Thanks Sanjiii!" she yelled and ran to hide again.

"No problem, Gen-chwaaaan!"

"Out of my way, stupid cook," Zoro passed him to take on the creature's claws that would've likely cut through their womanizer like butter.

Luffy's gatling hammered the (_now newly named_) Lucy the Cave Monster and it gave a roar of pain.

Gen had heard that Sanji might've been injured, so she kept a keen eye on him for any signs.

_'Damn, either he's a great actor or he's perfectly fine!_' she frowned. Then the girl remembered her friends and tried to look for them. '_Nope, no can see_- OMG the tail is coming this way!' her eyes went wide and she ducked. Something was shot right next to her and the girl could see a jumble of rubbery limbs and a red vest before Luffy got back up. He only noticed her after he dusted his pants.

"Hi Gen!"

"Uh, hi Luffs..."

"_Whoah!_"

A humongous paw descended on her little shelter, breaking it and forcing her on the run again.

She had to get out of the room. That was going to be hard, since Lucy was now directly between her and the door. For a moment she thought about the door on the side, but that wall was the one that had broken down.

"Shit! What the hell is this thing made of!_?_" Sanji landed in a crouch next to her, followed shortly by Zoro. Luffy was occupying it at the moment.

"How should I know!_?_ Dammit, I can't cut that tail and those scales are like diamond or something!"

Gen saw that Sanji was taking weight off his other leg. There was a deep gash on it. Both the fighters were panting and Zoro's arms were nearly sagging. They needed the breather.

"I hate to say this, but I don't think we can do much in here," Sanji gritted his teeth. "Do you think Luffy can beat this?"

"Well?" Zoro looked at the demigoddess.

"I dunno. But he has to," she shrugged and gave a lopsided grin. "Or we'll never meet the... _mermaids_."

She was about to say 'skeleton'.

Sanji gasped. "That's right! If we can't win this, we die, and then we'll never meet the mermaids!_!_ DIE, YOU UGLY!_!_"

"Sit down, moron," both Gen and the swordsman said and tugged enough for him to fall on his butt.

"Your leg must be in serious pain. And remember, we are still on a poison island. We have to get out of here quickly."

Zoro sat down as well. "Oh yeah... that's probably why I don't feel that good..."

"_Or_ it could be because you've been bleeding almost non stop," she crossed her arms. "On the side note, does anyone know where the others went?"

"I saw Nami-san and Robin-chan get out of here."

"Franky and Chopper too," Zoro added.

"**YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!**_**!**_**!**_**!**_"

Luffy was concentrating all his might into one punch. Steam was coming up from him and he was glowing red as a side effect from gear second. It hit Lucy square between the eyes. They all looked how the beast started falling down in what appeared as slow motion. A mighty crash was the sign that the monster had finally been defeated.

Zoro sheathed his swords and Sanji lit up a cigarette, smiling tiredly.

"That's our captain, all right."

"Yup."

"Mmhm."

"It's not over yet."

She along with the men snapped their heads towards the fourth voice they didn't recognize. To their right stood a man, about as tall as Zoro was, or maybe a little shorter. He had a dark cloak on with a rip at its hem and...

The conversation between Vobbert and That Guy came to her mind.

...horns. There were two beautiful antlers growing from a mop of sungold hair, just like that of an elk's, and she could see a light pink ribbon being tied around the other. It had two uneven orange beads on it with a silvery bell and a small red bow.

"Who are you?" the cook asked.

"I'm Kilir! How nice to meet you!"

_'Oh gods, he looks as innocent as a kitten!'_ Gen cried rivers when he turned to smile at them. _'Definitely a demon!'_

His eyes were a young leaf green and oh so gentle and kind that it made her heart ache. Kilir looked young too, maybe... four... thirteen? But he was tall... and that body build did not belong to a kid.

There was a high chirp and a gray grasshopper jumped out of his collar to hang on the front of his tan brown shirt.

_'A sidekick..._' she tilted her head.

"Ah, this here is my pet, Jiminy*****!"

"SERIOUSLY!_?_" she made a spectacular anime fall.

Luffy had walked to them with a victorious grin. Kilir had to squash his joy though, telling him that a brush like that won't kill it. The captain wasn't offended, and just looked at Lucy. "Looks pretty still to me."

And just like on cue, it started moving again. It coughed, whipped its tail angrily and started getting up. It shook the dizziness from its head and stopped to glare and snarl at the people. Oooh, it was pissed.

"You little ones should follow your friends," Kilir was all smiles, as if there was no problems at all. "Lucy is mad."

Gen stopped and gave him a long look. "How did you know what I named it?"

"Her name has always been Lucy," the boy looked confused.

"That... is just a bit creepy," Zoro muttered and got up. He was swaying on his feet.

"I'm not going," Luffy declared with a glare at the beast. "That weird unicorn hurt my nakama so I'm gonna kick the crap out of it!"

"What- How the- In where do you see a _unicorn_ in that!_?_" Gen gestured towards Lucy.

"He looks like a horse, but horses don't have horns," Luffy pointed at his own head.

"Right..." she rolled her eyes.

She heard Kilir sigh and the young man shook his head with a small smile. "Then it can't be helped."

* * *

><p>Later, they had all found each other outside the cave. The others hadn't ventured from the mouth of the cave and once Chopper had woken up he started tending to the fighters. Zoro was leaning against a tree, facing the way they'd come from while Sanji got his leg looked at. Gen sat on a stone right next to the tree, watching and listening at everything. The ground was still shaking and she felt curiosity gnawing at her. Who was this Kilir-person? A demon? If so, he looked more like a land demon than a sea demon. Why would a land demon be helping them?<p>

And where the hell was Greg? He had some things to explain once she found him...

Gen caught Zoro's glance at her and soon he asked: "Are you okay?"

"Besides a few scratches, yeah. You should really think about yourself too, you know..." she trailed off, stepping on a tuft of grass growing at her feet.

How had she known the monster's name? Or more like guessed, but still.

"Stop worrying," he yawned. "It's annoying."

"Shut up, you Marimo. I can worry all the stars from the sky if I want to."

Zoro chuckled. "Well aren't you a poet. You're actually kinda cute when you're angry."

"Chopper~! Zoro's about to die!" she called casually, but couldn't help the red on her cheeks.

"WHAT!_?_"

The doctor scurried over to see what was wrong with the swordsman, to the said swordsman's chagrin. "LISTEN! I told you I'm fine-! _Oi_!"

"What's wrong with him?" Chopper turned his eyes to Gen.

"He pulled a stitch while trying to train with a sea king as a weight while standing on one hand at the top of this tree," she had a catlike smile. "And he was arm wrestling with a walrus at the same time."

"_Roronoa Zoro!_" Chopper glared at the man.

"SHE'S LYING SO BLATANTLY THAT EVEN _YOU_ SHOULD SEE THAT!_!_"

Gen laughed so hard she fell from her perch.

"Gen-chan," Robin called her.

"Yeah?"

"Concerning what we found, I don't believe that Monster-san was Efethet."

"What did you find out?" Nami asked.

"In short, it is just as Vobbert-san said: the goddess of earth bound Efethet into the ground, who still resides somewhere within the temple," the archaeologist said.

"Most likely he's in that cube," Gen commented.

"What!_?_" Usopp's voice had gone high pitched. "What if he gets free!_?_"

"We thought of that, but I don't think so," Robin smiled. "It could be that Efethet is a demon rather than a real god."

"Ohhh," it clicked in the demigoddess' head. "Well that's a good thing."

"What do you mean it's a good thing!_?_"

"Idiot, didn't you listen to Gen-chan and Robin-chan?" Sanji bristled at the longnose.

"If Efethet is a demon, he's a lot more easier to beat than a god, Usopp," Gloria said seriously. "A god will never die. And what I understood gods aren't allowed to kill anyone directly. Well, of course they _could_, but they'd get in trouble."

"Eh? Gods have someone superior to them?" Nami looked surprised.

"I didn't say that," Gen rolled her eyes. "They have laws too, and if one breaks them the other three might get cranky. And then this guy called The Judge comes in picture. I don't really know more about that, the book's kinda scarce on him."

"So they do have a superior."

"The Judge can't tell them what to do, but he can give them advice. It is up to the god or goddess if they will heed it," Robin cleared. "In the cube was written that the Herald of Efethet was a guardian of the temple and the collector of Ungiven Sacrifice."

"Translation: people didn't give stuff - big bad ugly comes and raids your village," Gen said. "I guess the villagers grew a backbone and attacked."

"Hmm... The Herald is that big monster then?" Franky asked, getting nods. "And that Herald is still protecting the temple, right?" More nods. His face grew serious. "What if it comes to gather the Ungiven Sacrifice?"

"We can't let that happen!" Usopp said. Chopper was nodding vigorously by his side.

"Dotter, and Vobbert-san!" Nami gasped.

"It won't, if it's up to us," Sanji looked calm.

"No..." Gen shook her head. "It's not up to 'us', but up to Luffy. You two are out of the game," she pointed at the chef and the swordsman.

"Pfft, I'm not-"

"Don't even try, Zoro. You'll lose," the white haired girl stood in front of him, her hands on her hips. "Luffy is strong, Kilir is there to help if he can, you're wounded and you already saw how well swords work against it."

"She's right," Chopper told him, and that was the end of the conversation.

No, well, actually the end of the conversation was when the ground several hundred meters from them tore open and the Herald of Efethet a.k.a. Lucy the Cave Monster broke out.

* * *

><p>They all stared at the beast roar its freedom on the low hill. The rocks and the trees had all been yanked out of the earth and sent flying or rolling in different directions. It started clawing its way out of the hole, and they saw a figure running up its scaly back. It had to be Luffy, no other person could stretch their arm to grab a spike and fly the rest of the way to its head.<p>

"Is it just me or did that actually grow?" Gen tilted her head, but her musings weren't answered as she was pushed away from the flying course of a flying boulder. The Strawhats were on the move, running away from the way of the destruction. They had to run for some time to get away and to a safe distance, but they could still see Lucy trying to shake the tiny man off her.

"If Luffy doesn't beat it, it'll destroy the whole chain of villages," Nami said grimly.

"It's not like he wouldn't be able to do that," Zoro scoffed. "The problem is, will he do it in time?"

"A good question."

Luffy was raining punches all over the beast, and the beast in turn was trying to snap its jaws around the rubber boy. It came way too close a few times, but Luffy was nimble enough to get away. Not too soon, they could see a cloud of smoke rise and be swept away by the wind. His hits became more fierce and lethal; Lucy became more pissed.

There was a light thud behind the staring group and they turned to see the horned young man by the name of Kilir. "Hello!"

"Hi..." Gen muttered, watching him.

"What happened in there?" Usopp asked. Zoro was eyeing Kilir in a way she knew he was weary of him.

What the demon said they could've figured out by themselves: Luffy challenged Lucy, Lucy attacked on sight and then it broke the roof. Gen had been correct that the Herald had indeed grown. When she asked how Kilir just waved his hand and said it would take forever to answer.

"You have been staring at me for a while now, swordsman," Kilir commented.

"Are you a demon?" he asked bluntly.

Gen would've pulled the 'omg you can't just ask people that' -line if the same question hadn't been gnawing in her own mind.

"No, not really!" The man chuckled good heartedly.

"Then what are you?"

There was a roar from the background, followed by an enraged yell of Luffy.

Kilir smiled sweetly. "Not a demon."

"That's not an answer!" Zoro had a tickmark on his head, but the 'not demon' had already shifted his attention to elsewhere. Namely, Gloria. He was inspecting her with childlike curiosity and she was looking back with confusion. The clear eyes on her were making her slowly uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything.

Sanji noticed it, though. "Hey, you! Stop staring at her!"

"Hmmm?" he blinked as if he'd just woken up from deep thinking and turned his face towards the chef. He gave him a brilliant smile. "I'm sorry!"

"Don't apologize to _me,_ you shithead!" the man growled.

"I'm sorry!"

"You-!"

"Let it be, Sanji-kun," Nami placed a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Hai, Nami-swaaaan~!"

A gigantic hand slammed into Lucy. The monster was a bit disoriented, but not down, and tried to go for Luffy again. The hand deflated in favour of a huge foot to be seen that came heel down in an axe-motion down at the centre of the monster's head. They could see that the last attack had shattered the monster's ridiculous and inconvenient horn to millions of little shimmering bits. Lucy cried out, groaned in pain and wobbled in its place, the tail going slack.

"Did he win yet?" Franky asked.

"Dunno... its eyes went white," Usopp, who was peering through his goggles, answered. "Wh-What? There's fire coming out of its nose!"

Now the rest of them could see that too. The monster opened its mouth, inhaled, and Luffy was covered in a blue torrent of flame.

"Luffy!" a round of gasps was heard.

"Usopp! Is he okay!_?_" Nami demanded.

"I can't find him... No! There!" he pointed suddenly. Luffy was falling down. Gen prayed he'd gather himself up, soon.

She let her breath out when a hand shot at the monster again. He used the bone balloon thingy, bashing in the beast's skull.

"Fall, fall, fall, fall..." she chanted, Chopper, Usopp and Nami joining her. A moment's excruciating stillness followed until there was a big, long-drawn moan and the Herald fell on its side.

Usopp and Chopper whooped, Sanji and Zoro smirked tiredly before the latter fell asleep and Kilir just grinned.

"I'm very surprised!" he admitted. "He really managed to beat him, even without my help!"

"What was that, anyway?" Nami asked.

"I have no idea~!"

Gen looked at the man. There was something odd in his mannerism, something that was oddly familiar, but she couldn't just put her finger on it. Where had she seen it before...?

They found and picked up their exhausted captain from the forest before something decided to eat him up. It felt like a long walk back to the village where the people had witnessed Luffy and Lucy's fight. Hiding behind the tree line they looked silently the village fuss about, whispering and asking each other what had happened. Calmly, Luffy decided to lead his little flock away and to return to the ship to finally leave that place.

As they were dragging themselves away in comfortable silence, they heard footsteps approach them. It was Dotter, and she came with tears in her eyes to bring them a basket of antipoison ampoules.

Gen was thinking back on Kilir. He had bid them farewell and said something cryptic about meeting again someday before he jumped on a random stag and rode away. She was surprised to find herself hoping that she would see him again.

* * *

><p>The pirate ship sailed off from the shore. Three figures - one animal and two actual persons - stood by a group of trees.<p>

"Are you happy now, Nadia?" the man asked.

"Yes! Thank you, young Lord! I don't know though how you managed to arrange those pirates here," the girl smiled up to him.

"Come on, Nadi-chan, don't call me that!" he pouted.

"Sorry, young Lo- umh, Kilir-sama."

Kilir's eyes glanced over as he stared at the ship growing smaller. He sighed, a beautiful smile stretching on his face. "I like her... she's pretty."

"Kilir-sama, what would your mother say?" the forest sprite scowled, her hands on her hips.

"But aren't you friends with that pond spirit?" the man tilted his head. "And you played matchmaker with him and...what was her name?"

"Dotter."

"Yes, her. Don't you think that'd be frowned upon?"

The girl puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms in defiance. "It's a different thing! I was helping Dotter, not Toba!"

Kilir chuckled. "You're a good little forest shepherd, Nadi-chan," and he ruffled her hair, much to Nadia's displeasure.

_Gods..._

* * *

><p>"Sanji! Gimme-!"<p>

"For the last time, IT'S NOT READY YET!"

And Sanji kicked Luffy out of the kitchen. He'd been more irritable ever since he realized his last pack of cigs had been magically replaced with a bunch of sticks (_of course he wouldn't even consider that one of the females had done it_).

Greg had been thoroughly scolded for deserting them as he had. He had sheepishly told them that the Lady of the Sea had told him to lead them on to the island for the sole purpose of defeating 'Lucy'. And yes, that really was its name.

It was now two days after they left the Secret Island. Luffy and Robin had been the only ones not being even slightly affected by the poison, but the rest of them were. Gen felt only a little queasy, but poor Usopp had been throwing up a few times. Franky was just lying in the middle of the deck along with Zoro, groaning and holding a cool cloth on his forehead. He'd come down with a fever. Nothing life threatening, but it definitely sucked ass. Their cook was holding up fine, for now, with the power of medicine, but earlier he too had been hanging over the rail of the ship. Chopper was napping in the kitchen after he was sure none of them would keel over dead.

Nami had been reading a paper on her lawn chair, when she made a strangled sound, stood up and stomped over to Gen who was trying to brush Badass. The lamb had been a good little baby animal and stayed on board, though there'd had been some... _filth piles_ to take care of.

"WHAT IS THIS!_?_"

"What is what and now you scared Baddy!" she pouted as the lamb scrambled up and off to hide from the witch's bad temper. The outburst had attracted minor attention from the people present.

Nami slapped her hand on Gen's forehead, covering her face with a sheet of paper. She grabbed it before it could drop and fly off with the wind or something and turned it around in her hands. It was her wanted poster.

"IT WENT _UP!_?"

"Whah? I specifically told them to LOWER it!" the girl frowned. It had climbed from 87 million to a pretty 89.

Nami was going ape shit over it, starting sentences she didn't know how to end in her rage.

"Her bounty went up?" Luffy took the paper from her to see it. "Hey! It really did! But why?"

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'D LIKE TO KNOW!_!_"

"Umm..." She rubbed the back of her head. Sanji had come out to see what was going on and the rest of the zombies gathered to the deck as well.

Luffy held the paper up like some kind of honor flag. "Gen's bounty went up!"

"WHAT DID YOU DO!_?_" Nami was shaking her back and forth with sharp teeth, not helping the nausea or the headache at all. "WHAT! DID! YOU! DO!_?_"

The girl couldn't talk properly so Nami let go reluctantly. Gloria swallowed the lump from her throat. "I... I sent a letter with the mail bird, directed to the guys high up in the Marines... and I may have said something about us not being satisfied with our wanted posters..."

"_WHAT_!_!_?"

"Come on, pipe it down, my head hurts already without your voice drilling into it," Zoro grimaced and turned around on the grass.

"Gen-chan, did you say anything about my picture!_?_" Sanji looked hopeful.

"The exact words were 'because of your incompetent asshole of an _artist_ Blackfoot Sanji is unrecognizable from his picture' and something else too." she muttered. "I might've insulted someone's age there, and family members... Oh, but the main thing was that I did not deserve such a bounty. But the pic was good."

The redhead's jaw dropped but no sounds came out.

"You got a raise on your head because you dissed the marine authorities?" Usopp asked. "That's new."

"I didn't even know it was possible to send them letters," Franky groaned.

Nami's rampage was put on hold for the time because she had blown off the most of her energy in the previous outburst. With the half read newspaper still clutched in her hand, she sighed as if she'd received all the bad luck in the world and went to the kitchen. "Sanji, I need something strong."

"Hai, Nami-swaaaan~!"

Gen crawled across the deck, the poster in her hand, to Zoro and plopped next to him on her stomach. "Stupid marines..."

"You really sent them a letter?" he asked.

"Yup. I think it's unreasonable to give me a bounty that high, it's not like I did something very bad. I was more like one of the sidekicks in the whole thing. Nami got only 16! Even you got lower than me!" she ranted. "And you're lot cooler than I am! It just isn't _right_!"

"Oh?" He turned to face her with a grin. "How cool am I exactly?"

"Enough to get your ass handed to you," Gloria replied and closed her eyes. After a while she felt something cast a shadow on her face and soon a large hand followed it. It rested on her cheek and jawbone, the calloused thumb stroking over the smooth skin.

She didn't dare open her eyes, and soon she had fallen asleep on the grassy deck.

* * *

><p>The symptoms had faded altogether in a few more days and Nami had looked over the treasure map. It was a map of a nearby island, to which they'd steered, but that adventure had ended with bruises, sand in places it shouldn't be, Chopper almost being cooked and a fleet of Seagulls on their tail.<p>

On the better note, they found a small, old style treasure chest full of various jewellery and gold coins. Most of it turned out to be just junk, but that was pretty junk, so Gen and Nami fought over who would have and what (_not that Gen would ever really wear it, she just liked shiny things_). Some of it was genuine though.

Then one day, the story jumped right back on the track so quickly she felt her head spin and stomach fall in her knees.

"Oi! There's something floating in the water!" Zoro's voice crackled through the system. He was on lookout duty today.

"Oh hey! It's a barrel!" the idiot trio ran past Gen who had taken up to read more of the Great History. They quickly dragged the object on the ship and they all gathered to see what it was, even the marimo-head jumped down from the crow's nest to sit on the bench lining the mast.

"Could it be something dropped by a 'treasure ship'!_?_" Luffy wondered. There was a banner on the barrel, saying 'houzen'.

"Doesn't look like it. It's probably alcohol or reserves," Nami said.

"How can you tell without looking!_?_"

"It says 'Sea god houzen' on it, right? That's a 'floating barrel'. Someone was praying for a safe voyage, so they made an offering to the guardian deities of the sea. 'Houzen' means 'to the gods'."

"Oh... Hey Gen! I think it's for you!" Luffy spoke to the girl.

She sweatdropped. "I'm not exactly a known deity..."

"But it's for the sea god, isn't it?"

"Hey, if it's alcohol, we can just drink it!" Zoro suggested.

"Idiot! You'll be cursed!" Usopp told him.

"It's all right if we pray before we drink it, right?" the navigator said.

"I don't pray to gods."

"Alcohol rocked by the waves is especially delicious," she continued.

"Nami, how do you know that it tastes good? Have you robbed 'sea gods' before?" Gen arched an eyebrow. She went unanswered, as the boys were excited about opening the barrel already.

"We'll still have an empty barrel once we've drank it," Robin said. "Putting a new offering in and sending it off is the customary thing to do."

"Really?" Gen blinked. There were just some things she didn't know.

Usopp was playing with the knot, Franky urging him up and Luffy was asking for snacks. Zoro was still on about the Sky Island's fake god. Gloria slipped the book in her bag that was lying next to her. She felt that Greg had been with them less and less lately, distancing himself from them. And it had been forever since she'd spoken with her mother.

Then the rope was loose enough for Luffy to crack the thing open, and suddenly the whole top flew up in the air, sending the captain on his back. It exploded in an eerie sphere of light meters above the ship.

"What was that!_?_" Nami ran down the steps from her perch.

"That was a flare," Robin said.

"Hahaha, a curse of the sea gods? I've seen worse!" Zoro was laughing and Gen felt like elbowing him in the ribs.

"No problem if it's just a prank, but... perhaps... Someone may now be targeting this ship," the archaeologist frowned.

"Could it be... is it some kind of a trap triggered by opening the barrel! We just alerted somebody to our presence!"

The others jumped on the other side of the antsy-line, Chopper using the binoculars to see if anyone was going to bulldoze them at any second. Then Nami had that face whenever she was 'reading the weather', as Gen had labelled it, and ordered everyone at their posts. The wind was picking up. "We're fleeing south-southeast! There's a raging storm on the way in five minutes!"

"I can't see it, but if she says it's coming, it's coming fast! The course, Nami!" Luffy was holding onto his hat.

"Two o'clock!"

And as always, Nami was right. Rain pelted down, lighting struck regularly and Gen smoothed out the worst waves that were a threat even to a big ship as the Sunny. Because of the headwind steering was hard, Franky brought out the Soldier Dock System, channel 0, translated as paddles, which came out from both sides of the ship. The sails were taken in, they weren't useful anyway, with the wind tugging and clawing at them.

They were all more or less out of breath when they finally got out of the storm, but into a cloud of fog. '_Out of the frying pan..._' the saying went through her mind.

After some wondering the pirates came to the conclusion that they had entered the Florian Triangle.

Poor, poor Usopp. He was sweating bullets as Luffy just grinned excitedly, saying that there are monsters around.

"Don't screw with meeeeee!_!_" he pointed at Zoro. "Why's everyone acting like they knew!_?_ I've never heard about thiiiiis!_!_"

"Old hag Kokoro told us, there're living skeletons here, too!" Luffy said.

"That's just your imagination. Don't scare him like that," Sanji huffed and lit a matchstick that was left hovering below his chin. "Listen, Usopp. Every year in this ocean, over a hundred ships vanish mysteriously... What's more, ghost ships carrying corpses wander these waters, or so they say..."

Gloria couldn't help the snicker.

"GYAAAAAAA! This is not good! Say stuff like that beforehand!"

"And what if I had?"

"_Preparations!_" Usopp ran off with Chopper on his heels to get whatever was needed to ward of 'evil spirits'.

"Sanji-kun, you didn't need to scare them like that," Nami chastised, looking slightly creeped out herself but nowhere near the same level as the two boys.

"Sorry, Nami-san, I just couldn't resist it..." he rubbed the back of his head.

"Lady Gloria-sama!" Greg appeared out of nowhere, spooking the navigator.

"Hi ya," Gen waved her hand. He looked dead tired. "What is it?"

"I am terribly sorry, there has been some complications... anyway..." he shook his head. "I am here now. I'm sorry, Gloria-samaaa~!"

"Ehh, don't cry, big man! That's just weird."

"Sorry... I do not like this part of the ocean that much," he admitted.

"Wha- why?" she blinked.

"Weren't you a complete tool to the Lady of the sea?" Sanji asked.

"As if the crap-cook isn't a tool..." Zoro scoffed and earned a glare from the chef.

"So what's making you so nervous?" Gen asked the demon.

"I... do not know. This feels, simply..." he sighed. "There are some parts of the ocean that feel more," he paused to look for the correct word "untamed. Wild, cruel, as if it's constantly watching you and ready to rip off a limb."

Gen didn't really know what the demon was talking about. Sure, the sea gave chillies to her as well, but that was just the ominous darkness that shrouded the sun and prevented its warmth from reaching the sailors. Nothing supernatural.

"I'm ready to take anything on!" the boys reappeared, but the outburst was tuned out by Gen, who by now had caught what she had been looking for. A smile took over her features.

_Yohohoho..._

She giggled and bounced on her toes a little before turning to see behind them. Nothing could be seen well yet, but... she heard the creak of old, OLD wood and metal, the sea surface broken by another vessel. With hearty pirates as this more than less dead crew had been, the ship must've had a soul. If it was in the ship anymore, she didn't know.

"_Yohohoho~_"

"What the... music...?" Usopp asked. Ah, he'd heard it as well.

"Aye, Usopp-kun... the music of the dead," Gen gave a lunatic smile.

"_Yohohoho~ Yohohoho~..._"

And then they saw the ship.

"**IT CAME OUUUUUT~~~~!**_**!**_**! GHOST SHIIIIIP!**_**!**_**!**"

She flinched and covered her ears. They had been tuned to pick up the song, so she hadn't been expecting the yell.

"What is this song!_?_" Chopper asked.

"AAAH! It's a sailor's deity of the damned! Don't listen! Cover your ears, you'll be cursed!_!_" Usopp was fretting. "Even if the ghost speaks, pay him no heed! If you answer, you'll be dragged into the sea!_!_ The evil spirit is looking for a traveling companion!_!_!"

"_Yohohoho~ Yohohoho~!_" Gen sang almost lazily in a high, pretty voice that resonated in the fog.

"DON'T SING IT~~!_!_" Usopp's eyes bugged out of his head.

"In this ship... is there someone riding it...?" Robin wasn't panicking or the like, but she too seemed a little cautious.

"Hmph, if it's an enemy, I'll just cut him down," Zoro, the smug ass.

"Something's there," Sanji muttered, eye trained on the ship as it sailed next to them.

And yes, there was a person leaning against the rail, sipping tea from a cracked teacup.

"_Go and deliver... Bink's sake..._"

* * *

><p>There ye go, ppl. Brook's finally here. And holy crap it's the 67th chapter!<em>!<em>

__I would love to present you...

* * *

><p><strong>ExtRRRRa piece:<strong>

_-Bath-house siren_

There was singing floating on the ship. It wasn't the kind that Luffy and the others sang from the bottom of their hearts (_and lungs_). For starters, it was female, and there was only one woman who could make him what he did.

The alluring tone, the words he couldn't quite catch, the sorrowful lilt and the fluid trail that the piece left in it's wake. His feet had brought him to the corner of the bath house and suddenly he didn't know what to do. It was a foreign feeling which he didn't like much.

To proceed or not?

After shuffling a moment, he covered the last two meters to the door and cracked it open.

His senses were flooded. He could smell the sweet raspberry shampoo, feel the warm steam on his skin and the moist that seeped into his clothes. The audio was intense. The sound warbled in the room and split into several voices that woved into one, still always finding it's way to him. That might've just been the most closest thing to a religious experience in his life, but despite all that, _that_ was what made him impossible to move at all.

Gen. In the shower, back to the door. She was reaching something from an upper shelf, the water cascading down her back and hair that layed in a smooth cape on her shoulders and back.

Then she noticed the draft, screamed and threw the shampoobottle at him with great accuracy.


	68. Dog, dog and what the fox?

Hey, I'm alive! Mom broke the ban but I didn't get that computer. I did get the tattoo, and I'm already planning to take another! It didn't hurt as much as I'd believed, except in the end it started to get intense... I apologize for the chapter is short. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Luffy had wanted to go and see the ghastly ship himself. Sanji and Nami had been assigned as his babysitters, and not too soon the three returned with the talking dead man. He introduced himself, Usopp and Chopper almost wet their pants, Brook asked to see Robin's panties and Nami threw a shoe at him.<p>

"Hey, Luffy!_!_ What the hell is this guy!_?_" Zoro was pissed, pointing at the skeleton. Gen had been quietly staring at him from the steps leading to the upper deck, being more amused than worried for the swordsman's antics. She knew Brook was a good person, but it still didn't help the fact that he was a SKELETON. The bones were clean white, the afro big and puffeh and she absolutely loved the ascot-tie he wore. How in the world was he able to make expressions? And she was pretty sure that the jawbone shouldn't be able to stretch that way...

What would happen if she stuck her hand inside his ribcage? Would his soul pop out or would he just go slack? Or perhaps, would her hand meet with some odd matter? He drank and ate real water (_tea at the moment_) and food, but that couldn't be seen after it passed his clacking teeth. And how was he able to talk without lips? And when he cried, she remembered, the waterworks just flowed out of his eye sockets like a well.

As she was pondering on this, she had missed Zoro scolding Luffy's babysitters for being lazy on the job. They were heading inside, the skeleton's pantleg brushing against her arm. She hopped up and rushed the steps up to catch with the man.

"Hiya! I'm Gen!" she smiled up to him.

"Yohohoho! Nice to meet you, Gen-san!" he grinned.

She caught the look on Zoro, he had a tickmark on his head. What? Brook's a good guy! She stuck her tongue out at the mossball.

In the kitchen Brook sat at the head of the table. "Oh, such a wonderful dining room! And the kitchen, too! This is an incredible ship, yohohoho!"

"That's right!" Franky was sitting at the counter. "Super Franky made this ship! You have good eyes, indeed."

"Don't be so friendly with him, Franky," Sanji sweatdropped at the stove.

"But it could be nice if we could start eating. It's been decades since I've had a proper meal... Every day I've been living with this pain, as though the skin of my belly and my back were stuck together," he sighed. "But of course, I don't have any skin! Yohohoho!_!_ Skull joke!"

Gen giggled in her seat next to Brook. He and Luffy started pounding their silverware on the tabletop, singing 'dinner~!' and Sanji told them to shut up and drink their milk.

"By the way, Koropokkuru..." Luffy looked at the skeleton.

"It's Brook. Hm, I don't know your name yet..."

"I'm Luffy. By the way, what on earth are you?"

"YOU TWO DON'T EVEN KNOW EACH OTHER!_!_!" Zoro yelled. "And stop being amused!" he said to her.

"But I can't! He's so cool and funny and... and... look at that _tie_!" she whispered, eyes shining. "It's so awesome~! Ah, I wonder what Zoro would look like in a suit and a tie...?" a picture popped in her head. "_Muaaaaa_..."

"STOP DAYDREAMING ABOUT ME!_!_"

"Okay, time to eat. Postpone evicting the skeleton for now," Sanji brought plate after plate to the table. Even Usopp and Chopper seemed to forget that they were supposed to be scared of him. Brook was trembling, not sure where to start.

Then, since Gen was sitting right next to him, he turned to talk with her. "Oh, beautiful lady, your meat seems to be a little bigger than mine. Would you like to trade?"

"You can have more, so eat your own!_!_" Sanji growled.

Her face flushed. She heard compliments from Sanji every day, so that didn't affect her anymore, and if she got a caring word from Zoro she turned into goo. This was simply politeness on its better side. She even let it slide that he had called her a lady.

Talking about Zoro, he was now giving Brook a dirty glare.

After the dinner the guest was so dirty that he put a two-year-old toddler to shame. When he was clean again and picking at his teeth, he told them why he appeared as he did.

"In short, the yomi yomi no mi has the power of revival. I was promised that I could live a second time as a 'revived human'. Oh, how wonderful that ability seemed!" he chuckled.

"Many cakes are pretty on the surface," Gen said to herself.

Then he plunged into his story. How the ship sailed to the Florian Triangle and how they'd all died. "If I had returned to my body immediately, I would've been resurrected, but, as you can see, there is a thick fog on this sea and I got lost. My soul wandered around this fog for a whole year! And when I found my body again, it was only white bones. I was utterly surprised! Yohohoho!_!_"

"You're just as stupid as Zoro, huh?" Luffy said casually.

"Hey now," Zoro sweatdropped, leaning against the table with an empty bottle right next to his elbow.

"So that's how you became a talking skeleton! Being resurrected even though you were only bones is the dreadful power of the devil's fruit," Franky spoke.

"Hey, it's only natural," Gen shrugged. "You die, you rot. You live, you don't. Brook can be happy he doesn't look like a zombie or anything, which could have been an option if he was to return to his body earlier than he did. Besides, if that poor ship has been sailing in the fog all the time, it's possible that no seagulls picked at his flesh and scattered the bones all around, letting the soft matter just... rot away, and the skeleton would be left intact. How though did the joints still stay together? That I don't get..." she placed a finger on her lower lip in thought.

"..."

"You, missy, are scary! Yohohoho!"

"Have you been spending some extra time with Robin lately?" Nami asked dryly.

"What do you mean?" Gen tilted her head in confusion.

"Never mind..."

"Usually when your body rots you also lose your hair. But you're an afro skeleton," Zoro pointed out.

"I have strong roots!"

Usopp and Chopper were wary of him again. The sniper jabbed a cross at the man. "So, are you a ghost after all, or not? Even if you were a human, you don't look like one at all!_!_"

"But I strongly dislike ghosts!" Brook said. "If I happen to see one, I'll scream!"

"Have you seen yourself in a mirror?" Nami took a pinkrimmed handmirror seemingly out of nowhere and directed it at the dead man.

"GYAAAAA!_!_! TAKE AWAY THAT MIRROR!"

"Eh? Wait a moment!" Usopp grabbed the skeleton and peered into the surface of it over the bag of bones. Or pile?

"The mirror...!_!_"

"You're not reflected in it!_?_"

"REALLY?_?_ THAT'S INCREDIBLE!_!_" Luffy's eyes bulged out.

The realization was met with startled faces, as most of the people present tensed and recoiled from the skeleton.

"_A VAMPIRE!_?"

"And... look carefully at his feet! He doesn't have a shadow!_!_" Usopp's breath hitched.

"Uwah! It's true! What _are_ you!_?_"

But Brook only sat down and sipped at his tea, for once from an intact cup. Now that she thought about it, how'd he find tea from the ship? Or was he just sipping from an empty cup as a habit?

How... sad. Gen felt like giving him a hug, but couldn't risk what would happen if she did.

"HOW CAN YOU BE THAT CALM!_?_" Sanji roared.

"I'll tell you everything now..." Brook's voice was quiet, his face emotionless (_well... what would you expect?_). "Being a skeleton and not having a shadow are completely different things." They watched him silently as he held a pause. Then... "To be continued in the next chapter."

"TELL US NOW!"

Sanji, your voice is going to be hoarse if you keep at it.

He told them, with pain framing his story like a fine, black lace, that his shadow had been stolen. It really meant that he didn't exist anymore. No photos, no mirrors, and mostly, no walking in the sunlight. In the end, he had jumped up from the chair and his body language had turned happier. "My nakama were annihilated! I'm Dead Bones Brook! Nice to meet you!_!_"

"Why are you so cheerful? Your life sucks," the cook wasn't yelling anymore, but his eyebrow twitched.

"And even then, I'm still alive and kicking! As a skeleton, though!_!_!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Yohohohohoho~~~!"

"Hey, are you alright?" Usopp asked, still holding the cross between him and the skeleton. It looked a bit forgotten at this point.

"Today is a wonderful day! I was able to find somebody!_!_" He bowed from his waist down, one hand on his ribs. "I couldn't tell the difference between today and tomorrow on this dark sea with a thick fog. All alone on a ship that won't obey its rudder. How many years I've been wandering! I'VE BEEN REAAAALLY LONELY!_!_" The Strawhats looked at him, realizing what kind of hell he'd been through. "Lonely and afraid! So much that I wanted to die! I've lived a long time!_!_ People are a delight! For me, you're my delight! Yohohoho! If I had tears, I could cry with happiness!"

"Shishishi!" Luffy was smiling like the sun.

"You invited me to be your nakama! I'm really glad. Thank you very much, but the truth is, I should decline."

"HEY! WHY!_?_" the boy's grin fell.

"Earlier, I told you that my shadow was stolen. My body cannot live under the sun. Right now, I'm protected because of the fog of this devil's sea. Even if I could leave this sea with you, it would be just a matter of time before my body disappeared. I have to get back my shadow, which is still here. I have to wait for a miracle day!_!_ Yohohoho!_!_"

And then Luffy did what Luffy does best: give a promise. "What are you saying?_?_ We're not strangers!_!_ If that's the case, we'll get your shadow back! Tell me who stole it! WHERE IS IT!_?_"

The skeleton looked at the boy.

"You're a really good person. I'm surprised. Even then, I cannot tell you that. I only just met you, you shouldn't say that you'll die for me."

'_What...?_' Gen blinked, when she analyzed that little speech of his.

"Is the enemy so strong? It won't hurt if you just tell us his name," Franky said.

"No, I won't say it. You can't make me! yohohoho! I don't know if I will-"

"Excuse me!" the girl thrust her hand in the air like in school. "I don't know what you're hearing, but I'm pretty sure no one ever said anything about anyone dying for some other person."

"She's right on that one," Luffy nodded with a smirk. "If someone stole your shadow, I'm going to get it back so you can become my nakama!"

"Still, I can't ask that of you. Hey! What about I play a song in honour of the good encounter we had today? I'm very proud of my abilities, I used to be the musician on my pirate ship!"

Brook never really understood that that one phrase was the last rope that tied his hammock to the wall of the Sunny.

Then a ghost appeared to the room, scaring the crap out of Brook. The ship shook and once they'd gone out they saw what had happened. There was what seemed to be a huge mouth behind them, and a shady-looking island in the front. Brook told them briefly about the wandering island (from West Blue), thanked them again for meeting him and then jumped straight from the little balcony overlooking the main deck to the lion's head. Before he jumped off and skipped off over the surface of the sea he recommended them to try and break away through the gate that had more or less literally swallowed them in.

The others thought it was a good idea.

Luffy never listened.

* * *

><p>Robin had told them her theory of how the island sucked the ported ships right to the middle of the thing and that they were now locked inside.<p>

"Listen guys. I...!_!_ The truth is, I've come down with 'I can't land on that island' -syndrome..." Nami was cradling herself.

"Me too!_!_ Me too, I have that!_!_" Chopper agreed.

"Yosh! You'll watch the ship!" Luffy grinned. He wanted to catch the ghost the saw earlier. He had his net and a small cage hanging on a strap by his side.

"You've gotten all your stuff prepared for an adventure, haven't you!_?_" Usopp's eyes bulged out.

"Come to your senses, Luffy!_!_ Really LOOK at it, that ominous tower-thing is a real 'haunted house'!_!_ You're underestimating the evil spirit!_!_!"

"What are you saying? I'll be really careful and pay close attention." Then he hefted the cage up with a gleam in his eyes. "I'm gonna capture that ghost and keep him!"

"YOU'RE UNDERESTIMATING IT!_!_!"

Gen bounced right next to the captain with her bag in tow, her hair tied in a ponytail and she was just done securing Caermare on her hip. Greg, the bag, was crying anime tears. Like hell she'd miss out on this.

"Luffy! You can't go out like that!" she frowned.

"Yes! Luffy, listen to the fortuneteller!" Usopp was nodding, his nose going up and down. "The fortuneteller is always right! H-Hey, please tell us if we'll get out of here!"

"How do you expect to catch a ghost with a net? It'll go right through it! And the same with that flimsy little cage. No Luffs, you need a camera***** for that!"

"A camera? Why?"

"YOU TRAITOR~~!_!_!"

Luffy asked Sanji for a pirate bento, saying that he needs to get their new important nakama back in the same breath. Usopp declared that he didn't want Brook as their nakama, or he'd be too scared to even fall asleep. Gen reminded him that despite her presence on the ship he was still perfectly fine sleeping.

"Come get your lunchbox," Robin said, the box in her arms. (_The real ones._)

"Luffy, Franky!_!_ You two better take care of Robin-chan and Gen-chan!"

Franky was getting all pumped up. Nami gave a less than understanding stare at Robin and the cyborg. "You two are going too!_?_"

"I like them... the thrills~," Robin giggled.

Franky showed them the Mini Merry. The cowardice three loved it, the little paddle ship with a number 2 right under the sheep's head. They were all pleased, and Gen smiled softly as they played with the business boat.

"You've already seen 1 and 3, now I'll show them all to you! Channel 0: Thousand Paddle! Channel 1: A one person waver, The White Rocking Horse 1! Channel 2: A four person shopping boat Mini Merry 2! Channel 3: a 3 person scouting submarine: Shark Submarine 3! And about channel 4, really, it's still incomplete but whenever it becomes necessary in our future travels I'm gonna put in some kind of weapon there!"

As Franky was telling that a thought entered Gen's mind. "Oi Franky, now that I remember, would it be possible for you to help me out with something later? You see, I had this small, crappy boat called Leeeeeeroy, but because it was kind of a onetime toy only..." she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Oh, that," Luffy remembered it as well. "Yeah! Franky will make it and then you can give me a ride in it!"

"Hey! Don't I have a say in this?" the big man sweatdropped. "But I take the challenge! Just show me a picture and I'll build it!"

"Yaaay~!" she hugged him around the thick upper body. "You're the best~!"

She thought she heard an irritated scoff... What was wrong with him recently?

"Hey, Nami-san and the others are taking too long," Sanji pointed out, shading his eyes with his hand. Right then they heard a shrill scream come from somewhere inside the fog. "EAH!_?_ NAMI-SAAAAN!_!_? What is it!_!_? Did something happen?"

"Whatever happened to them... we can't see anything," Zoro said.

"But the sound came from the island," Robin said.

Luffy rushed to the rail. "Heeeeeeey!_!_! Hurry, let me ride the Mini Merry too!_!_!"

"Stop that!_!_ Be at least a little worried about Nami-san!" Sanji hit the captain.

"Aren't you worried about the other two at all?" Franky cocked his eyebrow.

"That scream just now, what if they were cursed, or killed by the ghost..." Robin wondered, one hand on her cheek.

"It'd be a bad omen if something like that happened this close to the ship," Zoro sweatdropped.

Gen chuckled, and it sounded a bit too evil to the others. "_'In eternal dark they dance, forever, forgotten, ripped away from their memories, their real self. Reduced... to a mere slave'_... And by the way," she stared at something. "I can see you, you know."

The semi-transparent beastman blinked in surprise. He was tiptoeing around, as if he wasn't in plain sight. She couldn't remember his name for her life, but she could remember him as a character. Stupid perv... But the girl understood perfectly how fun it'd be if she was invisible, she had thought about it sometimes. To be invisible, ah, what a great tool to freak people out...

"What?" Franky asked, right before the anchor fell to the water. Then the hatch flew open right behind Zoro, and then that the guy started playing with Luffy's face. He might've been invisible, but not inaudible. He was letting out soft growls from time to time.

"Hey! Don't even think about that!" Gen scowled and pointed at it, it's hand about to yank one of Zoro's swords out. The sword was flung in a spin right at Luffy, but he dodged it.

"Hey! What were you doing!" Franky snapped.

"I'm sorry! The katana just...!_!_"

"I told you not to touch them!" Gen marched right at the guy. He blinked and waved a hand in her face after a while of staring. He was astounded to see her lean back away from the limb. He made hand gestures at himself. "Yeah I can see you, dumbass. Get off or I'll make you visible!"

"Gen, what do you see?" the swordsman asked, looking at her seriously.

"So it's a fruit user, isn't it..." Luffy growled, his eyes trying to squint at where she'd been staring at a moment ago.

"Shit!_!_ Whatever, the fact that we're unfamiliar with his place is undeniable but I'm more worried about Nami and the others...! I'll leave the ship to you guys!_!_" Sanji said and prepared to jump off. "I'm going to save those three!_!_"

Gen saw the zombie-guy run at the rail and catch the cook's legs before he could get too far away, and he slammed upside down to the side of the ship. Then, with a wicked grin, the guy flung him to the far wall.

"Sanji!_!_!"

"What was that... goddammit!"

"OI!" Gen made a pissed off sound. The beastman was _licking_ up Robin's neck. Her real arms were forced behind her back and two pairs of hana hana hands were braced against him. "THAT'S IT! YOU'RE FLYING!_!_"

She drew her sword and marched up to him, but he was already escaping. Sanji had went to Robin's side to see that she was really okay when the ship suddenly lurged to the side by a random, big wave. They were artificial and they were trying to push the ship away. They had to raise the anchor since the one dumbass dropped it.

The waves brought the ship (_as well as Brook's ship_) to a giant spider web. The Mini Merry was there as well, neatly anchored to a dock. They finished packing bags and headed out, since there wasn't much else to do.

Generally, she hated this place, but there was one thing that she liked about it. It was the lack of sunlight and the little chill that caressed her soothingly like the cold hand of death.

"Please stop thinking out loud," Zoro told her, waking her up from her thoughts. She could see that the skin on his arm was prickling.

"I did?" she tilted her head. "Didn' 'now."

"Yeah, I thought so too."

"You're weird, Gen-sis."

"I take that as a compliment," she grinned.

"Oh, you haven't slept in a same room with her," Zoro glanced at the cyborg. "She talks in her sleep. If I didn't know better I'd say she was out to kill us all."

"You _all_ talk in your sleep," Robin pointed out.

"Nami doesn't," Gen mused. "But you do."

"I do? What of?"

"I dunno. I don't speak gibberish, but it's funny to listen to."

"Hey look! Stairs! And it says 'entrance'!" Luffy pointed out. The stairs led to a mote and she could see even from that distance that it was full of skeletons.

"Um, people? Do you hear what I hear?"

"There's something in here!" Luffy said.

They could hear the noise of someone walking on bones and soon they saw a three-headed dog come out of the shadows.

"Wow... a Cerberus? We must be on the direct way to hell then," Sanji said.

"Aww, it's cute," Robin smiled.

"He wanna brawl?" Franky wondered.

"Pretty brazen..."

"Ah, do you think it's yummy?"

Gen's eyes widened and her face fell pale. She had forgotten about this completely. Her hand rose up instinctively to clutch Zoro's haramaki and she inched behind him so that he was between her and the thing. He looked at her and asked with a playful smirk. "You're not scared are you?"

She didn't answer, just hung on to him more tightly. The amusement died.

"I think that Gen-chan is genuinely afraid," Robin said slowly, looking the other girl over for a reaction that confirmed it.

"Don't worry Gen! I'll tame it right away," Luffy grinned.

"This stupid mutt... you really think it'd listen to you?" Zoro crossed his arms loosely as the boy dropped his stuff on the ground and walked to the monstrosity.

"A dog is a dog! Oookaaay! Give paw."

Cerberus just bit him and Gen flinched.

"And we just warned him..." Franky sighed.

"Alright, alright, be a good boy..." Luffy was talking calmly and petted the top of the head in the middle - the one that had Luffy's head in its maws. "Aaalright... now let go... good boy... YOU ASSHOLE!_!_!" He hit the zombie-dog and it slammed to the wall of the mote. "Down."

"Um, no, no..." the rest of them sweatdropped. Zoro rubbed her shoulder encouragingly and nudged forward to the zombie. Upon other things it smelt like dead. Ugh.

"Nothing good comes from dogs..." she muttered.

Once Cerberus woke up Luffy sat on its back with Franky and they walked out of the mote and through a gate to the edge of a spooky forest. Sanji was busy calling for Nami.

"Hn?" Luffy looked at the side, and after a moment his eyes bulged out. "AH!_?_ Th-That geezer-tree and... a unicorn are having a drink!" Which was true, by the way. Franky grabbed the so-called unicorn by the neck and Luffy caught the tree. "Hey you! Wanna join my pirate cr-"

"STOP FUCKING AROUND!_!_!" Zoro and Sanji yelled. As they walked, Sanji and Luffy were bickering about the captain's habit of inviting random things to the crew, dragging Franky in it as well. Gen had more or less calmed down by now, but she was still leeched on Zoro's left arm. He didn't seem to mind it as she had wrapped her arms around his, and in that tangle somewhere, they were holding hands. The fox head of the Cerberus looked her way, she shivered, and Zoro gave the mutt a scathing glare.

Come closer and I'll slice you into little sticky pieces.

"I'M BASICALLY STILL HUMAN!_!_"

"YOU'RE BASICALLY A PERVERT!"

"Eh... oh yeah, if you put it like that..."

"THAT WASN'T A COMPLIMENT!_!_"

Luffy had moved to singing some random song, which was more like words said in a weird tune not known to humankind. Robin seemed all buddy buddy with the head on her side. She made a remark about the bandages, stitches and the numbers on each the treeman and the unicorn, as well as Cerberus. There was a huge 82 on its right side.

"Hn? I can hear something," Luffy said, and suddenly pointed at a white, almost see-through being floating in the air. It was chanting 'negative'... "THERE IT IIIS! THE GHOST! When it dances it clones itself, so coool! I'm gonna catch it!"

He couldn't catch it nor did Franky's fire burn it. Then it flew right through the cyborg. "I've got no confidence in living anymore... I wanna die!" he sobbed.

"WHY ARE YOU GETTING SO EMO!_?_" Sanji shouted.

Then Luffy tried to grab it with his arms. Next thing you know he was claiming that he wanted to die and be reborn as a clam...

"Maybe when you get touched by these ghosts your spirit gets really down?" Robin made a guess.

"Not only down..." Gen said. "It breaks."

"Those idiots," Sanji huffed.

"Hmph! You guys are pitiful because you never pull yourselves together. You're letting some lame ghost or something make fun of you!" Zoro said. Gen let go of him. "I'm sorry I was born... I don't deserve her affection..."

"ENOUGH ALREADY!_!_ Looks like you're right, Robin-chan. Not only do they have no real body, but when you get touched, your spirit gets crushed. As enemies they would be difficult," Sanji took a drag of his cig.

"Indeed."

Gen cocked her head to the side. What would happen if she touched the ghost? Would it even work? She walked to the row of ghosts dancing in mid-air. She unsheathed Caermare and poked it through one of them. It popped.

* * *

><p>"Zoro, you know that you've failed epically when even the weird, three-headed dog laughs at you."<p>

"DROP IT ALREADY!"

"Awww, but you were sooooo adorable~~!" she cooed, making his embarrassed blush go darker.

They walked to a graveyard. Gen had become happier when she'd popped the ghost. Ironic, yeah. But that meant that the blade could possibly also work on the zombies - Cerberus included. She still didn't want to go any closer than necessary, but she didn't need Zoro's comfort anymore now that she knew that she could hurt it.

The others had decided that she was their official ghost buster. Heehee.

Okay, she added the 'ghost buster' bit there, but it was uncool that they couldn't do anything more about the ghosts.

"Hey, let's eat our bento here," Luffy suggested. Robin and Sanji were now sitting on the dog.

"You moron! The food would go bad here! Let's hurry up and get out of here!" Sanji scowled.

Gloria's ear twitched when she heard something. A moan? And there it was again. Now Luffy had noticed it too.

A hand came through the earth right before a cross made from stone. "**AAHHHHH...!**_**!**_**!**"

Luffy stared, walked to it and pushed it back under the ground.

"LIKE I'D GO BACK, YOU FOOL!" It got rapidly back up from the ground, its only eye bulging out from its socket.

The boy and the zombie stared at each other for a moment.

"An old man with a big wound!_?_"

"IT'S A ZOMBIE, DON'T YOU SEE!_?_" the boys shouted.

The ground shifted, and outburst other zombies. Sanji sweatdropped and asked if they were supposed to be so lively. Cerberus ran away, spooked by the zombie-army.

"WE'LL SHOW YOU THE DANGERS OF ZOMBIES!_!_!" they yelled their challenge.

"Oh reeeeally...?" Gen grabbed her sword again and let her mouth stretch into that insane smile that could make the bravest of men hesitate. Too bad there's not much water around.

The Strawhats all lashed out at the same time. "**700,000,000 beri Jackpot!**"

In a moment, the zombies were all down on their knees... except the one she stabbed. To her surprise and glee, the sword worked just as well as salt on them, and she'd accidentally purified the thing. She just hoped that no one noticed it until they were far away. She didn't want to mess the plot.

But... the wonderful feeling of being in power... that there was nothing that she couldn't kill... eh, re-kill.

She shook her head but the foggy feeling didn't disperse completely. '_Wow, that just now was more than just a little concerning.'_

Luffy interrogated the zombies and one of them was stupid enough to sell out his comrade that they'd done something to them. They left the graveyard with numerous pairs of undead legs sticking out of the ground.

"Hallo!_!_" a dry voice called out. "P-Please, guys... wait, just a moment!_!_ I've just watched you, you're terribly strong! Would you please listen me for a second!_!_?"

"An old man with a big wound!_?_"

"AGAIN, IT'S A ZOMBIE!_!_!"

"Actually, I _am_ and old man with a big wound."

"SO EASY TO CONFUSE WITH!_!_"

Anyway, the man sunk on his knees on the ground, the broken storm lantern in his hand set aside. He started telling them about Gecko Moria, and even Luffy seemed taken aback when Robin revealed that he was one of the shichibukai.

Gen was zoning out. She didn't feel like listening to the old man prattle, and hear head was foggy for some odd reason. She put the blade away. When it started raining, she sighed in relief. The fog was clearing away, both from around them and her head. It also revealed the island's true nature, the huge sail with the skull, flame and batwings.

They finally came to the ghost mansion, right when a huge bell rang midnight in somewhere.

* * *

><p><strong>*<strong> This was in Sly 2, Sly had to 'catch' the ghosts his friend set free with a camera :D

And I forgot to explain the star in the previous chapter, so I'm doing it now: Jiminy is the name of that cricket in Pinocchio (_if someone didn't get it_).


	69. The child god

Nay, my reader, your eyes are not deceiving you. It indeed is a chapter! It has been two agonising weeks since the last update, but that is because I had major problems with the fight scene. Could also be that I've been doing everything else than write :P Summer vacation is here, folks, and I have more time to write. **BTW**, the story has now been around for **one year, one week and one day!_!_**_  
><em>

Gloria: Whoo. Can I please dye my hair now? The little boy scouts are going to get it if they try to help me across a street even one more time.

Snoara: I smell rhubarb pie!

* * *

><p>They waltzed right in. Wasn't even that hard, since Nami and co. and busted the lock off the front door. All that was left in its place was a hole in the door.<p>

"What a mess..." Franky looked around the debris and the strewn furniture.

"**_Gecko Moriaaa~!_**" Luffy yelled.

"You really think he'd hear you all the way from here?" Gen raised an eyebrow.

"You know where he is then."

"I have a vague idea, but you too should've already realized how huge this place alone is," she looked up at the ceiling.

"Speaking of which, how come there're no servants in a house this big?" the cyborg scratched his hair.

"Frankypants, really?" she rolled her eyes. "This is supposed to be a creepy mansion, not one with a Sebastian smiling and bowing to you with a tray of treats the second you walk in."

"A Sebastian?"

"Yeah, you know, a handsome, eternally loyal butler with awesome hair and who would die for you and who you are secretly in love with but can't have because he's your servant?"

Sanji gasped with a flourish. "Are you... talking about me!_? I _could be your Sebastian, Gen-chwaaaan~!"

"You three, be quiet," Zoro hissed. Gen wiped the dumb smile off her face at his reaction.

"This placed was trashed. I hope Nami-san is okay!" the cook sighed longingly, down from his high.

There was laughing coming from the wall. "You know the name of our master. You are quite courageous to enter this place!"

"Huh!_?_" Luffy looked up. "There's a pig growing on the wall."

She didn't deny it, she had been startled when the zombies came out. But then she was just annoyed - more hindrances. The bearskin on the floor got up and glowered at them.

"Hey, hey, are those Zombies too?" Sanji asked.

"Luffy get those sparkles out of your eyes and roll your tongue in, they are not impressive," Gen crossed her arms loosely.

"It's not strange... to find any kind of creature on this island," Robin said coolly.

Gen drew Caermare and swiped it at the closest surprise zombie while the others took care of the rest of the things. After Luffy bazooka'ed the rug bear into the wall, they were done. Then they just took the pig off the wall and started interrogating it.

"Ah... Ah! _That_ trio! They're fast asleep in the bedroom. That's right! They're safe!"

"Bull shit," Gen narrowed her eyes. The swine became even more nervous.

"I-It's the truth, _buhi_! You can go and check! Just go up those stairs inside, _buhi!_ _Pleasedon'tcomenearwiththatswordbuhi_!_!_!" the last sentence was said so fast that the words blurred into one.

"Me?" Zoro blinked in surprise.

"No! The girl!" its legs, sprouting from below the pig's head, wagged around like crazy. "_Buhiii~~!_"

"Stop squealing!_!_" a vein popped on Gen's forehead.

"Hey... that curlybrow is gone," Zoro pointed out.

"Huh?"

Gloria facepalmed. She could hear the zombies giggle to themselves and trying to shush each other.

"Eh? He was with us until a little while ago..." Luffy adjusted his hat. "Where did that Sanji go?"

The pig chuckled into its hoof.

"They've been planning something... for a long while," the swordsman said. "Ah well. We've lost a dear man."

"Hey, you..." Franky sweatdropped at the others' attitude.

"Well, he's right. Sanji will be okay!" Luffy put his hands on his hips.

"My concern is, that here, we are racing against time with the rescue of those three," Robin said.

"To tell you, the one in the biggest danger right now is Sanji," Gen frowned lightly.

"What... really?" Luffy blinked. "Hey! No telling!"

"Luffy, I know my boundaries by now!" she held her hand up in his face. "And it's not like we can do anything about it now."

"She's right," the archaeologist sighed.

"_Buhi buhi_... You guys... don't get so cocky just because you're a little strong... When your nakama start disappearing, you'll probably get scared! You'll-" Caermare ever so casually fell to rest its tip on the ground next to the pig's head and he made a small strangled noise.

"Hm? Why is that zombie so scared? Weird..." Luffy stared at the sweating wall decor.

"So, piggy, start telling us. Where are our friends?" Zoro crouched down. "If you don't talk..." he grinned and pat Gen's calf "...this cutie here will gut you. And she's _not_ very good at cooking."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I know I should be offended by that, but I do acknowledge my lack of... wait... Did you just-?"

"Hell no."

The zombies gave them a morbid riddle about disappearing nakama and Luffy told them to tell Moria that if anything happened to any of the others he'd blow the freak's head off.

...wasn't Luffy supposed to say something like 'kick his ass'?

Anyway, after that they grabbed the struggling pig and started climbing the stairs.

Her eyes started wandering the walls, the windows, the randomly placed antique pieces of furniture along the hallways... and she absolutely loved the drippy candles. The crew had used some on the Merry, but the Sunny didn't need them that much. That's why she suddenly fell on her knees on the brick floor and conjured up her sketchbook.

"Come on, seriously?" Zoro sighed.

"Just a sec!" she hurried her hand over the paper, looking between the original object and the paper. The table, the candles, the wall... there was a creepy picture of a regal-feeling lady hanging on the table's left. "Done!" she chirped and got up.

"Good work, as always!" Greg congratulated. His sudden participation startled her.

"You've been quiet."

He sighed. "I know... I wish I could be of more help, but there's something wrong with the gates. The whole system fell for a few hours and then they had to fix the mix-ups and all that, and now they're trying to fix up the rest of it. I can't materialize from this bag."

"Ah. Well, don't worry. You've worked your shells off teaching me how to use a sword, and if anything worse happens I've got the water," she grinned.

"Yes, Gloria-sama... And **YOU**," Greg glared towards Zoro "You better see that she is unharmed."

"You're starting to sound like the crap cook," the swordsman grimaced. There was a sort of silent agreement between the two men, but she just didn't know what it entailed.

More walking. She had her sketchbook on her arm as she tried to draw everything she saw. She had never been in a real castle like this, if not counting the one her class had visited when she was twelve, but that wasn't anywhere near as cool as this place.

Ah, and Zoro disappeared. Luffy was interrogating the swine and Robin had commented how quiet it was, that perhaps the others had been strangled to death.

"Why are your circuits always wired so ominously!_!_?" Franky had asked.

She'd had the weird feeling that someone was following them for some time now, and she was pouting. Now of all times as she felt the irresistible need to kiss, he disappears? "It's all your fault..."

"What are you muttering?"

"Nothing, Frankypants."

"She's just missing Zoro!" Luffy said. His voice echoed oddly. He was wearing an old, surprisingly shiny suit of armour. The hat was dangling on his back.

"Where the hell did you get that!_?_"

"It was just laying around over there!" the boy lifted the visor of the shiny helmet. "It's a man's romance to wear one! When you got that iron body... did you lose that kind of heart too!_?_"

"Romance!_?_... No wonder! Forgive me! I didn't intend to go as far as my heart when changing to iron!" the cyborg gasped theatrically.

"Luffs! Strike a pose!" Gen had her pen ready. He did as she asked, his fisted hands on his hips, chest out and staring straight at her from above the lower half of the said helmet. It was making her fidgety and reminded her of the first time she'd met the guy.

Yet, she still didn't know what 'a man's romance' was...

She heard Franky whip out his guitar and start playing something called 'Cyborg's steely traveller's heart'.

"Egh, take that thing off your head, you're more handsome without it," she said, pausing in her drawing.

"Eh? But I think it's cool."

"It is, but I don't like that neck. Too long and weird."

"Hmmh, like this, then?" he pulled the thing off and held it under his arm. A true knight.

"Yeah, that's much better. Mouu, Luffy, can I kiss you? 'Cos Zoro's not here..."

"Shishishi! Okay! But you have to kiss him when you see him next time."

"Will do!"

As she smooched her captain on the cheek (_he returned the gesture_) Robin saw that they'd got into some kind of large hall. The others stopped fooling around to walk to where the older woman had gone.

"A hall? Are Usopp and the others there!_?_" Luffy asked.

"Well... not in the slightest. The inside of this hall rather resembles the outside."

Oh yeah, it was a fighting arena, with medieval tents, high structures, heavy curtains and tattered flags. She felt her heart swell and she flipped a new page for a picture. Then she realized that the page didn't have enough space for something this magnificent.

"_Buhi buhi buhi_... It's not as simple as that..." the pig chuckled darkly.

Franky barely managed to get out of way as a knight's armour fell from somewhere above them. As the thing straightened itself, they saw it better. It was broken from several places, bandages wrapped around its leg and middle and it had two broken spears coming out its chest. There seemed to be something inside it, as between the pieces she saw an arm and the number 247.

The fight with Franky was hard and fast, as well as silent from the zombie's side. It got a hit in but the cyborg wasn't impressed by it. The zombie flew head first into the arena's fence.

"He's getting up again..." Luffy frowned.

"That guy's totally different from the zombies we met up until now!" Franky cracked his wrist.

"_Buhi buhi buhi buhi buhi!_! You get what you deserve! That's the fearsomeness of true zombies!_!_ Even if they break apart it doesn't even tickle!_!_ During their lifetime every single one of these armed general zombies..."

Guess who zoned out when the pig kept talking?

Then the bastard ran off on its pathetic legs and a wall fell down in front of him.

"When the way is blocked... there's just no going back," Robin said. Luffy turned around and saw that there was a battalion of zombie knights, all bigger than the one they'd seen. Gen didn't feel very confident, even with the sword in her hand.

"If I was to speak from experience now, I would say it's going to be beyond tough." Franky said.

"Contrary to just a single one, an attack won't affect them in any. If we try taking same time we're just gonna get annihilated."

Luffy nodded inside the armour. "Yeah, you're right. And this isn't even the last battle."

"If we directly escape this hall... perhaps we get to the courtyard," Robin said, eyeing the knights.

Gen realized that the others were looking at her when it became quiet.

"What?"

"What, no input?" the cyborg arched his eyebrow.

"Huh? Oh, I wasn't really listening, I was just looking at that cool knight over there and wondering what Zoro would look like in it..." she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"GET 'EM!" some zombie yelled and they raised their weapons.

"Just beat your way to the other side, let's meet there! And I kinda don't want yet another one of us to get lost!" Luffy said. "Let's go!"

"Okay, got it!" she muttered. One look at the zombies though... "Umm... yeah. Right. Beat my way through- yeeek!" she had to jump out of the way of an incoming axe.

Strength would not work against them, so she would have to rely on quick feet. She weaseled her way through the knights and their massive weapons, swiping her own at everything that came her way.

"...One sword style...!" Her ears pricked at the sentence and then there was a crash and a yelp from Luffy. She sucked in a breath, knowing what this was about.

But wait... her sword could cleanse zombies!

"A scar on the back is a swordsman's shame!_!_ But I'm full of scars!"

"Eh!_?_ Who're _you!_?" Luffy asked. Dahaaamn, the zombie was ugly. "Are you Zoro after all!_?_"

"My name is Jigoroh."

In her time of staring something grabbed her by the waist and hoisted in the air like a doll. She screamed, but the arm holding her suddenly let go and the zombie cried out in surprise.

"What are you doing, Jigoroh!_?_" a knight asked the man.

"_Mine_," he growled. The look Jigoroh gave the gigantic knight was worlds away from the intensity of the real deal. A violent shiver ran up and down her back. Ewwww, she did _not_ want to hear a zombie say that!

It seemed that Franky and Robin made it out, but Luffy was too busy fending off the creepy swordsman. She felt pain as she was suddenly kicked aside, and good thing too, as an enormous sword fell with a deafening clang right where she'd previously been. It had been Luffy to save her, but it had cost him. He was taken prisoner and carted off to somewhere. Gen didn't have time to pay attention to that as she had problems of herself.

The shells of the hilt guard pressed against her hand as she gripped the sword as the zombie with Zoro's shadow approached. Her eyes narrowed, it did not matter that it was his shadow; this thing was still supposed to be long gone and six feet under.

Which it inconveniently wasn't.

Deciding that it was now a good time to hightail it she twirled around and dashed past a zombie. Of course, it caught her ankle at the last moment between freedom and capture, and she fell to the ground with an undignified squeak.

Gloria wasn't exactly sure what had happened. First she had been laying face first on the floor, the zombies flocking around her like vultures with the ultimate feel of helplessness rapidly digging a hole in her gut, and then there was a smiling face mere inches away from hers. She'd been hauled free and out of the room, unfortunately (_or fortunately?_) not to where Franky and Robin were.

They stopped good ways from the fray and she fell on her knees to try and get the shaky feel off of her legs.

"Are you okay?" a voice asked softly by her ear.

"Oh... Kilir...?" Gen realized dumbly. "How are you here? What are you doing here?" she blinked.

"That's exactly what I'd like to know too," Greg said stiffly.

The elk demon had his cloak on again, with a gray turtleneck shirt and a pair of black, snugly fitting pants. Jiminy chirped. _Gleh_.

Kilir giggled and held his hand to help her up. "I followed you! I wanted to see you again!"

"Okaaaay, why?" she narrowed her eyes at him. "You're awfully helpful for a land demon."

"Ah... M'Lady?" Greg whispered.

"Don't call me that!"

"...h-he's not a demon."

Gen looked at Kilir, who was swaying on the balls of his feet, his hands behind his back and his head slightly tilted. He was watching her with a childish smile and curiosity shone in his eyes.

"He's the Lady of the Land's son! His full name is Kiliathor of the Earth!" the stream demon was hissing urgently.

"Oh... Oh shit."

*_Chirp_*

* * *

><p>They were now walking down a flight of stairs, Kilir bouncing at the lead like some kid and she walking behind him. She didn't know what to think of him. In the dictionary there probably was his picture below the word 'innocence', and his age was a total mystery to her. Just when she thought of him as a teen, he did something very mature, and the next he was giggling at everything and asking weird questions. Now she also knew why he felt so familiar when she met him the first time: there was a distinct mannerism that reminded her of her mother. 'The world is his playground and all in it his playthings' -feeling mixed with slight bipolarity, though in his case it seemed to be more or less stuck to happy mode.<p>

Greg was uneasy. Why was this little godchild here? He had heard the story of their adventure on Secret Island and had a bad feeling about it, but now the gut feeling had been confirmed right.

And he was still unable to defend her.

Kilir spun around to look at the demigoddess. His smiles were enough to disarm just about anyone. "Hey Gen! Are all your friends here?"

"If you mean our crew, yes. We're at the moment a bit scattered though," she rubbed the back of her neck. Badass was still aboard the ship, being scared by Brook and disappearing off to some hole.

"Do you want to go to them?" he asked.

"I'm not sure for now. They all have their own fights to fight, but I don't have anything to do..." she trailed off.

"Oh, can I come with you _pleaaaaaaase_?"

There was no way to say 'no' to that look. Well, Greg could've done it, but she didn't. "Are we going somewhere specific, by the way?" Gen inquired.

"Hn? Weeell..." he looked at his feet timidly. "I lost something... but can't find it..."

"You lost something."

"Mmhm."

"On a bigass pirate ship slash island."

"Mmhm."

"You _do_ know you're a to-be-somewhat-omnipotent god?"

"Mmhm."

"Start giving some real answers!_!_" she felt a tickmark on her forehead.

He turned a bit more serious when he told that there had been some odd movement from the void demons. They lived their half-lives alone and when encountering another they simply would try to claw each other's throats out no matter the origin. They simply didn't work together, but as of late their movements had been more organized. "Someone has been telling them what to do. A few nights back there was a skirmish and one of the demons managed to take something of high importance."

"Like what?" she asked.

Kilir glanced shortly at the bag before his body language went back to his childish self. "...my crown..."

Losing his crown was a bad thing, she found out. His mom had not appreciated it. Another thing she learned that wasn't in the Great History was that every element the gods ruled over manifested in some material way. For example, the earth's manifestation was The Earthen Crown.

"I never knew that," Greg said silently.

"So my mom's got one too?" Gen asked.

"I would assume that."

"Hey, don't tell me that THAT was the crown you lost," the demigoddess stared him down.

"Oh, no, I haven't even see it," he waved his hand. "But my crown has one jewel from The Earthen Crown, so it's still incredibly powerful item. In wrong hands, it could spell disaster. Besides, it's not like I went announcing it to everybody, so I don't know if it was just a coincidence that it got taken or did someone know about the jewel..." the trailed off with an alien frown on his face. At the moment he looked like a grown man.

She realized, that despite the tension between Herka and Avanirte, the earth goddess still had mutual enemies with the goddess of the sea. With a shudder she remembered the first void demon she had the displeasure to ever encounter. "How many did know?"

"Only me and my mother," he sighed. "And she told me about the crown only when I was old enough to carry it."

"When was that?" she arched an eyebrow.

"Ah, about a year ago."

"And you lost it so quickly."

"Stop twisting the knife, would you?" he said in a defeated manner. "I know I'm not the most reliable person, but I really could do with your help. I have rules I have to live by so I'm not allowed to a certain part of this island."

"So you know where it is?" she asked.

"_Generally_, yes."

Gen smiled at him. "Then I'll do whatever I can to help you."

"Thanks~!" he beamed and jumped to hug her. "Gloria is so kind!"

After wrenching the touchy-feely god off her, they continued down the stairs. After so many twisting corridors she was starting to feel her head spin, but she noticed that they hadn't come across with any of the zombies. That might've been because of the godchild. Maybe he could feel the vibes coming from using a devil's fruit?

Kilir pushed open a heavy door with no difficulty at all on their left and they came to a garden. It was in theme with the rest of the island with wild rose bushes, a white, dead tree in the smack centre of it and a dry, broken fountain with a statue that once could've been some kind of woman in a toga. The ground was full of brown leaves and other debris from years of neglecting.

The god stopped abruptly. "Further than this, I can't come. I can sense the crown being somewhere inside there," he pointed to a door up a slope.

"Gotcha. See ya later then, Kilir-kun!" she grinned.

He chuckled and gave a quick hug before he let her finally go. "Take care, Pretty-chan!"

Yeah, definitely the touchy-feely type.

Inside, she listened carefully for any sounds that would rat out the residents. Gen strained her ears but didn't hear anything... for a while.

_There!_

She unsheathed her sword and creeped along the long, narrow hallway. The air in there was warmer than outside and uncomfortably dry, not to speak about the dreadful smell of cooking zombies, but she kept going. The closer she got, the warmer it grew. Now she could also identify the noise as crackling of flames. '_I have a bad feeling about this..._'

The hallway opened into another room to her right and the wall opposite of it looked scorched. Right before her eyes a jet of fire licked the wall, making her jump back from the infernal heat. Still, something made her skin crawl.

The girl pressed her back against the hot bricks, bit her lip to not hiss out, and inched to peek what was in the room.

Fire, fire, the remains of a zombie, more fire, molten wall... and a big undead reptile.

It was the size of a big car if you cut off the tail that must've been at least as long as the body, and its scaly, ashen skin was rotting and falling off its body in fist-sized clumps. The lizard had ten long horns jutting out of its skull with skin stretched between them like the hood of a frill-necked lizard and it had two seemingly unnecessary appendages growing from the back of it's lower jaw.

She was startled when it suddenly whipped its head towards her, flaring its nostrils, but that wasn't the only reason. Its eyes were more like that of a human's than a lizard's. They were sunken in the sockets, feeling hollow with a mad quality to them. She had been expecting that the fugitive was a void demon, but it still didn't make it any easier.

She had seen the crown, squeezed on the demon's head. It was way too small for it, and she had caught the ends of the crescent-like piece of fancy jewellery dig into its decaying head. It had a chain linking the ends together and most likely to hang on the back of the wearer's head but now it was trapped within the voider's maw. The crown along with everything else had turned black.

All that in the matter of seconds before the jaws opened and she was forced to take cover. A great roar filled with the heat of flame flew over her head and hit the wall where it had so many more times before.

'_This is not going to be easy..._' she groaned.

Well, she didn't need to wait for an invitation, the demon suddenly jumped out of the room. The hallway looked suddenly very small and deadly place to be: no cover if the thing chose to fry her.

"**Little human, eh?**" it cackled with a distorted voice. It was hard to decipher what it was saying. The thing drew deep breaths, smelling the air, and its tongue lolled out. "**No... not quite, you aren't! What are you? ...you... smell like him...**"

"It's a damn voider, alright! Run!" Greg whispered to her frantically. "We have to get in a bigger space!"

"What? Why!_?_ And give it more room to squish me!_?_" she hissed back.

"Maybe, but as of now it's going to _fry_ you and you don't have anywhere to take cover!"

"Good point," she muttered. She did not feel like turning her back to it...

An idea popped in her head. It was idiotic. It might not work, and she might die. It might work, and she might still die.

With an uncertain grin she sprang towards the monstrosity. It made a surprised face before it realized what was happening - Gen dived between it's forelegs and under it's belly, past the other pair of legs and avoiding the tail she finally came to stand behind it. She used a second to see that nothing was burning and glanced at the struggling lizard. It was roaring in anger, the flames rising around it and she had to take a few healthy steps away from it.

The hallway was way too narrow for the demon to be able to turn, but that didn't mean it couldn't crane its long neck to glare straight towards her. The tail trashed around and left welts in the old stone. It wouldn't be long until it crumbled by the abuse it received.

Gen ducked in time with an undignified squeak when the demon tried to get her again. Its aim had suffered immensely and she was happy about that, but she could still feel the burns in the skin of her arms after she used them to cover her hair.

The void demon was screaming in anger. She didn't have a clue what exactly it was saying, but it had to be something ugly.

"Okay, what do I do now?" she asked, squeezing Caermare's hilt. She regretted not trying to do any damage while she had been running below it.

"Keep... running?" Greg suggested.

"No! I have to get that crown!" the demigoddess argued.

"Gloria-sama, this is a void demon. The last time you face one you DIED." he said pointedly.

"I know," she rolled her eyes. She remembered the last time clearly, though she didn't remember it's name anymore. When it had started to vaporize, from under all that death she had found just an ordinary man, eternally grateful for freeing him. "I'm doing favours right and left here by killing this thing, so either you help me or you sit back and out of my way."

The bag sighed and fell quiet. He was proud of his little charge growing up, but he couldn't help but worry and be a bit saddened by it. Soon, he'd be needless to her. He perked at a little sound, a low bell that told him that he had an incoming message. He opened it and heard the quiet voice of one of the gatekeepers informing him that the issues were finally fixed and he'd be able to leave the vessel as usual.

The thing was... did he want to?

With another silent sigh he reluctantly decided that he'd let her fight by herself this time, and help only if she was in grave danger. Foolish sweetheart, wanting to do it all by herself.

The dragon roared once more before slamming its body against the wall separating the room and the hall. It fell in pieces like the gingerbread mansion, giving the demon enough space to turn around. She finally decided to heed Greg's words and run.

The girl ran, hearing the voider behind her demolish more walls. One section had soon collapsed under its weight when the supporting elements had failed. Her feet were starting to show signs of exhaustion, but she couldn't give in just yet.

They had reached a corner when there was another crash and she looked up. The latest hit had sent cracks up the wall to the roof. She made a sudden stop when a piece fell down, right where she would've been if she hadn't. The pause wasn't a smart thing - the demon had finally caught up. Her lungs emptied with a whoosh and she felt something brake inside of her when the massive, crowned head slammed her to the wall and right through it. Her head made a sickening sound when it hit the stone and black spots danced in front of her vision. They threatened to bloom into unconsciousness, and she was dimly aware that she had a coppery taste in her mouth.

On the other side of the wall was a large hall, or an indoors garden. It was just as wrecked as all the other plant life, the large roof windows now in shards. Some vine had taken residence on every liable surface.

She laid on her back on all kind of rubble in pain, coughing up blood. Her head felt dizzy and she was disoriented, but she tried to shake it off as fast as she could. On the back of her head was what she felt a cut, the blood staining her hand and sending a jolt of pain upon contact. By the tremors and the abrupt raise of temperature she knew without looking that the demon had just entered and was looming above her.

"**You puny thing... I know now what you are! **_**Hahaa**_**! You are meat!**"

"Hey! That's incredibly sexist, you know?" she frowned and found the hilt of her sword. The girl held it between herself and the demonic lizard when it bore closer. Soon they were nearly eye to eye. "Uhh..."

Its slick tongue licked air way too close to her face. "**You fear... All mortals fear... I can taste it. And mortals are the meat of us eternal**_**sss**_**...**"

"Y-You're not eternal. Even the gods have to go to final rest," she stammered but tried to hold herself steady.

"**I AM ETERNAL!**" it roared and flamed the roof. The vine shrivelled on the wall. "**I am strong. There is nothing that can beat me!**"

"Except for me." '_*sigh* How many times have I said about taunting enemies? DON'T!_'

"_**YOU!**_**?**" and then it laughed in its warbled voice. Whatever it said next went beyond her and she just stared at it.

"Didn't catch that, but whatever," she sucked in a breath and jumped towards the demon with her sword. She swung it at him in a downward cut, arms firm, just like Greg had taught her and hoping it wouldn't try and roast her at the same time.

No such luck.

She shrieked as the flames licked her, burning her hands and legs, incinerating the pants. But, that was all it did to her amazement. She would've been more amazed at Caermare dividing the fire into two if it wasn't for the sword heating up in her hand and burning it. It was a surprise for the demon too, when the sword left a welt to it's nose and jammed into it.

She let go of the sword and started cursing vividly, blowing on her blistering palms. The sword was causing immense pain for the demon and it was still stuck on it. Now it was just blindly trying to burn everything around them, rearing up and clawing at Caermare.

'_Wow, that thing is in real tight_,' she marvelled and jumped away from the incoming demon. '_Damn, I have to get that back!_'

Swallowing her fright she climbed to a statue of a knight - its outstretched arm was broken from the elbow and something had gnawed on it's legs. It was hard with her burnt hands. When the demon came close enough she jumped on its back and tried not to slip down on the bit too smooth scales and squeezed as hard as she could, water springing in her eyes. She found the demon's body just as hot as the rocks its flame had heated up and resisted the urge to jerk away as far as she could from the god-awful smell. Then her fingers dug through the scales and into the sickly soft flesh.

She turned her head away and gulped, her face had gone pale and a bit greenish. Holding her breath and keeping her eyes strictly on the demon's fire-spitting head she climbed up. It hadn't even noticed her, then how it had gone bat-shit crazy over the sword through its nose? She didn't have that much time to think about it when the demon finally took notice of the uninvited rider. It stopped to stand on two legs, snapped its head at her, snorted and grinned.

"Oh, fu-"

* * *

><p>...CUT! Good work, people! Give yourselves big applouds and go have a beer!<p>

Yes, it's a cliffhanger. As for the one-year-and-a-bit-over mark celebration:

* * *

><p><strong>EtRRRRa piece<strong>

_- Strip poker_

There was a ring of people on the deck of the Thousand Sunny. Usopp had once again taken out a deck of cards, and this time they had an array of random little stuff displayed in the center of them. They didn't use edible things anymore after the last time they did and Luffy had after the game just eaten everything. As they played, they followed how Zoro suddenly jolted up as if someone'd kicked him. He sat with his back ramrod straight, one hand on the side of his head. Then he frowned at something and got up, looking around the grass.

They followed him pace around, the search area growing larger within moments and his little whine finally promoted Chopper to ask what he was looking for.

"I think I lost one of my earrings..." his voice sounded a hint pouty. "It doesn't feel right with only two."

"Oh, well, you'll find it," Usopp turned back to the game.

"_Usopp!_" Chopper scowled at him.

"But I'm winning!" he whined.

"Come on, let's look for it," Luffy put down his cards and was going to get up when something shiny on the pile of chips caught his eye. "No, wait, I found it!"

"What? Where?" Zoro walked to him. He went rigid when he saw it on the pile they were currently playing for, as a betting chip. Then his glare settled on the players. Usopp, Chopper and Luffy all stared at him for a second and then like one pointed at the girl.

Zoro went to take back what was his when Luffy slapped his hand away. "No way! You want it, you have to play for it!"

"What!_? _That's _mine_!"

"It's no-one's now."

"No, it's MINE!"

"Oh, Marimo's just afraid he'll lose," Sanji smirked, approaching the group of pirates. That was it, the man sat down defiantly and grabbed himself a hand of cards.

"You'll have to place your bet too," Chopper reminded him.

"What? I don't have this kind of stuff," he gestured at the pile.

"You have your other ea- okay nevermind," Usopp shrunk under the glare.

"Your haramaki," Gen said. She had a mischivious look and an unnerving smile they couldn't quite read.

"My haramaki...?"

"Yes. Your haramaki."

The others thought it through and they agreed on it. Zoro as well, after trying to decapitate Sanji for making clucking noises.

"Okay! I'll play my Super Ninja Gaget!" Usopp plopped a weird trinket on the table. No one knew what it was, but it looked cool so it joined on the floor next to the green piece of cloth.

"Wow! Then, I'll play, uh... this," Chopper put a small vial of something on the table. He said it was scented oil when they asked.

"I'll play a blue crayon!" Luffy declared. Crayons were good, and he had a full pack of them. Where he got them in the first place, no one knew.

"I'll play-"

"Your shirt."

Gen blinked at the swordsman. The idiot trio made a number of noises, Usopp gasping and Chopper giggling along with the grinning Luffy. "What? You going perv on me?"

"You named my bet, so I name yours," he smirked. She scoffed and with red face started peeling the black T-shirt off. Greg popped out and in a split second he had wrapped his cape around her. The shirt joined the growing pile of chips.

"Right, show your cards!" Usopp slapped his hand on the table. Two queens. "Yahahahaha! I, the Great Usopp Sama, has again won this round-"

"Not so fast!" Luffy said triumphantly and revealed the remaining two queens of the deck and a pair of twos.

"I lost," Chopper slumped and kissed goodbye to the oil.

Gen and Zoro were staring at each other. "As the shitty cook says, ladies first."

"Very well," she said and flipped over... four kings.

Zoro turned his cards over one at a time.

Four aces.

"WHAT THE-!_?_" Their eyes bulged out. Zoro had a smug expression as he replaced his haramaki and the lost earring. He grabbed Gloria's shirt, leaving everything else right where it was. He waved to them with a shit-eating grin before getting up and walking away.

She saw him stop after a moment, bury his face into the black piece of clothing and bluntly inhaling the demigoddess' scent. Sanji made a leaping jump feet first at the swordsman's head when he saw it.

"YOU ASS!_!_" Gen yelled after him with her face burning.


	70. The cry of a hedgehog

*_You hear rustling coming from somewhere and when You turn, you see a thick envelope with a cookie tray on it. You pick up the letter laying on top:_*

Dear Reader...

I'M **SO SO SO SUPER** SORRY!_!_! UWAAAAH!_!_! It was a very hard chapter to write, believe me or not, and I lost my muse in there somewhere... *_There's a tearstain on the paper, smudging whatever lame other excuses might've been there*_ But it is here now. I hope you can forgive me and will be patient in the future as well, if this happens again. I prided myself to be a 'quick' updater, but it seems like the life I believed to be dead or nonexistant is kicking back from the ditch. On the sidenote: we have a kitten in the house! She's an adorable little fiend that now has a lifelong ban in my room. No, she doesn't have a name, even after two weeks of being in our lives, but Nyyti is a good and solid suggestion that I'm calling her.

Genuine thank you to you all, and especially to my beta **nomsujet** and my dear friend **Misz Laidback much** who kicked me whenever I said I didn't feel like writing and telling me to sleep when I was still up after 35 hours...

- Snoara

* * *

><p>Her head was pounding. It felt strangely light, as if someone'd screwed it off her shoulders, filled it with air, and then put it back on. Besides that, her shoulder was tingly and in pain, her muscles ached and with every step - someone was carrying her, probably Greg - she bit her teeth tighter together. Her skin felt like it was on fire from the third degree burns and numerous bleeding wounds. In her head, she went through what had happened to her.<p>

She'd let go and fallen to the ground the second the demon drew breath. In that, she had hurt the shoulder. The sword had not been dropped too far and she had done a mad dash towards it. Then, she was whipped by its strong tail, knocking the air out of her and sending her skidding across the floor. The demon had followed and was upon her in a matter of seconds, jaws wide open, ready to mutilate her thoroughly.

Gen was lucky that she'd moved out of the fangs' way, but that didn't save her from its claws. They pierced her skin and made angry gashes on her torso, ripping her shirt. Her arms had a few marks too. She had gotten a kick or two through and the demon lost a few more pounds (_she really tried not to think about that and decided that she needed a new pair of shoes_) but she would've surely been killed if it wasn't again for her dear friend Gregory.

Where the demon had gone off to was lost to her, as well as the crown now. She was frustrated and disappointed at herself. The girl had let a voider, a soul strayed to a wrong path, that of decay, leave victorious and with a piece of something powerful that belongs to a god.

Not a cheerful idea.

Greg knew she was awake but didn't say a word. Gen was a little happy about that and just let him carry her somewhere; she didn't care where. Oh, but she hoped they'd find Kilir; he should have been told of what happened.

Squeezing out a drop of her slowly depleting strength, she asked where they were going.

"Back to the ship. You're hurt and in need of treatment, so we shall go there."

"Wha' 'bou' Kil?"

"He will find us," he said stiffly. Even though he blamed the child god for her injuries, he couldn't deny that it was of utmost importance to get the piece of jewellery back.

She fell into a sleepy numbness to the surroundings and let her mind become a relaxed blankness. After indefinite time they were joined by Kilir, who was surprisingly serious. He had looked over her injuries under Gregory's chill gaze and then pressed his hands firmly on her ribs below her bust. Whatever he did, it made her breathing a lot easier and the feel of something poking holes in her kidneys stop. The weight of pain pinning down her arms was flooding out, but the cuts and the burn marks remained. Ah well, Chopper can take care of that. She was still sleepy too.

The stag-man was leading them around the forest and she had an inkling that without him they probably would've gotten lost on the way. Gen was aware that something tried to attack them in some point. Kilir did something to the attackers and...she didn't see them anymore. To get to the docks they had to go inside the castle, and when Kilir was sure that the demon and the halfling were fine on their own he brushed the girl's dirtied hair as a temporary farewell. To Greg he gave a curt nod and received a small, reserved bow. Then he turned and walked away with purpose in his stride.

At the top of the stairs Greg made it to the third step before he stilled for a moment to be sure his eyes weren't tricking him. When he spoke his voice held lightness that hadn't been present when Kilir was around. "It seems your unruly herd of friends got here first."

"Mmmhmhah?" she opened her eyes and yawned widely. "Th'others?"

"Yes, Gloria-sama. 'Tis Ms. Robin, Mr. Franky, the longnose and Chopper. I do not believe they have seen us."

"Hmm'kay. Lemme down, I think I can walk now myself."

He obeyed and set her feet first on the ground, gently as he could ever be, but didn't leave her side in fear that her feet would betray her after all. She tested the condition of her feet, feeling the sleepiness dissipate somewhat now that they were closer to the ocean. For a moment she simply rested her eyes on the shady sea, breathing the depressed air. On the stairs, running down at the ship, were the aforementioned four pirates.

She didn't bother to call them even if they'd heard them, but settled in walking after them, Elmo-Gregory by her side.

"Have I ever told you that you're a wonderful demon?" she looked up to his face with a small smile curling her lips.

"You haven't."

"Well you are."

* * *

><p>"A <em>WEDDING!<em>! ARE YOU _FUCKING KIDDING ME_!_!_?" Sanji's voice boomed from the ship when the two finally reached the ship. "SHIT! UNFORGIVIBLE!_!_!"

"He must be brave to wanna marry Nami... and then I'm a giant? They could do a zombie like that?" Luffy said with amazement.

Gen heard the commotion, and if she hadn't vaguely known what was going on, she would've been extremely confused. Greg stepped on the grass behind her, as she greeted them with a relieved smile. "Heya people."

"Gen-chan!" Sanji gasped. His boyish smile turned into 'omg she's bleeding!' -face.

"I am sorry," she was surprised to hear the demon say. "I told everyone to see to it that Gloria-sama would be safe, but I have put her in danger myself."

"Hey, hey, it's okay, she's okay, are you okay?" Luffy said in one breath and directed the last words to the girl who nodded. "See?"

"Umm... why are Chopper and Usopp like that?" she asked, pointing at the two, hugging their knees and trembling.

"Oh, that. They just heard they were face to face with a Shichibukai," Franky said like it was an everyday occurrence. _He's blending in nicely_. "What happened to you, Gen-sis?"

"Ran into some trouble, that's all," she brushed it off and looked at Sanji, Luffy and Zoro. "You three lost your shadows, eh?"

"We sure did. And Nami's in trouble!" Sanji grit his teeth.

"And our shadows are in some zombies," Zoro added.

"Wait, so if the zombie doesn't look like the actual person then... I saw Zoro's zombie!_?_" the captain realized.

"I did too. I got saved by it," Gen giggled. "Really, Zoro, you're so protective of me that it's even affecting your shadow!"

He smirked and a faint red spread on his cheeks, but he ignored the warmth her little laugh gave him. "What did the zombie look like?"

"Uuuuu-gly," she grimaced.

"It kinda felt like you, cause he had wooden shoes and all, but I knew it wasn't you," Luffy answered.

"How does _that_ make him feel familiar?" Gen sweatdropped.

"Well, whatever it is, it's fine. If we track down those three zombies and throw salt into their mouths then our shadows will return, right?" Zoro asked.

'_Or stick 'em with this baby_,' she patted the hilt of her sword. She felt a tug on the hem of her shirt and saw Choppie. "Hm?"

"Sit down, I need to look at those injuries," he said.

Franky told them how he'd found out the zombies' weakness from Brook and Luffy was ecstatic when he heard that he'd met the skeleton.

And then he told about Brook's awaiting nakama, one they all already knew well: Laboon.

There was an astounded silence, before Luffy said it. "We know him. That whale."

"What!_?_ What do you mean!_?_" Franky demanded, and they told him.

"It was at the entrance of the Grand Line, the Two Capes. This shitty huge whale was there, ramming his head against the wall that divides the world over and over, trying to break through," Sanji said. "He kept waiting for the pirates that promised 50 years ago that they'd absolutely come back..."

A memory flashed through her mental eye. She was in front of the huge whale, petting his wet skin and talking with him. "One man still stands," she mouthed to herself.

"Did you say something?" Chopper asked, tying the last end of gauze.

"Uh, no, nothing," the demigoddess muttered and got back on her feet from the grass.

"To think that one of the nakama that Laboon was waiting for... was that skeleton..." she heard Zoro say.

Franky started bawling. The others were suddenly pumped for action and ready to get their newest addition on board. Plus Sanji's flame-on about Nami's (_to-be-husband's_) impending doom.

Zoro was already off the ship, Luffy yelling after him. "Hey! Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna land for a bit. The number of shadows we have to get back just went up one, didn't it?"

"Shishishi! Good Zoro! But you can't go yet!" the captain said.

"Oh? Why is that?" The swordsman raised his eyebrow.

"You owe Gen a kiss," Luffy snickered.

"_Yeah!_" Gen punched the air. "You jerk, you weren't there when I felt like kissing and then I had to kiss Luffs!"

"Hey, are you saying I'm no good for kissing?" The boy tilted his head.

"Never said that, but its like eating tofu instead of meat," she nodded.

He got it, since he gasped audibly. Then he gave his first mate a dark glare and said: "_Tofu_..." as if it was the biggest curse on earth.

She rolled her eyes and went down to Zoro. Swallowing all the embarrassment that her act might bring her, she pulled him down from the front of his shirt. He was on the same wavelength so he let himself to be pulled and even tilted his head to the correct angle. The kiss was deeper than she'd thought and she felt overwhelmed...

...until Zoro made a soft sound and fell to the ground.

"O-Oi... what the hell?" he was on all fours. Gen was staring at him in shock with her mouth gaping open. He saw that her eyes were starting to moisten when he lifted his face to her and knew what was to come. "Oh no... no, don't-"

"I... I'M SO SORRY, ZORO!_!_" her voice broke into a higher pitch and tears.

Usopp was the one who had the moment of insight, when he said that it might've been because the shadows were stolen with devil's fruit abilities. It didn't help at all, and though she managed to dwindle her waterworks into sobs she had a weight on her heart. During that Zoro was getting back on his feet and looking at her. "Snap out of it, Snowy. This isn't anything to worry, and it'll be good after we get the shadows back."

"Y-yeah... I guess so..." Gen nodded. She wanted to hug him now more than ever, to be close to him.

And she _couldn't_. Because she was who she was.

Gloria screamed in anger, kicking the ground and fisting her hands tightly. She wanted to tear something apart in frustration. It made Chopper jump and scurry to Robin.

"Gloria-sama, please calm do-"

"NO!" the girl turned to the demon... who flinched and took half a step back. There was fury written on her face in sharp lines. "I don't have to calm down, because I am perfectly **FINE!**_**!**_**!**_**!**_"

There was a loud crack and a mighty splash when a sudden high wave crashed violently against the side of Thriller Bark. Greg's face went from worry and slight fear into a completely emotionless mask. He squared his shoulders and bowed slowly and fluently, with his hand on his chest. "I apologize, M'Lady."

For a moment the girl looked like she'd start fuming again, but then her eyes widened in surprise and she swayed on her feet. Both the demon and the swordsman made a move to save her from the abrupt loss of balance and the pirates called her name. None of that was necessary when she managed to stay upright. She looked confused. "What... was that? My head hurts..."

Greg laughed in relief and they all relaxed significantly. Chopper got past the scare and he was still concerned, but shoved it away from the forefront of his mind, unlike Zoro. He related the incident back to what had happened in Water 7, during the super-high tide.

The man shook the worry off and strolled to her casually, standing next to her. It was one of those things they never brought up on the ship; she had stopped wrestling with Luffy, the others as well, when she had discovered her affect on devil's fruit users. It hurt her.

_The hedgehog..._

"You all good now?" he asked her.

"Yeah. I'm sorry about all that."

"Don't be."

Luffy made a displeased face and hit the air with his fist. "That bastard Moria! Let's get our shadows back so they can make out in the cleaning closet!"

"_L-LUFFY_!_!_" her face went bright red. Luffy was in the middle of saying something about Ace telling him that people in love are supposed to make out in cleaning closets, when Sanji kicked him off the ship and down the stairs, to have his annoyingly durable head stuck into the ground.

They were reminded kindly by Robin that they needed to think it through before they'd go back to the castle, so Gen, Zoro and Greg climbed back to the ship, the captain too once he got free.

"We might have some problems finding the zombies with our shadows," Zoro sighed.

"Yeah! And really, Luffy's zombie is HUGE!" Chopper hollered. "It's at least twice the size of normal giants! I don't even think that you guys can beat it."

"...we don't have to look for the zombies, even though I want to see mine," Luffy said.

"What are you talking about? We can't step into the sun like this, not to mention..." and the swordsman stopped speaking. They all chose to ignore it now, even Gen.

"Yeah, but that old man with a wound said that if we beat Gecko Moria, we'll all get our shadows back!"

There was silence, until Sanji admitted it being true. "...touché."

"And Moria's just up those stairs, right?" Luffy pointed at the stairs.

'_Really? We walked through there..._' she tilted her head.

"Whoa! You're right!" Usopp jumped.

"Yeah, so I'm gonna go kick Moria's butt!" Luffy grinned. "And we'll get our shadows back. Sanji, you go save Nami!"

"HECK YEAH!" the cook burst literally into flames. "I'LL KICK HIS INVISIBLE BUTT TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS FOG!_!_! YOU'RE NOT GETTING MARRIED TODAY!_!_!"

"I forgot to say this, but that invisible guy took a long look at Nami while she was taking a shower," Usopp added fuel to it.

"_WHAAAAAAT!_!_?_ THAT SON OF A **BITCH**!" the fire boomed and spread bigger.

"Don't excite him anymore," Zoro and Usopp were sweatdropping.

"He's about to transform into something..."

"Whoaaa, he looks like that voider that tried to kill me today~" Gen said with a light voice, as if she hadn't just a moment ago seem to be ready to kill someone.

"A what tried _what_?" Zoro stared at her. She didn't answer.

"I feel responsible for Nami being taken right before my eyes, so I'm going with Sanji!" Usopp decided. "And I don't want to meet the Shichibukai ever again!"

'_Ah, the real reason_,' Gen suppressed a smirk.

"I'm worried about the skeleton, so I'm gonna go there! Also, if Luffy beats Moria first, then that's that. But it'd be ironic if he loses to his own shadow before then," the cyborg said, readjusting his sunglasses.

Zoro had a small, excited smile on. "I'll go with you, Franky. I want to see this legendary samurai zombie."

"I will go wherever Gloria-sama ventures," Greg looked at his lady. She nodded back to her.

"And where is that?" Usopp raised an eyebrow.

She sighed and told them in a nutshell that she'd met Kilir and that there was a rampant void demon with a powerful artefact (_leaving out that Kilir was a god_). "Even though I don't feel like doing it again, I have to get the crown from it."

"...why doesn't that guy do it himself?" Zoro narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"A very good question," the archaeologist quipped.

"Some law is forbidding him from entering the area the demon is in," Gen shrugged. '_And last time I couldn't get close to it because I was too busy running..._' she thought with a grimace.

"Law from who? The earth lady?" Luffy asked.

"Ehh... something like that."

Robin hummed and spoke: "Nami and the skeleton are our immediate problems... and then, the key to winning this is to beat Moria."

"You guys say it like it's really easy, but we're talking about one of the Shichibukai here!" Chopper cried out.

"It's fine. He's basically the same as Crocodile, right?" Luffy said casually.

"AND YOU ALMOST DIED!_!_ Can you please take better care of yourself!" Choppie's eyes bulged out. "And we've said this many times already, but your zombie is HUGE!_!_"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Gen-chan, will you pursue the void demon?" Robin looked at her.

"I have to."

"Wait, wait, _wait_, hold on right there," Usopp held his hands up. "What do we know about this Kilir guy? He could be after our lives too! Is it really that smart to trust him like this?"

Gloria gave him a firm stare. "Kilir is unquestioningly a shady guy, but he's nevertheless a good person." She pondered for a moment. "And he's slightly bipolar. And clingy. Like Luffs. And that cricket is creepy, I swear it's plotting something."

Several people sweatdropped at that and Usopp dug in his own bag. In a moment he was tossing smaller, round bags. "Okay, here. Everybody take one."

"Huh?" Luffy looked dumbfounded at his own. Gen weighted the bag on her hand.

"It's my new invention, the 'raise-the-zombies-up-to-heaven salt ball'!"

"Ah... you were making this earlier. Cool," Zoro commented.

"You people have no sense of danger, so I'm telling you right now!" Usopp's serious face peered from below the rim of his hat.

_...hat..._

"I want a new hat."

"LISTEN UP!" he glared at her and she shrunk back, muttering an apology under her breath. "As I was saying, this place is surrounded by deep fog, but there's no guarantee that the sun won't shine through! It's safe because it's midnight right now! So think of dawn as our time limit!"

"You're right. I hate that I'm not eating anything until dawn!" Luffy cracked his knuckles and growled. "Let's go make Gecko Moria regret EVER PICKING A FIGHT WITH US!_!_! WE'LL GET TWICE OUR FOOD BACK BEFORE DAWN!_!_!"

"YOU MEAN GET OUR SHADOWS BACK BEFORE DAWN!_!_!"

"NAMI-SWAAAAAN!_!_!"

And so on.

Gen looked at the bag of salt pebbles in her hand and tossed it back to Usopp, who barely caught it. "Hey, what...?"

"I won' need 'em," she said. "My sword is 's good 's those salt thingies 'n' i's so much easier t' jus' poke 'em with it than try and shove 'e salt down their throats."

"Oh... okay."

"Gen-chan, you are leaving awfully lot of details out," Robin had a certain dark look on her face. The demigoddess gulped and rubbed the back of her head.

Something nudged her shin and she looked down to Badass' cute face. "Awwwww, hi there, Baddie! How are ya t'day? Mommy has to go out for a bit, but I promise I'll brush you when I get back. In the meanwhile, be a good little animal and stay outta trouble fer meh, aye?"

"Maah~!"

"Are you done yet?" Zoro deadpanned. The others had already left the ship.

"Oh, yeah," she got up and climbed down after the swordsman.

* * *

><p>Somewhere far away from Thriller Bark was a large divan in an even larger hall. The said divan was crowded with comfy pillows that with a closer look turned out to be a pile of gold-skinned lizards. One of them lifted its head lazily, yawned, stretched and jumped off to do whatever lizards do. Probably to find food.<p>

"My lord, are you even listening to me?"

"Ahh? You said something...?"

The first speaker sweatdropped. "Yes, I did. My lord, shouldn't you do something about this?" the short, stout and old man waved a scroll in his hand. He had been reading it to him out loud while he had been more interested in the lizard slithering over the onyx floor like a glittering, living brooch.

The old man sighed. "My lord, would you please even _try_ and listen to Jiminy's report?"

The person splayed over the numerous lizards sat up and looked at his advisor. He had a sleepy, bored look on his face as he regarded the ladybug demon in front of him, who in turn silenced and waited for whatever he'd say next in tension. The lord of fire was as laidback as he was explosive, and if it came to it, the advisor should take his all six spindly legs and get the hell out of there.

"Could someone do something about this?" he asked, holding to a lock of dark brown hair that draped over his shoulders. "It's going into my mouth again."

The advisor fell sideways in a comical manner and one of the lizards surrounding him turned promptly into an exotic, slender woman who started pinning his hair messily away from his face. She didn't have any clothes on, but in the name of modesty her privates were covered in yellow scales, making her look like she had a bikini branded onto her.

The advisor shook his head - he was used to them already, but the two guards standing at their post by the grand door were stealing glances towards her.

"Very well, let's hear it."

"I already read it to you twice..." the ladybug grumbled and opened the scroll. "'Kilir has found crown. Kilir has requested dimidium dea help. Dimidium dea hurt. Dimidium dea help again, Kilir has think. Flamevoid have crown.'"

The god of flame and fire stared at him, before his mouth opened slowly. "...huh?"

The advisor let out a strangled noise, covering it with a cough that made his white mustache wiggle. "It means that young lord Kiliathor's crown is in the hands of a void demon, one that is from OUR HALLS! The child of the Lady Ocean has helped him but not succeeded and will most likely try again. My lord, this is our responsibili- My _lord_!"

"Yeah, Massat?" the man was tickling the underside of a spider, the said spider making odd, giggly noises as he did.

"_Will you stop playing with that!_?"

* * *

><p>Gen felt bad all the way she ran in the forest. She wasn't with the others, helping them to reach their goal, but she knew she had to help Kilir. Why was he forbidden to get back what was his? It was more than suspicious, but every time she thought about the godchild, she could see his big, moist deer eyes and the expectant smile only rivalled by Luffy's innocence.<p>

There was a war cry to her left and she blindly hacked the zombie's head off, the shadow disappearing through the treetops and to its owner somewhere in the world. The bag bounced against her thigh and her necklace had escaped from inside her shirt. It hit her cheek once and she stuffed it back, killing another zombie that jumped from behind a tree. The girl had to regain her footing when the ground shuddered suddenly.

She felt something pulling in her, something that guided her feet to the direction she was going. First she hadn't even noticed it, but then she took notice of the small things: a tree limb bending to let her through, a shrub blocking her way, a stone inching away from her sight to reveal a new stretch of the invisible path she was speeding down on.

From the edge of her vision she caught something rushing between the trees, in line with her own course. Her instinct was to be alarmed when it veered closer and closer to her, and then it suddenly glomped her.

"Pretty-chaaaaan~!"

"GAAH!"

"Pretty-chan, I was so worrieeeeed~!" the man had fat tears streaming down his face and he was crushing her against his chest and rubbing his cheek against her hair.

"Let go, you stupid god!" she had a tickmark on her head as she dug the hilt of the sword into his back.

"Ouchie. Does Pretty-chan need help?" his eyes sparkled.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO NEEDS HELP!" The island/ship shook again and there was a booming sound of a castle braking. "It's the big zombie, isn't it?"

"Yeah, Oz. Will your friends be alright?" his smile faded.

"They'll live," she said, but in truth there was a chocking feeling down in her stomach. ...weird.

"Show me the way."

It wasn't long to the place where she had found the demon, but Kilir stopped before they reached it and she slammed into his back. As Gen rubbed her face she saw that the childgod's eyes had turned distant and unmoving. Slowly, he lifted his hand and pushed her gently behind him. "It moved. It's not here anymore..."

"Eh? If it's not, then were-?"

He turned towards the castle where the Strawhats were putting up a rampage. Kilir didn't say anything, but pointed grimly to where they had come from.

"...doodles," she sighed. "More running, I get it... wait... oh _crap_!" and the girl was on the move again. _'What the hell is that lizard doing! The others are there and they have enough in their hands already!_'

"Hey! The whole place... it's moving!" Kilir piped up, snapping her back to reality. Gloria blinked, she didn't remember that bit... oh wait. It was Oz again, fooling around with the ship's steering and now it was on it's way out of the fog of Florian Triangle. Which was bad. She told Kilir thus and kicked some zombie in the rear before stabbing it.

"**DON'T INTERRUPT MY ADVENTURE!**_**!**_**!**" they heard a roar. The whole _place_ heard the Luffy-zombie's yell that followed the shaking. Everything in the area was leaning away from the source of the voice and Gen winced at the loudness of it.

"Kilir, do you have any idea where the voider is now!_?_" she asked.

As an answer to that, they suddenly found themselves from the middle of an inferno. She made a startled cry and the godchild shielded her, pulling up a piece of the ground like a blanket.

When the torrent was gone, something jumped on the stone structure, something that reeked of dead flesh - and the scaly face of a grinning demon greeted them. Both Gen's and Kilir's eyes bugged out in shock. There was a crack, the demon looked mighty confused and then the godchild had already pulled her out of the way of the falling sheet of rock. The demon looked mighty embarrassed about it and the elk-horned man even giggled at it.

Then the demon glared at them, revealing a row of rotting teeth. The all too familiar fear reared its ugly head in her but she hammered it down and pointed the sword in her hand at the demon. "Round two."

The voider cackled with its head held up. It said something that sounded like 'I will eat you alive' and then tried to literally bite her head off. For a glimpse she caught the small welt on top of its nose when she made a mad dive to the side.

Her eyes darted around to see where Kilir had ended up. Then the blue pools widened when she saw him, tied down by an iridescent chain up against a tree. He looked anxious, eyes as wide as hers, and gave a sorrowful, sad smile. "Sorry... Fate is strict on the laws."

"Wha-AAAAAAAH!" The demon roared in anger and swiped at her with its claws. She was quick to raise the sword against it, her arms straining under the mass. With the experience from the previous fight she shoved the best she could to disengage before the flame scorched a wide patch of grass into oblivion. The shove hadn't been entirely what she'd wanted, because it raked across her lower back when she laid on the ground.

Gen sprung back on her feet and slashed at the void demon, making a chunk fall off. It screeched in pain and tried to headbutt her. She made a rabbit hop on top of its head, grabbed one of the horns and turned to straddle its neck. The demigoddess was in a daze at how well that had gone. Under her the lizard shook it's head to get rid of the ringing after hitting it's head against the remains of the shield Kilir had earlier produced for their safety. She heard it grunt at its confusion as to where had the annoying pest gone.

Finally when the dizzy spell was off of her she realized she was staring down on the blackened crown. The girl could even see the pattern on it.

Alas, the demon noticed her before she could take advantage of it. With a vigorous shake she was sent flying to where Kilir was still trapped. The girl made a thud when she hit the dusty earth again. Her back was killing her and her head had received yet another impact due to the stupid demon within the same day.

"You doing okay there?" she asked casually, looking up.

"Better than you," he chuckled. "Watch out!" he yelled and she was slammed tight to the bark. A cry would've come out of her if she'd had any air left in her lungs. The lizard was very flexible and the demon wrapped itself around her like a snake, preventing her from getting enough oxygen. Black spots were starting to bloom in her vision as she tried to get some air. A gray head and two malevolent eyes appeared within her rapidly narrowing sight. The pressure around her only got worse.

"NO! GEN!" Kilir shouted. He started struggling against the chain. "Fate!_!_ You hag, let me go!_!_"

Her eyes were slipping closed, her body was going limp and the lack of air had her previous panic turn into a scary numbness and peace. In her mind, her process of thought was going in smaller and smaller circles, until they were completely zeroed on one thing... Zoro.

And then there was a slicing sound and a pained roar. Her senses were flooded by a strong, repulsive stench she was starting to associate with all void demons when she finally had the opportunity to breathe. Coughing and massaging her throat she simply focused on being alive and able to get a healthy supply of precious air. With the relief came the pain, and visibility too. Gen felt like throwing up when she noticed the hunk of ashy, scaly meat in front of her.

It was the demon's tail. Or, at least third of it. Kilir's whoop of joy was easily drowned under the voider's wail. She had no problem tearing her eyes away from the gruesome sight of the tail (_that was, by the way, oozing something brownish and slimy_) and regard her saviour. Once again, Greg was getting her ass out of trouble. A faint smile climbed up her face, and when she felt she was okay she located her sword and ran to help him.

* * *

><p>'<em>It could be worse<em>,' she thought nervously. But it could've been better too.

When most of the tail was gone, so was the demonic lizard's balance. That didn't mean it was just going to roll over and say uncle. Now she had an even wider array of wounds, bruises and third degree burns besides the bleeding back and a hole through her stomach. By miracle it hadn't pierced anything too important, like a big blood vessel, for she was absolutely sure she didn't have the same capacity to bleed than most of the crew. Hell, even Nami could take more damage in her battles than Gloria was able to survive! (_Lie, but Gen didn't know that._)

Gregory's help had been irreplaceable. For him she was still alive and kicking. And slicing. Together they had done much and the voider looked worse for wear, gross and very much like one of the zombies... except for the stitches and stuff. She could see some of its organs jiggling like catfood jelly.

Then it had done something that could only be labelled as a power up. The demon stood on two legs like a pro, saying something neither of them could decipher and pointed at them. Under the soot on the crown something had gleamed red and the demon started glowing. On instinct, they both had turned and ran for cover.

Gen had done the most logical thing and covered her head with her arms, curling into a small ball behind a wide tree. Greg had been on her right, lying in the grass behind a log.

It was good to listen to their instincts, because then the forest was set alit like a dry torch. A shockwave of ungodly hot air that made everything it hit combust had swept over their heads. The fire ate away the tree she was hiding behind and Greg had been in more of a pinch than she was.

She didn't know how large the damage zone was, but when she had thought it to be safe to come out she had looked at their opponent. The void demon had turned black and shiny like a piece of coal, flame bursting out of the holes in its body. Some new cracks had appeared on it too.

And it was bigger than before.

"Gloria-sama, use my body."

"...ahhh... _what_?"

He liquifed himself. **"Use the water that is my body."**

The girl eyed him with doubt. "Won't that... maybe kill you?"

"No, as long as my core is kept safe," the turtle halves snapped tightly shut and turned into a capsule with an icy cap, before it fell to the ground. The water it left behind was going to splash on the ground, but she lifted her hand to prevent it. Obediently the huge wave shifted towards her as she willed it, and in the side she had a good look at it. It was decidedly different from what the normal seawater was, more personal and it had a more ancient feeling. Where had this water come from?

_Not now, Gloria._

The sides looked at each other, looking for weaknesses they wished not to display themselves. Her thoughts were clearer than moments ago, but one stray brain-rabbit jumped to the topic of Kilir. For a millisecond she looked at the tree he had been trapped to. He wasn't there.

In that millisecond the demon attacked. By the end of the second it was right in front of her and she could practically see what it had had for lunch. First she thought it was going for a bite again, but then she flicked her wrist to command the water to redirect its muzzle at the sky, and make the breath of fire harmless. She would've whistled, the water was easy and smooth to manipulate to her will. Hehehe, like Sanji.

Holy crap, she was getting tired. So much for that 'clear mind', huh?

Taking advance of it she thrust forward with her sword and lodged it into the voider's chest. She smirked triumphantly, but...

**"NOT WORKING!"**

From somewhere, a flame shot out and tried to pierce her. Would've hurt too if she hadn't been quick to dodge out of the way by curving her middle to the side with an 'eep'.

"Oh, so that's how you want to play it?" she narrowed her eyes. Gen pulled the sword out, not wanting to risk losing it, and made several tentacles rise from the mass of water behind her back.

They started a merciless game of whipping the crap out of each other, each that hit leaving a burning wound on her and each that hit the demon took off a chunk.

_'Wait, what did I do with that other creep...?'_ her brows knit together. "Oh yeah, I chopped his head off."

This in mind, she aimed at the demon's head. It moved out of the way and the sharp-ended tentacle left a welt in its face. A tiny flame flashed out, but it didn't hiss out in pain like it did when she struck it with the sword. Hm, interesting. She smirked and tossed the sword for a tentacle to wrap around its hilt and started swinging it furiously at the demon.

It was just as fast as she was in dodging and Gen was quickly feeling the strain from the move. A whip of fire wrapped around her arm, disturbing the tight rhythm and giving the demon an opening to sink it's searing claws into her left collar, chest and right bicep. She screamed hoarsely and lifted the sword up in agony. Her shirt was burning away from where the demon was tearing into her torso. She grabbed the claw despite the heat, making her fight against her basic instinct to draw back instantly and splaying half of the water on the ground. She pushed all the energy left into the tentacle holding Caermare and to the hand that held down the massive claw.

"Die, you traitorous son of a bitch," she growled tiredly and drove the sword into the demon's throat.


	71. Hey Shadow, go home!

Woaah! I FOUND MY MP3!_!_ *_wriggle of happiness*_ Mom found it in the bookshelf when she was cleaning it up, but the question remains *_narrows eyes*_ **who the bloody hell put it in there and forgot to mention that to me!_?_**

* * *

><p>The fight had drained her, but not only in a bad way. Her mind felt clearer, even if everything else felt like dropping dead. She was bleeding where the demon had pierced her, but the heat had more or less cauterized the wounds so it wasn't life threatening. While Greg was gathering himself, Gen was sitting on the ground and fiddling with the crown. It was a beautifully woven piece of art, meant to look like thin vines embracing small, roughly cut and polished pieces of gems. The girl couldn't be sure what each of them were called, but she could take guesses. Emerald or jade... and that had to be diamond. Was that amber over there? Would the Earth even use that, since amber was something that washed ashore from the ocean? And it was too pale to be amber. Topaz? The most prominent decoration was a small, dark ruby flower at the middle of the now silvery crown.<p>

One strike hadn't been enough to severe the voider's head off. She'd had to hit twice, and then it had fallen to the ground. The demon had shrunk into a small, pathetic looking collared lizard before it burst into a bright white flame. After when it was gone, all that was left was the crown, clean of any black that had covered it.

She twirled the chain in her hand. When the crown had come off she could see that it had two small birch leaves hanging from the middle of it.

"Are you okay, Gloria-sama?" Greg asked quietly. He dusted himself off and handed her the sword she'd dropped after killing the demon.

"Yeah," she slipped Caermare where it belonged and after a while pondering slipped the crown in her bag for safekeeping. "What happened to Kilir?" she asked, looking around.

"I do not know," his answer was thornier than an acacia tree.

"Come on, he's a total sweetie for an enemy's son," she waved her hand and smiled. Then her eyebrow twitched. "But that bug hanging on him is still creepy."

"Cricket."

"Huh?"

"It's a cricket, M'Lady."

"_OI_!"

He chuckled wholeheartedly at her face before looking at her with a scrutinizing eye. "Will you be fine? Are you going to help your friends?"

"Dude, they're yours too," she sweatdropped. "Yeah, I'll go see what I can do. You coming?"

"Nay, I need to make a report," he shook his head.

"Oh. Well... be seein'?"

"Definitely, Gloria-sama," he gave a dazzling smile and a flourish bow before disappearing from her sight.

She took a look at her surroundings, the now scarred ground, and sighed. Gen perked her ears to hear the gigantic zombie stomping around (_wasn't that hard_) and headed to where the castle was looming over the treetops. In actuality it wasn't that long of a run, but she was tired and it stretched a bit. She hoped she'd be in time, to do what she wasn't sure herself.

"**_SHOW YOURSELVES! STRAWHAT CREW!_**" a great yell rumbled through the Thriller Bark.

When she finally made it to the inner yard of the castle (_there was a huge, convenient hole in the side of the castle and she exploited that freely_) she could only gape. This was the first she'd seen the zombie in live, and... it was just ugly. Big round belly, large forearms and a big mane of off yellow, slightly greenish hair. Ugh, and the loincloth! And like Chopper had said, it was huge.

"Show myself?" she muttered to herself. _'Yeah right!'_

She could see Sanji standing defiantly in the zombie's path, a small black speck in the middle of the rubble. The two were talking... and she had to say that even if Oz was as strong as Luffy, he was just as harebrained as the real deal:

"My name is Oz! Pleased to meet you!"

...yeah.

She couldn't see the others, but did hear snippets of their voices floating from somewhere higher grounds. The zombie looked at it's left arm. "A spitting image. You're one of the pirates too, huh!_?_" And it raised it's right arm... "GOMU GOMU NO...!_!_!"

Oh, Oz just flung him around like a fly. It didn't matter if the zombie could stretch its arm or not, the reach and the strength was enough, and Sanji seemed to be already in a bad condition. She looked with a hard eye as the zombie snatched the chef in its enormous fist. Then there was a big explosion in the zombie's face... but that didn't help any. All it did was burn a bit of its hair and it tossed Sanji off to somewhere. Chopper's yell floated to her ears, snapping her out of it. She ran to where she'd seen Sanji fall.

She hadn't been the only one who'd heard the reindeer's shout of distress. Oz's head turned to the castle wall, and a shot from one of the towers caught its attention. Faster than was legal, it made a flying kick at the tower where the shot had come from. A green dot - Zoro - managed to slice off the zombie's other tusk... before he was kicked up high in the air.

"ZORO!_!_!" She yelled.

In retrospect, that wasn't the best of her ideas. After demolishing the castle wall where Robin (_she had saved Zoro from the fall_), Usopp and Chopper were, it caught sight of her. When it glanced at its arm to confirm that she was who it was looking for, she nearly flew to hide behind a boulder.

"Where did Evil girl go?" it looked around the ground, the one eyed gaze bouncing from place to place, looking for her.

'_I'm NOT evil!_' she pouted in silence. Then before she could realize what was going on, Oz had kicked up the rubble around him like a frustrated kid when the zombie couldn't find her. Then it let out a triumphant, still slightly childishly innocent yell when it saw Gen draped over some rock. She was in that point just as aware of her surroundings as the said rock while the gigantic zombie broke through another tower's wall in search of rest of the pirates.

* * *

><p>"...llooo? Hey, wake up," a hand was shaking her gently. The voice that dribbled through the haze identified as Usopp's. "I don't think she's up for thi- no, wait, she's coming to."<p>

"Ohhhh... Hell, my head...!" she groaned and looked to the sniper, then past him to the other people. They were talking about the zombie's name, not really remembering it right. Usopp gave his input now that she was awake too. Gen gave him a grateful smile and patted herself down quickly, making a map of her injuries and coming to a conclusion that nothing was broken nor seriously bleeding anymore and that she could still go on for some time. She caught Zoro looking at her from the corner of his eye when he was tightening the knot of his bandana. She smiled to him, that being returned as a smirk.

"Oi, Oz!_!_ If that's really Luffy's shadow in you, then you shouldn't go underestimating the power of your own nakama!" Sanji was the voice of their mutual challenge. Upon his words, the zombie turned to look at them... from its position on the wall of the castle, hanging upside down...

She also took notice of the sweet ass nun chuck Franky was casually leaning against his shoulders. "Oi Frankypants, there's something different about you but I can't put my finger on it," she grinned, making him chuckle.

"Hey, I've got an idea..." Zoro's smiles died out and he glared at the zombie. It had its face so close to them that she could smell the horrendous breath. It was laughing to itself, though no one was listening what it was saying. "How about we send this guy flying?"

"Se-send him flying!_?_ He's freaking _gigantic!_!" Usopp had to say.

"I see... that would be great," Sanji was agreeing with Zoro.

"Hmm... I'd love to see this thing being crushed, like a bug," Gloria tilted her head. "Fire would be efficient too, since it's a zombie, but I've had enough of that for months."

"Seeing him move like Luffy with that huge body was a surprise," The swordsman admitted. Ah, there was that smile again, and that cute dimple of his.

"But he's not really suited to be the pirate king," Robin frowned at Oz. He? Gen wasn't giving this thing that title.

"He must have some weak point," Chopper muttered under the rim of his hat, Sanji was saying something about catching a big fish around his cigarette and Usopp just said with wide eyes that he was scared.

...Oz in the meantime jumped in the air, ready to make a butt flop on them.

"WHAT KIND OF ATTACK IS THAT!_?_"

"SCATTER!"

'_Senbonzakura_**_*_**_?_' Gen snickered in her mind as she dashed out of the way of the incoming ass. '_And what the hell are they doing NOW!_?'

"Tactics 15!_!_" Franky yelled, dropping the nun chuck and running to Usopp and Chopper. She should've never asked, because in the next ten seconds the cyborg was standing on Zoro's and Sanji's shoulders who were holding on to the feet by instinct or something, and Choppie... why am I telling you people this, you already know what it looked like, and Gloria facepalmed at it.

"Wait a second, Franky!_!_" the doctor cried out. "The left arm and the water rocket aren't docked yet!"

"What!_?_"

"Excuse me _what?_" Gen asked with a deadpan expression and a sweatdrop.

"Hey!_!_ Nico Robin, Gen-sis, what are you doing!_?_ Dock!_!_" Franky was waving his hand.

"Hurry! Gen, hop on the back and hang on!" Chopper said.

"Come on, Robin!_!_ Just do it like me!_!_" the sniper wriggled.

"No way. It's embarrassing as a human being."

Franky, Usopp and Chopper all looked shocked by this. Gen had one eyeful of the situation. Then the others looked at her expectantly. "What?"

"Why didn't you!_?_" Chopper insisted.

"You traitors!"

"On top of what Robin said..." the three flinched at her frosty tone and the memory of that one sentence the archaeologist had just said "...it would be an insult to life both organic and not."

"GAH!

"WHAAA-!_!_"

"Why did you stop?" Oz said. She had nearly forgotten about it.

"Why is he shocked too!_?_" Sanji asked.

Gen looked at Zoro disapprovingly. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Uhh..."

Before he could defend himself, Oz slapped at them. Sanji and Gen jumped away and Zoro ducked. "Come on!_!_ Docking!_!_ I was all excited!_!_!"

Gen rolled away and heard the marimo thinking out loud, questioning his own stupidity and trying to forget it ever happened. While Robin told the three momentous idiots to NEVER try that again, Sanji kicked up a rock the size of a large watermelon and aimed it at the zombie's cranium. That only made the zombie pissed at the cook.

Zoro stabbed two swords into the nun chuck pillar and advanced, twirling the other end wildly. Everything proceeded quickly; while Zoro was at that, Usopp shot pellets filled with oil at one of the huge hands that was supporting the zombie's weight. It clicked to her as to how help in all this when it didn't slip on it like it was meant to: she raised her hand and made a grabbing motion at the oil. It was hard to get to do what she wanted, sluggish and rebellious. Usopp didn't have to tell her where he wanted the zombie to fall, and shifted the oil like a rug under its palm to the right, towards the zombie's other hand. After that she could enjoy the seamless teamwork of the rest of them, all that ending into a kick from Sanji to make it fall over and on its head. She shook her hand to get rid of the greasy feeling. '_Note to self: don't use oil in this._'

"Ow, ow, ow...!_!_ YOU BASTARDS! Now you've got me _mad_! I'll send you flying! Prepare yourselves; I'm going to flatten you all! EVEN YOUR BONES WILL BE GONE!_!_! _UOOOO!_!_!_"

"_Yaaaa!_!" Chopper's eyes bulged out.

"Oh my god!_!_ He's ridiculously angry!_!_" Usopp flailed.

"This is bad."

"Here he comes!_!_"

Then confusion fell on Oz's mangled features. "My horns... are stuck!_!_ Crap. My horns are totally stuck...!_!_!"

Gloria let her insane 'I-eat-kids-for-breakfast-and-kitties-for-dessert' grin stretch unhurriedly over her features. She cocked her head to the side lazily and cackled. "Reaaaally now...?"

She wasn't the only one with sadistic thoughts. Zoro, for example, licked his sword.

Oz was sweating nervously and let out a small 'ah'.

Skipping to the point where Oz got its horns unstuck and the pirates were forced to retreat, Zoro and Franky broke its knees, bringing it down on all fours.

"We're not gonna lose!_!_ Uhahahaha!_!_ We just gotta wait until Strawhat kicks Moria's ass!_!_ Come on, get those shadows, Strawhat!" Franky was laughing.

Gen didn't pay attention to the rest of their chatter. She was thinking hard. The crown was still in her bag, and they needed Oz out of the picture. She knew that the zombie was Luffy's pray, but...

She shook her head. The crown wasn't hers to use, period. What she needed was a supply of water, and she doubted Greg could be of any help anymore, and besides, he was on the other side. She wasn't even sure if she wanted his he-

All her thoughts fell silent. Like a crowd of people that realized that there was a small, important noise coming from somewhere, one that they should be listening carefully.

Her mind washed blank, hackles raised and a cold lump of fear falling at the bottom of her gut told her that they were doomed in some way, and she knew they were.

Her stopped mind revved back to movement when someone grabbed and dragged her away from an oncoming Oz. She saw Zoro standing in stance in front of the zombie. Usopp told him that it was a stupid idea and waste of time to fight Oz, for they needed Moria to be out of the picture. "We should believe in Luffy and just do our best to hold the zombie!_!_"

"Of course I believe in him, but Luffy too has his weaknesses," Zoro said seriously. "Deception... invisible man, spirits, shadow users. This island has so many devil fruit users. I honestly doubt that they will fight Luffy fair and square."

"This is quite possible," Robin frowned.

"If Luffy got cinched, then by morning him, I and cook... the three of us would no longer be able to fight. This is why, before dawn, I must at least restore Luffy's shadow! This is our safest bet!"

Gen could only blink, and then she sighed in admiration. She didn't notice the gentle smile she had when she stared at the back of the man she loved. '_I sometimes forget just how loyal he is..._'

"When it's morning, I doubt we'll even have 30 minutes, but with such a thick smog, the sun's reach should be limited..." Franky looked up to the swirling shroud above them.

"It's the only shield against daylight. Frankly speaking, this is the first time I've felt such danger..." Sanji muttered, blowing a stream of smoke.

"Hey..." Gen said in thought. "That fog, it's mostly just moisture, right? If I can, I will be able to buy some time if it comes to that."

"That could very well save your lives," Robin looked at Zoro and Sanji and nodded. In a matter of seconds, the ground shook violently. Even Oz had trouble staying upright.

"Whoah, what the-!_?_"

"What's this shaking!_?_"

And all too soon... the sky was clear like a fine day. Or night, it was still dark for some time, but in the horizon one could already see the promise of a sunrise. The pirates gaped at the now cloudless sky, swearing and going into slight panic too.

"Yo, Gen-sis, now would be a good moment to do your thing," Franky suggested. Gen grinned despite the grave situation.

"I'd rather save it for when it's really needed, but I can test out how it works," she said. Then the girl frowned and changed her mind. '_The ship keeps on sailing further away from the mist... I have to take it with us anyway._' Gen rolled her wrist and pointed her hand at the edge of the mist.

"Heheh. This is quite surprising, the night sky feels soooo good," a new voice said. "It looks like the sun's coming soon. Do you think you guys can still be so slow?"

Oh that was just Gecko Moria, taking residence in Oz's stomach.

"MO- MO- _MORIA!_! How the hell did he get there!_?_ Where's Luffy!_?_" Usopp yelped and fell on his rump.

"What? Usopp, where do you see him?" Zoro turned his head to see.

"There! Can't you see!_?_ In Oz's tummy!_!_"

She only listened with half a ear. It was very hard to keep the dispersing trail of floating water and whatnot. In her mind she compared it to holding sand in her hand. Ever so slowly the fog started gathering at the sky again. Oz was completely taken by the command unit in its stomach (_"Holy shit, this is soooo coool, I'm like a fucking robot!_!_"_) but Moria and her nakama were looking up.

"What's going on?" the ugly, blue stitch neck had a mighty frown on his batty face.

"Hey! The fog is back!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Way to go! Now we won't have to worry about the sun!" Usopp cheered. Gloria acknowledged them with a short humm. She needed all her focus to keep the fog from slipping away.

"Usopp! If little salt is useless, then go find a ton of it!" Zoro said. The rest of them were to weaken Oz, and to protect Gen from distractions. It proved to be Usopp who would've needed the shield. He was lucky though, because Brook appeared at the moment Oz slammed it's fist into the sniper's direction.

"Sorry guys I'm late. I thought you people needed a ton of salt, right? So I've gone and gathered this much_!_!" He had a huge sack of the thing in his bony hand. Usopp was draped on his back over the skeleton's shoulder, fine but a bit ruffled up. Gloria didn't listen to them telling Brook what was happening and that she was to be kept away from the battle.

Teamwork seemed to be the word of the day. Usopp and Franky's fire bird didn't do much else than distract Oz a little and almost Gen too (_she felt sparkly-eyed at the huge bird of fire soaring at the zombie_), but it was Zoro, Sanji and Chopper's co'ed attack that was reflected back and the cyborg had to lug her out of the way. Brook was in a bad shape, so he was simply guarding the sack of salt and being saved by Robin's extra hands from getting crushed under a pile of stone.

Franky was moments later saved by Nami's thunderbolt, after another failed attempt at the zombie. Then Robin saved Nami, because the Zombie's arm stretched, something that was definitely against the laws of nature. As if this whole deal with the living dead wasn't...

Gloria could feel her focus trying to escape her again, and she tried to block out all that didn't concern her. It was so, so hard, with the fight going on right next to the girl not to just let it all go, sit down and take out a bag of popcorn, or to join them and save the day by poking the zombie with a piece of sea.

'_Question: why am I not doing this easier to them?_' The fog tried to run from between the cracks. '_I could just drown this whole place and be on with it... But that would change things and Luffy wouldn't get the piece of paper from the warthog-girl and- oh shit._' The cloud was half of what it had been in the beginning. But the fight had proceeded, with Brook's little sacrifice - he was used as the blade of their little plan - Oz now had a gaping hole at the shoulder of it's right arm and the mastermind behind this all was in Robin's detached clutch.

While Gen tried to think of what to do with the cloud, there was a moment of peace. It was already ebbing away at the edges, she could tell, and she had a spontaneous urge to test out the theory that people weren't able to fly. What was with that anyway? It should be easy, just flap your hands and-

'_Cut that out, Gloria. It's just the little voice in your head that wants you to do those things. Now focus!_'

Oooh! Bats!

"HEY! LEAVE ROBIN-CHAN ALONE!_!_" She yelled with sharp teeth and a tick mark when a flock of small, round and grinning bats attacked the archaeologist.

"GEN! CONCENTRATE!"

"BUT IT'S SO _HARD_!" She whined back at Zoro. The girl grit her teeth. She was getting desperate, and all was out of the window when Robin got her shadow taken. Moria was suddenly standing behind the woman... when did he get there?

The fact that one more of them were now vulnerable to the sun meant that she had to put extra care in what she was doing and she left it to Sanji to deflect the mass destructive blow of Oz away from the now unconscious Robin. The cape of fog lost another sliver. Good thing that Chopper found out the reason Oz had died 500 years ago. She filed it to 'idiocy', as the thing had frozen to death due to walking around half naked in a country of ice. This being said, the right arm they had already damaged was it's weak point. Sanji and Chopper did a good number on the said hand, but...

The demigoddess winced and could almost feel their pain, when Oz rained down one of Luffy's signature moves, the gatling gun.

Her heart kept on hurting when Zoro got slammed into a wall. Her vision was blurring with tears. It was becoming too painful to her, but then Luffy appeared. Big, blue and positively hulking Luffy, but it was him nonetheless. She could sigh in relief.

One thing she hadn't noticed yet that Oz had tried to smash her to the ground. The blue Luffy stood in front of her, Usopp and Nami in his now huge hands and a very... Un-Luffy-like aura about him. She was getting a headache from it all, trying to decipher what was different in him and keeping to her original task.

Nami and Usopp were tossed on her both sides and Luffy answered to Oz's oncoming attack with his own fist, stopping the hit and sending the zombie flying back. The side of her mouth curled up at her two nakama's slacked jaws. Their fight moved on further from them.

She 'eep'ed when someone grabbed her and pulled her behind some rubble. Nami and Usopp were peeking over their small shelter, and Gen could hear people too. Their talking, their footsteps.

"Save our Ray of Hope's comrades!_!_"

"Move them to a safe location!_!_ And these are the kinds of guys I like~!" a female voice was saying.

"YOU BETTER NOT TALK ABOUT ZORO!_!_" Gen bolted up with a tick mark. Usopp sweatdropped and Nami resisted the urge to hit her - instead, she sunk her face into her hands and sighed.

* * *

><p>They got a quick summary about Luffy and the story behind his hulky blueness. Apparently he'd been stuffed with the very same shadows that Moria had separated from his victims, giving him a temporary power boost.<p>

Nami looked at Gen, who had taken a meditative position on a flat stone to the side. She was panting lightly and the navigator could see sweat roll down her temple. She wouldn't last long anymore.

"What is she doing?" the leader of the little group of shadow less people, a big woman with a big mouth and pink hair, asked Nami. The navigator had a fleeting thought that the woman was somehow familiar... but no, that would be impossible, they had never met before. Maybe she just reminded her of someone she had met long ago?

Nami looked up to the sky. The fog seemed thick enough, for now. "Believe it or not, but she's the one reason we still have shade on us."

"Really!_? _Amazing!_!_ She has that kind of gift!_?_" a ratty, thin man with dirty, blonde hair and a very upturned nose asked.

"Yeah, but we can absolutely not disturb her now or all her hard work is for nothing. She won't last long, though," the redhead answered, giving the people a stern look. In the distance Luffy was throwing Oz around like a rag doll, making the ground quake.

"Dawn is almost on us! These few minutes will decide the fate of all the victims on this island!" the leaderess yelled.

"We're counting on you, Strawhat!_!_! We want to walk under the sun again!_!_"

"Just once, we want to be human again!_!_"

"GYAH!" suddenly the beaten form of Oz was ploughing through the ground and mansion towards them. The Strawhats were hastily picked up, Gen carried on with her still sitting on the stone by a few men.

It was simply amazing, to watch how Luffy first sliced, then pummelled the gigantic zombie until he fell and broke another wall of the mansion.

"Captain Lola!_!_ Look...! Strawhat is...!" someone yelled. Nami snapped her head to see Luffy starting to shrink, black strikes coming out of him. She and Usopp rushed to meet with the prone rubber man, heavy in sleep. The victims were celebrating already, yelling that Thriller Bark had fallen and that the shadows were returning. The Strawhat navigator was tired yet she smiled. Luffy had once again saved the day.

"...the sky is starting to light up..." Gen muttered in warning.

They had another problem. There were still shadows that had to be freed, and only Moria would be able to do it. And Oz was getting up again, to their horror. The victim pirates' hope was depleting by the second.

"Didn't hurt a bit...!" the zombie commented, a fierce gleam in his eye.

"There really is no way to defeat a zombie with strength after all... they're completely invulnerable... we can't do a thing!_!_!"

"This is it for us!_!_ The night is almost over!_!_ There's no way left for us to escape from this life of darkness!"

"It's time to give up! If we stay here, we're just going to die!"

Soon, every man was ready to run away back to the forest, but then they saw something that made their jaws drop. "It... It's you!_!_"

"I don't know what happened to Luffy, but... I'd say he's done more that enough," the first mate of the Strawhats said, holding his swords firmly.

"H-Hey, wait a minute! You'll die if you try to fight like that!_!_"

Lola's eyes bulged out. "He took that huge attack and he's standing back up to fight...!_?_ I don't know which of them is the real zombie anymore!_!_"

But in that point, neither Nami nor Usopp were there anymore, only Gen who was subtly grinning to herself.

Leaving? Running away? Pfft. Dream on.

* * *

><p>Oz's spine was broken, but he was still alive and conscious. A bit confused though, about the fact that he wasn't able to move at all. Gloria could feel that the sun had creeped over the horizon already, so she dropped all else from her mind except that. In her steady, blank state she didn't hear nor see Luffy verbally argue with Moria and demand him to return the shadows before morning came. They didn't know that it technically already had, but with Gen they couldn't tell. Several were worried about her and glancing between her and the sky to see if she would fall soon. The girl seemed to have become a (<em>barely)<em> breathing statue.

Moria summoned the shadows to him and merged them into his body, counting it to one thousand and bloating up like a particularly ugly toad. The Strawhats didn't move a muscle when Moria smashed up the island; breaking the mast and making it lean to the side. During that, Gen finally lost the last of her grip and the ocean wind started slowly shredding and cutting into the fog. The other pirates were all panicking, except for their female captain who had decided that whatever happened, she would not cower back from the sun in fear of death. She silently apologized to everyone in her mind.

Gloria made a small sound at the back of her parched throat and fell on her back, heaving heavy breaths and eyes unable to stop to any certain point. The sun's rays were slowly tearing holes into the fog. Captain Lola's face was soon set on fire, but she didn't step back.

"Everybody!" Luffy's voice rang loud and clear. "We don't have any time!_!_ I'm gonna go a bit wild, so you guys take care of everything afterwards!_!_" Then he revved up, preparing gear second. The rest of the crew was talking about some things, like Luffy's foolish pride and abandonment of his self control and reason. "If it's nightmare you want, I'll show you one, Gecko Moria!_!_!"

Once again, the victimized pirates were asking their captain to retreat to the shadows, yet she still refused to do that. Then the pirates tried to speak sense to the Strawhats.

"If you're just going to watch, then watch silently! The battle against Moria... we've already won!" Zoro told them coolly over his shoulder. "All that's left now is a race against the clock. Moria is only trying to buy time with his final insane move."

Gen suddenly giggled stupidly and sang: "Corpses, corpses, 'roun' 'vry corner! *_cough, cough_* Now with even lesser life!"

Being full of shadows had its setback: one nice jet bazooka in the gut had Moria spewing them out. They made a gleeful leap for the sudden freedom and disappeared quickly to the sky. The toady Moria made a cube of black matter around Luffy and crushed it, the cube looking like an abused tin can after. He even stepped on it, and still their captain broke free unhurt.

"You can say whatever you want, be it amateur or dying in pain, but no one can even dream of defeating me!_!_" he said.

"I can't defeat you? What exactly is the basis for your nonsense!_?_ The more you trash talk, the more inexperienced you make yourself appear!" Gecko Moria gave a mocking laugh.

"Because I'm a rubber man!"

He declared it in such a manner that made Gen incapable of staying completely quiet, the girl making an odd chocking noise. His tone was dead serious as the situation needed it, but alone that sentence was ridiculous. From all the 'cool' things he could've said in the moment, he chose to say that, and he made it sound like the greatest truth there ever was. She knew it was very, very rude and inappropriate to laugh now so she bit her tongue and tensed her abdomen to stop herself from giggling like a tired idiot she felt herself to be.

Gloria's impromptu mirth was short lived, when Luffy blew air into his arm. The Strawhat pirates knew that it was catastrophical to even use such a technique like gear second, but now he was using both that and the third at the same time. Chopper was desperately shouting to him to not overdo it, but he never listened to the doctor's order.

Luffy, now looking like a balloon, launched himself at the enemy and collided with his middle, making more shadows leak out like black blood. Moria held his hands over his mouth, trying to prevent them from leaving him at any cost. Lola, still on fire, started calling her shadow to come back to her. After some pretty impressive speech her crewmates finally grabbed her and dragged her off to shade to be safe from the morning sun, now shining directly upon them. Then they took up after their leader and started calling their own shadows back. To not feel like an outsider, Gen silently told Zoro's shadow to come back to it's owner, if it ever wanted to see her again... or _else_.

The rubbery captain's demand was more forceful, backed with another strike. It made the already lopsided mast fall down - on Moria. This also made the shade upon her nakama shift away and she sat up to see them starting to fade away, starting from their upper bodies. Everyone could see that the mast laying on Moria had done a good job, the shadows were spinning out of his wide-open mouth and into the world.

For a moment she was afraid for them. The image of Robin, Zoro, Sanji and Luffy disintegrating was making her more and more scared for them... but then the four little slips of black settled on the ground right where they were supposed to be. It even fixed up the damage to what it had been before the sun had started to chew on them.

"I thought I was going to heaven for a moment," Robin's 'oh my' -tone of utter nonchalance was funny, as well as Sanji's normal crap and Usopp's chastise about their indifferent attitudes towards the fact that they were a hair's width away from dying (_again_). Zoro never finished whatever he was going to say as a high-speed blur of white tackled and pinned him to the ground. He was first mildly confused; before he recognized her and let his hands cross over her back in a hug, letting her rest her head on his chest.

"Been a rough night?" he asked with a small smile. He didn't dare to move his hands in case she had bad injuries on her, but it was relieving to have her right there.

"Burnt to a crisp, skewered and mentally exhausted," she snorted.

"So you're perfectly fine."

They listened the pirates celebrate and frolic in the sun, all the while enjoying each other's company.

"Yeah... at least for now."

* * *

><p><strong>*<strong> "Scatter, Senbonzakura!" is from Bleach.

Some fluffiness at the end. Hope ye people liked the chapter.


	72. Sacrificing bastard

I've got... about twenty minutes before I'm leaving with two of my friends to a summer cabin in Mid Finland. It's raining -_-'... So the chapter is short, because there is no internet where I'm going to, so I won't have the material nor the time really to write, and I'm sure you people want to have this now rather than after another week, aye? I could still keep on writing if my friends allow that, since I GOT MY OWN COMPUTER~~~~ but I won't be able to read the manga nor publish.

Gloria: DIE KUMA DIE!_!_!

* * *

><p>Oh, it was so peaceful. She had been drenched in sweat and blood and other untitled gore before Chopper had conjured a small towel from somewhere with which she could wipe her face with while the little doctor cleaned her wounds and bandaged them. Now he was taking care of Luffy, who was still deeply unconscious. It honestly worried her.<p>

"Didn't Luffy shrink before?" Zoro asked. He was sitting in his usual pose against the ruins, his new prize (_Shuusui_) leaning against his shoulder. His right arm was casually slung across her collar and his big hand was lightly grasping her left upper arm.

"When he uses the 'giant' gear, he said that he shrinks later as a side effect," the doctor answered his question.

"Don't you think Luffy's new fighting style is too harmful to his body? If there are stronger enemies ahead, that means he'll have to keep on doing this," Usopp sighed. "I'm worried..."

"You're not the only one," Gen said. "I've always known it, and I noticed it too, an island ago, but we are proceeding faster than our strength is able to grow. I fear it will bring us large troubles."

"Is that a speculation or a fact?" Sanji asked.

"Both."

Movement to the side caught Nami's eye and she turned to see the old man Gen had met in the forest with the others.

"'ello!"

"EYAAAAH!_!_ Zombie!_!_ Was there one left without its shadow taken!_?_" Usopp brandished his slingshot at it in fright.

"Nah, I'm just an old man with a big wound."

"THAT'S SO CONFUSING!_!_ JUST BE A ZOMBIE THEN!_!_"

"Ah, Usopp, it doesn't work like that," Gen sweatdropped.

"You're the old man from the graveyard," Sanji said in recognition.

The man apparently had some kind of status, as the other pirates were glad to see him again. After some voluble thanks Lola and her people all sat on the ground in a deep bow. It would've been good and she would've brushed it aside if she hadn't ended it with: "I'll let you be my groom as a sign of gratitude!"

"No thanks," the guys said in tandem.

"Oi!" A tick mark bulged on Gen's temple.

"Even if you thank us... Luffy said so, old man. We just fought for our own interest, and you guys were saved as an extra," Zoro said. He rubbed the back of his neck, which indicated that he was actually kinda happy about the thanks, even if he was trying to divert it.

The air shifted, and the happy feeling in her stomach tossed its imaginary hands up in the air, screamed and ran like hell.

Nami punched Zoro. "What are you talking about!_?_ To people who want to repay us, too!_?_"

"That's right bro, let us do something!_!_"

"Even as an extra, we're thankful for beating Moria!_!_"

"See?" the navigator made a cute pose with her hands behind her back and a small tilt of her head.

Usopp looked at the young woman, sweatdropping. "You..."

Then the navigator seemed to remember something, and her hand clamped over her mouth. A look of terror made her eyes widen and the rest of her face fall pale. It wasn't far from Gen's reaction either.

"Hey, what is it?" the sniper asked, looking between the girls. Zoro's eyes flickered into alertness.

"**_I see_**," a voice, one through a den den mushi, said. "**_My uneasy feeling seems to have been dead on._**"

"So it seems," the man answered. He was large with wide chest and jaw, his features rough and cut from stone. What gave Gloria the creeps was his smooth, cool voice. It was like a cool glass of water on a warm day... a glass of water that had the potential to either sate the thirst or jump out like a wild bear and rip your throat out. Unlike water though, his voice actually made her slightly thirsty. Thirsty to hear more, because she had a feeling that however long she listened to it, it would still be but a hollow echo of what it might've once been.

"_**And just when we found a successor to Crocodile... It's not good to have another Shichibukai defeated.**_" The voice floated down from the fallen mast and Franky pointed it out.

"Who the hell is that!_?_"

"You...!" Gen hissed under her breath.

"He's there..." Nami was panting and shaking. "Calm down and listen to me...! During the fight with Moria... I forgot to tell you but, on this island... there was another one!_!_"

"That, my lads and lasses, is a Shichibukai," the white-haired woman said with narrowed eyes.

"_WHAT!_?"

There was a lot of chatter; Lola's pirates were recounting what little they knew of Kuma, while the man himself listened patiently on the den den mushi. In the end, the mystery voice told the Shichibukai to obliterate everyone who had been eyewitness to Moria's fall. The pirates just freed from the demented, local tyrant were freaking out, and the longer Gen stared at the man the more she felt dread sink into her gut, to the point that she couldn't turn her attention away from Kuma.

"Waaah! Two Shichibukais in a row!_?_" Usopp panicked.

"You guys, step back, I'll take this," Zoro was ready to draw a blade.

"Be careful!_!_ He's some kind of devil's fruit user! I saw a person disappear when touched by his hand!" Nami yelled. "And he can also use teleportation!_!_"

Which he used to get in the middle of the small fry pirates. After demonstrating his abilities by sending one of the men flying to his comrades, the man appeared right next to Zoro, his back at them. "Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro. Let's start with you..."

The pirates were somewhat pissed now, not because their fellow man had been almost killed, but because the man was threatening their freshly regained freedom. They knew that the Strawhats were exhausted and that's why they tried to challenge Kuma, to draw him away from them.

Zoro had a fierce look on his face when he stood between Kuma and the others on the island. "It's fine! Just get back!_!_ He wants me!_!_ Didn't you hear him...!_?_ I've accepted this fight... I don't need your help. Don't humiliate me!_!_"

The demigoddess' _Worry For The Marimo_ -meter jumped through its top and started leaking all over her brain. She didn't have to see the future to know that this behaviour was going to be his downfall one day.

"You all have a pretty good reputation. I've heard that Strawhat Luffy..." Kuma tasted the name as he spoke, "has gathered a number of skilled crew members."

'_Oh... well that's... kinda nice..._' Gen smiled and rubbed the back of her neck, a light blush climbing her cheeks. Apparently she wasn't the only one to have this sort of reaction either.

"THIS ISN'T THE TIME TO BE FLATTERED!_!_!" Lola yelled at her, Franky, Nami, Usopp, Chopper and Sanji.

"You people are causing a lot of trouble. Even though you were unknown before, it's not just the captain who's getting noticed."

Usopp had his wits back in a second as Zoro shifted his legs a bit wider, his head hunched and elbows back. "Hey, Zoro, wait! That's too reckless! You're too beaten up right now!"

"This kind of misfortune is just the way the world is. If you make excuses, will someone come and save you?"

Gen could hear the grin on the man's face. "If I die here, the that's just my limit as a man!_!_!"

Their first encounter was short and harsh, at least on the swordsman. His attacks were nothing to Kuma, but he had to dodge every single attack of the Shichibukai or lose a limb. Kuma was also able to swat away Zoro's 36-pound cannon with his bare hand, which was bounced to the side to make its damage on the rubble.

"So, that's your ability," Zoro panted. "To repel anything."

Kuma held his disgloved hands up for them to see them. "I ate the nikyu nikyu fruit. I'm a paw man!"

"A paw man!_?_" Sanji and Usopp chorused.

"That sounds so gentle!" Franky was gaping.

"There are these kinds of cute devil fruits too!_?_" Nami blinked.

Franky was in the middle of thinking out loud that perhaps Kuma was compassionate and not such a big deal after all when the Shichibukai pointed his hand at him. He fell in an instant with a big, round paw print in the middle of his chest.

"Franky!_!_!"

The marine took a wide sumo-like stance to face off against Zoro again. "Your time is up."

Less than a minute and Zoro was coughing on his knees again. Gen realized she hadn't been breathing at all and, released her lungs shakily and drew in more air. The other pirates were yelling things again.

"Zoro, behind you!_!_" she shouted. Kuma's left hand was dangerously close to him.

"Oh no you won't!_!_" Sanji's shout got their attention. He had gathered up energy from a big calibre twirl not too different from what he usually displayed at the deck on their ship and crashed his leg heel first into the Shichibukais face. "Concasse!_!_"

When the attack wasn't repelled, Usopp and Chopper had smiles on their faces. Zoro didn't seem too pleased with what the man had done.

Sanji fell to the ground, holding his leg and yelling in pain.

"Blackleg... Sanji... So, that's how you are..." Kuma muttered. He probably made it his hobby to see why people were named as they were.

"What was with that hardness!_?_ Is his face made of steel or something!_?_" the chef asked.

The firebird star shot by Usopp was repelled back at them, forcing Gloria to jump off her place on the stone. "Now that you've been weakened like this, destroying you isn't interesting at all..." Kuma spread his hands open, as if to embrace the world. They saw an enormous, transparent bubble vaguely the shape of a round paw appear between his arms the longer he stayed like that. "The government's order was to completely destroy you all, but..." The ball of air was getting tinier and it was starting to glow.

Nami's voice was getting higher as she voiced the situation, that Kuma was compressing air with his ability. Robin was calmer than the navigator but Gen could detect the slight waver in her voice as well. "If that much air returns to its normal state, it would create a gigantic shockwave like a bomb!_!_"

"_A bomb!_?" Usopp repeated.

"I will... spare your lives. In exchange, I'll be taking Strawhat Luffy." Wut? "As long as I take his head, the Government won't complain." The compressed air was but a tinkle of light that leaked from between Kuma's big palms.

"You're telling us to betray our comrade...?" the sniper's voice was dark with rising anger.

"Now... bring Strawhat here."

_'This is going to sting like a bitch.'_

Like from one mouth, and certainly from one state of mind, all pirates, both Lola's and Luffy's, yelled: "**HELL NO!**_**!**_**!**"

"That's a pity."

* * *

><p>Only wind accompanied Kuma when he walked back to the site where the other pirates were still strewn across the rubble. Roronoa Zoro was still probably standing, he mused. He had screamed, he had bled, he had taken on all of his captain's pain and exhaustion and even knocked out Blackleg to keep his comrade safe. <em>'To find such loyal companions... Your son is indeed amazing, Dragon.'<em>

His eye caught movement on the otherwise stilled battlefield. To his mild surprise, he saw an unknown young man sitting on the ground, holding and petting in his lap the head of the white-haired girl he knew as Evil Enchanter Gloria. Kuma knew the other was aware of him, even if he didn't lift his gaze away from her. He wondered who he was, if he was a threat, and if he was a pirate or simply an associate of the Strawhats. The young man did seem to know her.

"I could tear you apart on the spot," the boy said calmly, without much emotion. "Give me a reason not to."

Kuma watched the young man, almost a boy, turn his endlessly green eyes at him. The Shichibukai noted the deer antlers protruding from his head. Most likely a devil's fruit user. "I do not recognize you."

He gave a humourless laugh. "That's all you can come up with? That's not a reason, Repeller."

"You say you are able to destroy me. If you are as strong as you claim with your statement, you would have a name I know of."

"My name is not the issue here," the boy stared at him flatly.

"They are still alive and will live, in exception of Pirate Hunter. His chance of survival is minimal."

The nameless man's boyish features tightened and his gaze became more like a drill that tried to pierce through his head. "Just so you know, if that man dies, you are literally going to push daisies."

He turned back to the unconscious Evil Enchanter and whispered something to her ear. Then he got up, dusted the cape he wore and inspected an item in his hands that Kuma only now noticed. It was a silvery crown with a chain hanging from it, completing the circle sloppily. He pressed it on his head as if it was a hat, and it glowed briefly. One more hard stare at Kuma and the boy disappeared in a cloud of colourful oak leaves.

* * *

><p>"I have to redo yours too, Gloria."<p>

"Mmmh."

"Gen... come on, sit here."

"...no."

"Gen."

"Nnnooooooo...!" she whined.

Chopper sighed more deeply than a person his age should, and placed his hooves on his own wrapped up sides. "Gloria Erin Kindheart, let go and get up from there so I can do your bandages, which are by the way leaking through and looking unhealthily _blue_."

They had slept through the day and woken up in the afternoon. Sanji had yelled his lungs out for the reindeer when he had discovered Zoro standing arms crossed in a pool of blood. While Nami and Usopp were keeping the girl from having a total heartbreak over the gory scene while Chopper was busy saving his life.

Now while the rest of the pirates were gathering things in one large room for a proper celebration, the demigoddess was curled by the first mate's side as close as she could possibly be without aggravating his wounds, with her smaller hand grasping his fingers like a child afraid of losing their parent in a mass. Gloria didn't want to get up because she felt both like a deboned jellyfish (_disregarding the fact that jellyfish don't have bones in the first place_) and stiff as a board, and like hell was she going to let go of Zoro.

Still, it was true that she had reopened one of her wounds, and some of the bandages were loosening around her shoulder.

"Nnnooooo...!" she pressed her face into the swordsman's bicep and closed her eyes. He had the whole pallet of the rainbow on him in the form of bruises.

Chopper shook his head slightly at her. "You're not hurting him so I don't mind that you stay with him, but I really need to change you."

She burst into a laugh and peeked at him with one eye. "You sound like I'm wearing a diaper!"

"Eeehh..." Chopper sweatdropped. "Just get here, you affectionate asshole. And I need to still adjust your dosage a bit. I don't understand how you can stand alcohol pretty well, but give you two painkillers..." he started muttering to himself, finally getting to work on her when she finally sat up. She wasn't ready to part with the marimo, though, so the doctor just had to accept that.

Soon Chopper was ready with her so she resumed her place on Zoro's right side while Chopper walked around to sit on his left and check up on him again. He didn't really need to, since the patient was stable and under many pairs of eyes in case something came up. Chopper checked up on him because he was worried.

"Ooi, we've bought the things you asked," Franky announced when he walked in behind Luffy, both carrying a gigantic bags.

"Thanks!"

"Hey Chopper! How is he?" Luffy asked.

"This is the first time I've seen him in such a bad condition. Really... he was so close to losing his life," his voice was low and he was frowning. "Something happened when the rest of us were out cold."

Gen didn't pay attention to the discussion about Kuma's seemingly random departure and Luffy's suspiciously energetic and cheerful state. Then two persons from the other pirate crew declared that they had seen everything and Sanji swept them outside for a little talk. He returned alone after a while and Gen tried to convince Chopper that Sanji had killed the two for knowing his biggest secret ever, but her little drug-induced plot to mess with the young one's head shrivelled and died when the two walked in on their own two feet, looking healthy.

Her next idea was to try and make the reindeer believe that a zombie had bitten them and become one themselves. "Because, how do you know that they aren't zombies? They sure LOOK like normal, but... who knows...?"

"GYEEEE!_!_!"

"QUIT MAKING HIM THINK FUNNY THINGS!_!_!" Nami roared.

Sanji was fast as usual as he cooked and then Luffy announced that they should eat. Gen grinned, opened her mouth and was about to say something when she realized she was hungry and needed food.

Yes, her brain was using one cash register at the moment.

Nami chuckled and kindly brought her and Chopper both a plate. They listened Brook make terrible skull jokes, thus pissing off Franky, but soon they were both standing on the table, yelling 'DIIIIIIIIIINNNEEERR!_!_'.

"They haven't even toasted yet and they're already going nuts," Chopper sweatdropped. "Zoro seems to be sleeping despite all the noise..."

"Well, he's a sound sleeper anyways," Nami shrugged.

"If he's so heavy sleeper, how does he always wake up when I even think about doodling on his face?" Gen asked, sucking her drink through a straw because she was too damn lazy to get up and drink properly. "It's really weird!"

THUNK

"Oi, Chopper! Check this out!" Luffy came over with a big barrel that he set down next to Nami and Gen. He was grinning, like always. "This is Zoro's share! Shishishi!" Then he proceeded to tilt the barrel over and to him. "Now then, drink this~!_!_"

"DON'T DROWN HIM!_!_" Nami smacked him.

"This is his favourite drink! It must make him feel better!_!_"

"Just what kind of medical theory is that!_!_?_?_" Chopper's eyes bulged out.

"Dude, if that's grog and you spill it on me, no one will ever find your body," Gen warned him.

"Hahaha! You really must hate grog!" Luffy laughed. "Does that mean that you don't like Zoro's kisses either?"

"LUFFY YOU'RE SO DEAD! When I get up that is," she curled up and tried to scoot a little closer to Zoro. Luffy laughed from the bottom of his heart. '_It's the only thing as big as his stomach_.'

"I'm going over there with Franky and Usopp, so could you please look after him a bit?" Chopper asked Gen, who nodded and the doctor ran off to dance with chopsticks in his nose. Nami had left a bit earlier to find Lola.

"Eh?" Suddenly she heard someone playing the piano. She searched the room with her gaze and saw a big piano in one of the corners. Sanji was there with Brook, who in turn was the one playing. In few moments the random tune turned to something she could recognize. Luffy bounced to talk with the skeleton (_and to climb on top of the open lid_), leaving Gen lying next to Zoro.

The demigoddess made an effort to sit up so she was able to see his face better. Her hair fell like a white curtain around her face, splaying on his shoulders. The girl took her time inspecting his beaten face, humming distractedly along the music that was starting to slow down now. She nearly jumped when Brook suddenly slammed his hands on the keys, creating a sudden discord. Then he started crying. It gradually stopped, when he started playing again, but then the song ended too.

_'What, is he fooling around? Try to decide already_,' she pouted. Usopp and Sanji's horrified and awed yell was heard over other noise when Brook promptly opened the top of his head like a lid and took out a seashell. No, wait, that was a tone dial, and the skeleton set it on the piano. Gen grinned widely when he pressed the apex of the shell and it soon started Bink's Sake's intro. Brook still played the piano, now with the additional ghost violins. Both the dead and the living crew were singing along. Gloria didn't, but she hummed and added her voice to the choir of yohohoho's. In some point Luffy caught her eye and gave her a big smile, but when he realized she wasn't singing he made his way over to her.

"Hey! Why aren't you singing!_?_ Aren't you a singer!_?_" he demanded.

"I don't know the words, Luffy."

"WHAAAT!_?_ YOU DON'T-!_!_" his eyes almost popped out of his head. "You know all kinds of weird songs, but not _this_!_?_"

"Weird songs..." Gen sweatdropped.

"That's not cool." The boy pouted. "Your voice is so good, you have to learn it!" He joined the next verse and hurried back to the piano. Her face was slowly but surely getting red because of Luffy's casual compliment as she watched Luffy talking with Franky, Usopp, Sanji and Brook. She couldn't hear them over, under or around the singing so she turned back to looking at Zoro's sleeping face. His face was finally relaxed and less pained. Gen smiled gently and stroked her hand over his green hair. She moved to repeat the motion, but a sudden feeling made her stop her hand. With the other she touched her own hair and frowned. Something was knocking on the edge of her memory.

_Thank you, Pretty-chan._

Kilir! His crown! She looked around shiftily, saw her bag and grabbed it. It was gone. "Oh shit."

"Calm down, Gloria-sama," the zipper moved and a muffled voice came from somewhere in the bag. She jumped at the sudden liveliness of it.

"Oh! Greg!"

"I've been around for some time now. While Kuma and Zoro..." he trailed off, but she got the message "Kiliathor came by and I gave it back to him."

"Waaaaaait a second..." She stared hard at her bodyguard. "You were awake!_?_ And you didn't do anything!_?_"

"Calm down, Gloria-sama. Nothing could've been done about it and you know that," he said in low voice. "It was one of those things that had to happen. Luffy was in a bad shape after Moria, and even if he hadn't been he would've still been outmatched by Kuma. If they had actually fought against each other, you would've all been doomed." He sighed and continued in a kinder tone. "What has happened has happened and there is nothing to change that. Don't take his sacrifice lightly."

"Ah... I won't," she responded meekly and looked at the marimo again. The song had ended while she was talking with Greg.

"I believe you can trust Kiliathor," the bag said, surprising her.

"What changed your heart?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Careful now, I said _you_ can trust him if you want to, but I will not." He stared at her... or so she assumed. "He genuinely likes you despite your mothers' relationship, but because of those circumstances I shall stay suspicious of him. You know, just in case."

She giggled. "Thanks, Greg!"

"I AM SO GLAD TO BE ALIVE!_!_" Brook sobbed. She could see him crying his eye- um, sockets out (_goddammit_)... And Luffy was again perched on the piano lid, looking lazy like a cat and grinning like one too. "I TRULY AM SO GLAD TO BE ALIVE! THIS GLORIOUS DAY...!_!_ IT HAS FINALLY COME!_!_" he regained his composure. "Ah... would you mind if I became your nakama?"

"Sounds great!"

"JUST LIKE THAT!_?_"

"HE JOINED THE CREW~~~!_!_!"

She caught Robin stifling a laugh at their horrification. In the next moment they were already throwing the skeleton in the air, welcoming him along.

"They certainly are very lively."

"Ahhh, why does everyone in our crew have to be like this?" Nami sighed, her hands on her hips.

"'Cos we're pirates, Nami," Gen grinned her lunatic smile and twisted her neck so she was watching the navigator sideways. A shudder ran up the redhead's spine.

"Now, once more!" There was an audible slap of paper against the floor when Brook spoke.

"A wanted poster?" Sanji muttered.

"I have still not introduced myself properly! Yes! My name is Brook, Just Dead Bones Brook! And I am a wanted man!_!_ Also known as Humming Brook! My bounty is 33,000,000B!_!_ Once the leader of an escort convoy and afterwards, musician and swordsman, and eventually acting captain of the Rumbar pirates!" the skeleton was bowing on the floor on one knee. "Strawhat Luffy, from this day forth I pledge my life and offer you my service! I hope not to be a burden~!" Luffy's grin was growing by the word.

"KANPAI~~!_!_!"

* * *

><p>It took two days to recuperate. Gen had been practically torn away from Zoro and kicked out to stretch her legs, and she used her two days to draw the amazing, gothic scenery and the graveyards. She noticed that all the zombie bodies had disappeared, as if they'd never been there. The girl didn't want to think about it, so she didn't.<p>

Not all her time was used to drawing, though. She took time to practice swordplay with Greg on both mornings, and they would've stretched it to the noon of the second day if Chopper hadn't caught them. That watery bastard fled the reindeer's wrath by liquefying and slipping away while the doctor was berating her.

After she was banned from training she sat watching Franky and Usopp build a fancy grave for the Rumbar pirates. Usopp was good with his design but asked her opinion nevertheless, and she spoke up about some colour or the other. The skulls of the deceased were carefully laden within it.

When they were ready, they called Brook there to see it. "Ah, how wonderful! My deepest thanks for this incredible work!"

"Ah, don't mention it, a little thing like this is nothing, really! Ahahaha!" Franky laughed.

"My design was a magnificent success!" the sniper struck a pose and grinned.

"Such a glorious grave...!_!_"

"I picked the flowers!" Chopper giggled.

Brook watched the grave. "So strange that this Thriller Bark should've come from our own homeland, West Blue... But, perhaps, in this earth they will all finally be able to rest in peace."

"Aye," Gen said silently. She was thinking back to the day she had built the memorial for Chiselle. "You should be a bit happy, Brook. You knew your nakama were dying and you could be there with them until the very end..."

"Gloria-san..." All four were now looking at her, yet she kept her eyes on the grave in front of her.

"Ah well," she shrugged and headed back with three of the four men on her tail. Chopper asked Usopp if he knew what Gen had been talking about, the two soon kicking up a hushed conversation. They were trying to go unheard, she assumed, but with her hearing that was impossible.

Franky caught her with a few strides to walk next to her. "Where are you from?"

The abruptness of the question made her trip and fall with a shriek.

"You okay?" Usopp asked and held his hand to help her up.

"Yeah."

"Was my question so horrible?" Franky looked uneasy, so she diffused it with a chuckled and a wave of hand.

"No worries, Frankypants. I's just that I haven' been thinkin' 'bout it tha' much."

"You're talking with your accent again, so it must've struck a chord," Usopp pointed out.

Robin was the one with most insight to as where she had come from; she even knew that Gen had been raised in another universe for more than ten years. Even when she was technically from the Underworld, she still had her emotional roots deep in the core of the Earth.

"You don't have to answer it, it was a stupid question," Franky rubbed the back of his head. "Like, you are a god after all..." he mumbled the last part.

"Demigoddess," she corrected him. "To be honest I didn't feel easy to speak with anyone about where I came from. Usopp, you were there already when you guys picked me up, you remember that?"

"Oh yeah," he nodded. "Luffy thought you were a mermaid. ...are you?"

"NO!"

"She's too young to have legs yet," Chopper said. "...are you?"

'_Did he just call me old!_?' She had a tick mark on her head and her eye was twitching. "Anyway. That was actually the first time I- no wait, no... I was born in the Underworld, then sent to a completely other world aside from this" she waved her hands "to a place where I grew up with an adopted family in another universe. Then I one night snuck out to my friend's boat and woke up the next morning on the Merry."

The three were all staring at her with wide eyes and slack jaws, all with sparkles in their eyes. "SO COOOOOOL~~~!_!_!"

'_Sci-fi idiots_', she continued walking, leaving the three to let their minds be filled with some very futuristic ideas.

It was a good thing not to tell them about Eiichiro Oda.

Gen had a light feeling she hadn't expected: relief.

She arrived to the castle alone to hear that Zoro had woken up when she was gone and left to wander around. Lola and a handful of her pirates were literally blinded by the smile that bloomed on the demigoddess. The she-captain was talking something about the beauty of pure love.

It would've been no use to go looking for him, so she helped with loading the Sunny and Brook's old ship ready for lift off. She still didn't know if the ship had a soul in it or had it died long ago with majority of its crew.

Rest of the time that she didn't feel like lifting sacks around she sat on the Sunny's railing, fidgeting and _waiting_.


	73. Pirate's vacation, a filler

Hello everybody! I got back from the vacation some time ago, and I tell ya, it was fun. Swimming, trampoline, smoked fish, ice cream, soaking in a barrel-tub under a light rain...  
>And I think I have a crush on someone... :3 Makes one very distracted (<em>and happy and lovesick and daydreamy)<em> author ^^

* * *

><p>Luffy was eager to set sail now that Zoro was up and about. Chopper wasn't too happy about the fact that the swordsman had taken his bandages off prematurely and practically attacked him with rolls of gauze. Meanwhile Sanji, Brook, and the ratty pirate with the upturn nose were fantasizing about the mermaids that would await them at the Fishman Island. Nami and Luffy were talking with Lola, and the she-captain tore a piece off of her mother's vivre card and handed it to the navigator.<p>

Gen's attention had been ripped away from stalking Zoro from her perch on the ship to the topic of Ace's slowly burning vivre card, and she whimpered to herself. She had tried to push it out of her mind and been successful in it too, but now it had been brought to the forefront of her thoughts again.

_'I won't let him die!_' she vowed to herself, but she had no idea how she would do that.

After that they got on the Sunny and started the familiar routine to set off towards Sabody Archipelago. When Zoro went to grab the anchor, Luffy intercepted the first mate and told him to go sit down and leave the work for the others this time.

"Why?" Zoro asked. "I'm fine, and I do this every time."

Luffy had one of his 'moments', the swordsman concluded. The captain had received some worrying news about his brother afterall... and he hated to admit it but he really did feel his injuries this time.

"Yeah, _you_ are fine."

Luffy didn't need to say more. Somehow they always understood each other (_when it mattered the most_).

He smiled faintly and looked at Gen with his peripheral vision. She was spread eagle in the middle of the deck without a care, using her bag as a pillow. He had felt her eyes on him, intensly so, from time to time, but now she was busy inspecting the clouds.

"Right away, captain," he stepped back and gave Luffy room to finish the job. The swordsman rested his arm on his swords casually as he approached her.

* * *

><p>A shadow fell on Gen and she looked left to see the marimo. She yelped when he abruptly grabbed her ankles and started dragging her across the deck, towards the railing.<p>

"Hey! What the hell!_?_"

"Don't block the deck, you're in the way," he answered and let go. Great, now she had grass stains on her shirt, and so what if it's black and the stains are hard to see?

Zoro sat down next to her and got into his usual position, legs crossed and swords comfortably against his right shoulder. She looked over the ship, seeing the others still in work.

"Captain's order," the man grumbled when she looked at him quizzically. It only added to her confusion. "Hey... are you really ok?"

"You asked that already, and yes I am," she frowned.

"No, no... I mean... are you bothered by something?"

She hummed. Of course she was bothered! "No, not really."

"You're a worse liar than Usopp. (_"HEY!" the aforementioned sniper said, offended._) So, speak up," he stretched his arms above his head and yawned.

Gen fiddled with a blade of grass, looking down. She knew she couldn't just tell him - or anyone that matter - about what the time would bring. In truth, she didn't even want to. They would know it all when it came their way. Ace's case though... The girl bit her lip. There was no way she could approach that topic, because even in her head Gloria avoided saying those words like the plague.

Sighing, the demigoddess sat next to him. She had thought she'd tackle him the second she had the opportunity, but Gen couldn't find the energy to do that. Maybe that was one of the signs that gave away her deep thinking process.

A touch - a yank, really - was what brought her back from her mindless brooding. She didn't have time to understand the situation too well when the girl had already been adjusted snugly with her back against Zoro's chest, under the swords and a warm arm. He sighed contently, looked down at her pouting face and smiled. He murmured in a low voice: "It'll be alright."

"I want to believe that," she answered just as silently and looked forward to the deck with a sigh. The others were finishing up but pointedly ignoring the two of them and giving them some alone time.

"Then believe it," he said and shrugged.

Gen let the words bounce and resonate in her head, mentally digesting them. Slowly, a smile bloomed on the girl's face, and she squirmed and wriggled so she was sitting sideways in his lap. Zoro grunted in vague pain as a sharp elbow dug into his gut shamelessly. He had a scowl on his face but it melted away when he saw her eyes gleam like they usually did - with mischief.

She tried to reach up and kiss him, but only came around his chin. He gave mercy and dipped down enough to recieve the kiss on his lips.

One little kiss turned into a series of kisses pressed on each other as the need to be close woke up in her again. Gen buried her face into the crook of his neck and hugged him close. Her heart was beating a million mile an hour, because...

"I just love you so much," she whispered. "You pull all that stupid shit and it honestly makes me wonder if you'll ever live past thirty, but I know that all that stupid shit you pull is a big part of the reason we're still alive." There was a pause, during which Zoro had almost turned to stone. "...Zoro?"

He was gaping, bug-eyed and becoming increasingly red. "...I stopped listening past that first part."

Gen grinned, blushing furiously. Her hands were close to shaking. "Heh, that was the important thing anyway."

"Come on here, another one," he had a splitting smile on his face when he leaned in to kiss her.

"What? No way, you needy bas-_gmmph!_ _Hey!_"

He leaned close to her ear and whispred. "_Me too..._"

"ZORO!_!_" Luffy was suddenly right next to them with two mugs in his hands and a third balanced on one of them. The swordsman snatched the one almost falling, releasing her and she took the other mug offered to her in a slight shock. She shook her head clear, even when a dopey grin took place on her features.

Sniffing the drink she raised an eyebrow. Smart, it was rum. Besides her, Zoro, Nami and Usopp no one cared for whiskey and Gen hated grog. She knew that grog and whiskey were essentially the same thing, just that grog was diluted from whiskey (_Robin had told that tidbit to her in amusement after one of Gloria's rants_), but she swore that someone was adding rat tails and frog eyes into it when no one was looking.

"Thanks, Luffs!

"Zoro, because you were asleep, you haven't done it!" the boy announced.

"Done what?"

"In celebration of the embarking of our new nakama, Brook the Musician!" Usopp held up his drink. Gen and Zoro were quickly on their feet, tossing their arms up and spraying the rum all around.

"**CHEEEERS!_!_!**"

* * *

><p>Kiliathor didn't feel like going. He really, really didn't want to, but he had to take responsibility from his actions. If he'd been one of cruder personality, anything but the good son he'd grown up to be, he would've said something along the lines '<em>I am so royally fucked<em>'.

Plus side is, he got to see what kind of person Gloria was. And he got his crown back. It'd been a pain to lose and his mother had been furious. Oh, not to him, no, but to the void demons. It was still scary to see her like that - caress his hair, hold him close to her bosom and rock him gently back and forth as if he'd still been a babe and speak sweet words to him... words venomously sweet. She would never hurt him, couldn't hurt him, and as a child he'd been unable to tell apart if she was angry or not. Now he could. The foul mood could be felt in her as clear as one could feel a hot stove against their open palm. He never said anything about it, because in a way, she seeked serenity from him.

Sometimes he wondered which of them was the older one. However much Avanirte might've loved Kilir, she did not tolerate fraternizing with the enemy. In this case, Gloria Erin Kindheart, the 'Evil Enchanter', a pirate. A mortal goddess with mortal strengths and weaknesses, like the love for the green haired man.

No real god nor goddess would ever love a man or a woman in that way that they would give them their heart. The mortals were... shooting stars to them. They would fade. Demons too, would one day die of a mortal reason despite their long lives. Gods loved life. Gods loved their children who were of their own core. They loved power, whether they denied it or not. They loved to watch the world be born and destroyed time after time after time.

The concept of love to the immortals was very different to that of the mortals. The word 'love' had simply been slapped on the things that the gods had to maintain and preserve for the future and didn't have anything against it.

Gods didn't have feelings, if they didn't learn them from somewhere.

Gloria was different in this aspect. Her care was honest, heartwarming love in its full meaning and innocence, and Kilir felt drawn to it. Kilir _liked_ Gloria. He knew some of his actions were faked, like his ever constant smile was sometimes hard to hold if he didn't find anything interesting in the situation (_some mortals did that too, he knew_). He had learnt many things when he had ran off in curiosity to see the world on his first hundred or so years, and he'd taken to the children. Children didn't seem to care for unnecesseary things like their own future, but then they would surprise him by being so completely smitten by something like a simple bug crawling over their sand castle. He had learnt so much about the young ones: jealousy, forgiveness, sadness, fear, and the difference between liking and loving (_to the extent that a child understands it_). His mother had learnt them, and so had all the other gods and the son of the Flame.

'_Well_', he corrected himself, '_at least I think the Flame has something else too than laziness..._' Kilir shifted along the eternal path between realities with Jiminy on his existence to arrive at the halls of her mother in unhealthy curiosity of what would she do when she's angry at him.

* * *

><p>(<strong>Several days later<strong>)

Robin was the one who had told them about the vacation island... poolhouse... thingy. With pools. And slides. And waterfalls, and hot tubs and-

"Oh please, you _have_ to be _kidding_ me!" she groaned. She'd changed into her swimming suit, braided her hair with Nami's help and wrapped a towel around her hips. The towel was now draped neatly on a chair somewhere in the resort, but she couldn't care less, because she was in one of the aforementioned hot tubs with a cold soft drink.

That was ruined by something she would've never wanted to see and even that would've been too soon: the mother effin' ugly splithead, Foxy.

"Gloria-sama?" Greg asked. He was sunbathing right next to the tub in his black swim shorts. The two had made a scene claiming Greg to be her boyfriend to keep the fawning, drooling monster-girls away and from smothering him on his one rare vacation day, and for now that was working. He'd told her nonchalantly that he never really did have free days from his duties (_a truth displayed through the lean, rippling muscles on every side of him_).

Gen simply pointed to the three figures a little ways from them. "It's that pain in the A again," she grimaced as he turned to look over his brown/yellow tinted sunglasses.

"Ignore him, Gloria-sama, and if he comes any closer I'll make sure that he loses an eye."

"Thank you, Sir Gregory."

"Anything for you, M'Lady."

She pouted at the last remark and the demon just smirked before going back to... well, doing nothing, basically. The girl followed the three losers walking around before they disappeared from her sights.

"I am so not going to be involved with them again," she sighed and relaxed again with her eyes closed. The little sound of hooves clicking on stone told her that Badass was still around and exploring the near area. It had taken some coaxing to get him out of hiding when they finally had found him hiding from the library. Numerous knocked down books on the floor and the gaps in the rows told bluntly how the little, slightly clumsy thing had ended up on one of the upper shelves.

"Aaah, I wished Ryena was here," she heard Greg's unusually whiny voice.

"Who's Ryena?"

He turned on his back and crossed his arms behind his neck. From the amount of love she could see in his eyes and the little Sanji-like hearts... "She's the most beautiful pearl in the ocean~."

"Aww, that's so cute. Greg's in _looooove_!" she giggled.

"Been for a few decades," he grinned goofily.

"What is she like?"

He went into great detail about the woman he loved. She learnt that she was a bestial demon resembling a pumpkin seed fish, a petite woman with quite the temper. She owned her own house where Greg sometimes crashed, she worked as a hairstylist at her older brother's barber shop and she had a heart shaped mole on her lower back.

'_Too much info can kill the strongest man,_' she banged her head against the side of the tub. After that she started feeling too hot in the water and got up to cool off. Greg followed her dutifully even when she told him it's okay. "You can do whatever you want, you have the bear on you and we're all on vacation. You know, you could go see Ryena too," she winked. His eyes shone so brightly she could've swore she'd been staring at the sun. Next she knew she had a small gothic keychain bear hanging in the chain of her necklace next to the mysterious pendant (_it never left her persona for more than during a shower_) and no sight of the demon.

"Maah!" she looked down and saw the large eyes of Badass.

"Awwwwww~!" she crouched down to ruffle his floppy ears.

The sheep followed her while she strolled past people, looking at everything in peace. She hardly remembered where Nami, Robin and the idiot trio had gone off to and she was pretty certain that Sanji had gone with the girls, but she wasn't aware of the others' whereabouts. The second Zoro had stepped on the grounds he'd mysteriously disappeared. Either he wanted to be simply alone and away from the madness, or then he'd gotten his ass lost. Again.

A hand suddenly landed on her shoulder when she was taking a sip from the drink. Gloria turned her head and promptly chocked on it.

"M-Mom!" she finally said in a low hiss when she got the carbonated sugar in liquid form from the system it was not meant to go into. "What are you doing here?_?_"

"Seeing you, of course!" the black-haired lady ocean grinned. At first glance Gen would've never recognized her if it wasn't for the woman's unique, unmistakeable eyes. Herka looked just like any other of the tourists here with her pink-tinted sunglasses on her forehead, a white wrap-skirt hiding her legs - Gloria assumed they were legs under there, anything else she didn't want to know about - and a blue and silver bikini top covering her chest like a miracle. She had the arabian coins around her wrist as always.

"Oh great."

"Hey, where are you going?" Herka asked, noticing that her daughter was walking away.

"Over there... to ask something from that... palm tree."

The goddess tilted her head, the inky curls making a ditzy-bouncy-effect. "And where is Sir Aecorius VII?"

"With his girlfriend, I gave him the day off." Herka raised her eyebrow but the white-haired young woman didn't see it. "Are you sure that was wise?"

The tone made Gen stop in her tracks and turn to see the older woman's serious face. She wondered if she'd done something stupid again without knowing it herself. Herka's eyes went out of focus and if anyone'd been looking long enough they could've noticed that the light was filtering through her and making her shadow ripple like the bottom of a shallow gulf. _'And she does that in the middle of the broad daylight..._' Gen sweatdropped.

Then the goddess seemed to return from her trip to the universe. "Yes, so it seems... He is currently on his way to her."

"You were spying on him?" the first sweatdrop was accompanied by another.

She grinned and swept the glasses down on her eyes. There were tacky little dolphins on the rims. "Mind if I join you for today, sweetie? We haven't had a good chat in ages!"

"There is so much wrong in this that I don't even try and correct it," Gen sighed and pushed the strands that had escaped from her braid behind her ear.

That is how Herka invited herself to Gloria's presence. Like the other times, now too she was interested in hearing what had been going on with the pirate's life. Though Gen suspected she already knew without asking, that nosey hag.

Everything related to the late depressing thoughts she pushed under a rock. She was on vacation and hell if she let herself be sad during that.

"Ooh, how interesting~!" Herka said. Gen was snapped out of her thoughts by something hitting her head. "It's raining candy today!"

"Eh?" She looked up to the dark cloud hovering over the resort. The girl caught one in her hand and gave a long stare at it. Then she popped it in her mouth. "Ah well. I've eaten weirder things. Oh, hey, it's kinda good."

Herka laughed. "Ahh, my beautiful daughter~! 'Tis time for me to leave again! Na-na~!" She blowed her a kiss and looped her arm through some young man's arm, who looked surprised but pleased that he had a beautiful woman's attention on him. They were heading to the games area.

"_Dude_... I mean _mom_... I mean you _damn cougar_...fish."

Gen took her sweet time to find the other Strawhats. Some partying group asked her to join, but she ignored them until one tried to be a bit more forward. At least she was gracious enough to let him keep his swimshorts.

Then there was a distinct _BOOM_ and the whole spa place shook. The people were slowly going into a state of panic and from the intercom pole she could hear an eeriely calm female voice telling the people to head for the docks in an orderly fashion. Gen had to push and shove through the crowd to get away from it.

"The hell is this all 'bout?" she muttered to herself. '_I better get back to the others now.'_

The area was quiet and creepy when it was empty. The rhythmic swoosh of the sea and the quick, hurried sound of the water in the pools sloshing around alone was making her anxious in a way.

She heard the others before seeing them, sitting on a bench. More correctly, Nami, Robin, Usopp and two young girls she didn't know were sitting on the bench and Sanji, Chopper, Franky and Luffy were standing a little further ways from them, each facing a different direction. On guard. Well, not Luffy that much, he was sitting and teasing some kind of animal with a piece of meat.

"Hm? Oi, Gen-sis! Welcome back!" Franky waved his large hand at her with a smile.

"Heya Frankypants!" she answered with a large smile. "So what's happenin' 'round 'ere?"

He cocked his head towards the girls. "Some weird guy was making a ruckus, going after the kids."

"Foxy," she shuddered, saying the name like poison.

The girls were Lina and Sayo. Apparently they were looking for something having to do with making gems. The younger sister from the two, Lina, was a bun-haired little spitfire and she was telling the story of how their dad was a foolish man and had one day just up and disappeared off. Then he'd sent Munki (_a sea racoon Luffy had played with_) with his notebook back to the girls, telling them to finish what he hadn't been able to. Sayo was taller from the two with a calm, shy and had a kind feel to her.

Gen tilted her head. She didn't remember much about this one... just that there was a huge cannon and a rainbow. Lina was telling the story through tears and she kept telling how she hated their father, but Luffy who had trickled closer and closer to the bench among the rest of the guys was grinning widely.

"Your dad really is funny! I want to see it too, that gem."

Lina's surprise turned into an angry spark again and she got to her feet. "Were you guys really listening to me!_?_"

"Hey, there you all are!"

"You're late, Zoro," Luffy greeted him.

"_HEY_!" Lina jumped up and down in ire.

"But you're here looking for the treasure, aren't you?" Usopp asked.

"Not me, my sister is! I'm her bodyguard!"

"Bodyguard...?" a wave of surprise wafted over the more burlier pirates.

"Sayo-nee says she'll find the secret no matter what so I came here to protect her."

"What are you guys doing?" Zoro asked.

"There is definitely a way to create the gem!" Sayo was suddenly standing with a determined expression. "I believe him."

"Sayo-nee..." Lina whispered.

The older sister turned to her and gave a sweet little smile. "Everyone, please save-"

And the floor abruptly opened up below her feet and she fell in with a scream. They were wide eyed and Franky took the few steps between him and Lina to raise her in the air so she wouldn't befall to the same trick.

Gloria rolled her eyes. She really didn't want to do anything with this stuff. She knew it would all work out in the end.

_**"Giru giru giru... I have the girl,"**_ a voice said from the top of the palm tree behind the bench. They could see a small purple den den mushi sitting conveniently on one of the fruit growing in between the leaves. _**"If you want her back, listen."**_

"Doran!" Nami knew the man behind the voice.

"Who's he?" Chopper asked.

"The owner of the ship."

Oh and guess what? He wanted the secrets in the notebook to trade with the girl.

"This is just bullllsh..." she glanced at Lina struggling to get down from Franky's arms "...eet. I swear, there's someone pulling strings to land all the... crabs on us."

"Sayo-nee!"

The searacoon was scratching at the floor.

"Damnit, this place is loaded with traps!" Usopp grit his teeth. The demigoddess sighed.

When Lina was finally okay she opened the little blue book and stared at the lines in it. Gen took a peek at the pages from behind her back and could already feel the magnificent headache pounding behind her eyes. '_I was never good with alchemy..._'

"You already searched all over this ship, right?" Usopp asked. "There was no big X anywhere?"

Another piece of memory clicked in place inside Gen's head. '_Oh yeah, it was at the bottom of the ocean... Maybe?'_

Robin glanced at her and raised her eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Yeah," Lina nodded brokenly. "What should I do? This memo must be fake after all... Yet, nee-chan has been..."

Luffy had a sly-but-let's-play-innocent-smile on his face as he regarded the weeping girl, who asked softly for his help as if it was the last thing that could still save her world - and her sister.

"Sure."

"Heh? You will? _Really?_" Luffy pushed the hat that had been resting on his back to his head and over the swimming goggles. "I really want to see that gem."

'_Smooth, Luffy. Keeping your pirate act while still helping people. Heh, you're something else,_' Gen grinned. '_You sly bastard._'

"Even though this gem could be a fake?" Lina asked.

"But Luffy, what should we do?" Usopp voiced his thoughts.

"Oh right," Luffy thought only for a second about it and then grinned: "Shall we destroy this ship?"

"**_EEEHHH!_!_?_**"

And the girl was laughing her guts out.

"Hey, hey, hey! Is that really the best thing!?" Usopp grasped his head.

"What about Sayo?" the human-form Chopper asked.

"If we destroy it, we will find her, right?"

"What about the hint about the gem?" Robin asked.

"Wouldn't destroying everything make it easier?" Luffy tilted his head.

"Yes Luffy, blowing sh...eet up is the best and only choice to see the gem," Gen nodded with a poker-face. It failed to stay for long, though, as one of her crazy smiles surfaced. "Now where was the explosives storage again?"

"Hey hey HEY!" Usopp waved his hands at the girl.

"At the lower level..." Lina answered numbly.

"THERE REALLY IS ONE!_?_"

"Let's hurry up and start this," Zoro said with a lazy 'let's get this over with' -tone. "I mean, just thinking about whether something is or isn't on this island is pointless, right?"

"You all are seriously lacking in delicacy," Nami crossed her arms below her bust, making it puff out in irritation.

"Nami-san, more than anything else, I can't stand listening to anything that artichoke mustache fool told us to," Sanji added seriously.

"It really doesn't matter if this ship sinks, does it?" Robin asked.

"Aaah, even Robin is in on it!" Nami squealed in frustration.

Gen coughed in her hand and flung an arm around the redhead's shoulder. "Yo sis, keep yo jugs in da top. This ship is goin' down."

"Shut up, you gangster!" Nami frowned.

"It's captain's orders, after all," Brook chuckled.

"Oh, so you understand!" Franky grinned at the skeleton, looking over his own personal cola-freezer.

"Franky!" Luffy grinned. "I'll let you use the Sunny!"

"Heh, I thought so," he lifted his glasses with his thumb to set them over his eyes, the grin gaining a new level of insanity. He dashed off with a 'supeeeer!'.

"Ooh, I like it where this is going!" Gen rubbed her hands together. "Which way to the elevator?"

"Uhh..." Lina looked up at the crazy lady.

"Quit scaring her, Gen! You can wreck havoc all by yourself with those tentacles, octopus-woman," Usopp grabbed her by the arm.

"Mouu... Not even a little bit of boom?"

"No."

"Boo you."

Nami sighed deeply and slumped. "Ah, and we rarely come to such resorts."

"YOSH! LET'S BRING IT DOWN!_!_" Luffy yelled and threw his fist in the air.

Rubble, splinters, water and smoke flew all around them in seconds. The explosions were highlighted with Luffy's casual demand of giving Sayo back to them.

Their attack against the perfectly innocent spa was interrupted by the tall chimney falling down and pointing to their left. '_Wait, this spa ain't innocent!_' Gen corrected her thoughts. "That's one big boom-boom."

"AAAH! A CANNON!" Usopp freaked out.

There was a terrified scream coming from the left far side of the place - right where the cannon was pointing at. They all turned to look and saw Sayo tied to a pole. Gen was pretty sure it hadn't been there earlier.

"_Sayo-nee!_!"

"_Lina!_!"

"Damn, a hostage situation?" Sanji grit his teeth.

"Dude, that's low, threatening little girls like that," Gen had an irritated tick on her eyebrow.

"You think you can go all out and do as you please!_?_" A sleazy voice said. "Don't mess around!_!_ How much do you think this Spa Island _cost_!_?_"

"I don't know and I don't care," Gen muttered.

The machination of the cannon whirred up, stopped and did a good demonstration of why they should be scared for Sayo's life. The shockwave made everything shake and Gloria's ears ring uncomfortably, so she didn't even want to think how it was for the girl directly in front of the cannon. The cannonball flew _far_ and hit the sea with an almighty splash. Usopp and Brook dropped their jaws, the latter's clackering down to the floor where he scrambled to pick it up and put back in its place before anyone noticed. Sayo had blacked out and came to.

'_If you build something like that on your little island then OF COURSE it's going to pay extra beri!'_ Gen scoffed in her head.

"I'm going to send this girl flying!" the cannon was again pointed at her.

"_STOP IIIIT!_!" Lina yelled from the top of her small lungs.

"Giru giru giru... Initially I wanted to have you solve the mystery of that notebook. But, forget that. I'll just take the notebook. Only after that I will return her."

"I will! I will give the notebook just please just return Sayo-nee!" she answered desperatly.

"DON'T!" the hostage yelled. "You can't hand it over! Lina, solve the secret, and complete father's research."

"No! Why!_?_"

"Lina! Believe in our father! And don't hand it over to this man!"

The sisters proceeded to get in another spat about their father and his foolish life style, but they got that solved. It was just that their father had been distracting and drawing the villains after his research from the two girls and keeping them safe. Sayo and even Munki had known that. Then there'd been a little slip of paper with a pressed five-leaf clover attached to it under the notebook's cover that Lina found when she flipped through the pages, first time seeing the hard work their father had put to it. She remembered something about believing in your cause and in determined shout declared that she wouldn't give the notebook to a jerkface like him.

"W-What!_?_" The bad guy was taken aback. Oh, Gen had already forgotten his name.

Luffy chuckled. "Here we go!"

Awesomeness later when Sayo had been saved and Zoro made pizza topping out of the cannon, Luffy's gigantic axe kick had cleaved the whole island in two and they watched from the deck of their ship how the remains were sinking into the ocean. Sanji'd had to fish out the captain, the girl and the sea raccoon and the first was hanging on the cook's arm like a wet rag in his chibi form.

Below the surface they could see a huge glowing X. Gen was leaning over the rail to see it better. The girl tilted her head.

"The X mark, and it's so large!" Sayo said in wonderment.

"Yeah. That underwater volcano is what father had drawn on the map," Lina nodded, eyes wide.

"Doran built that ship on top of the treasure he was searching for," Nami smirked. For him to have not realized that the key to the secret was under his feet makes him the biggest idiot!"

"Whoah! The heck?" Gen blinked. The sea was steaming over the cut in the seabed and the vapour cast the ship rapidly in a fort of steam

She grinned, looking up at the round rainbow that slowly, ring from ring, became visible to them. "Well that's something I haven't seen before." They were all amazed.

"Wait a minute... Wah! Could it be that the rainbow is the treasure?" Usopp realized.

"Eh?"

"N-Now that I think about it, the Round Rainbow is called The Gem of the Seas," Nami said.

"Ehh? No way!" the sisters looked at each other. Lina sighed in disappointment.

"Hey that's odd," Gen muttered, still looking up at the rainbow.

"What is?" Nami asked her. "The colours are in a wrong order. See? Red is on the top, and the colour of the sky inside the ring is... so damn BLUE."

"The order of the colours?" Sayo perked up and opened the notebook to read about something. "Ah!"

"What is it, Sayo-nee?" Lina peeked at the book though she didn't get much of it. "I think I know now what to do!" the timid girl smiled brightly.

"Oi, can I see?" Gen held her hand out and she was given the book. She knew well about colours, so she might even understand someth-

"..."

"It's a little hard to read," Lina giggled.

"...oh screw you," and she thrust the book moodily back to its owner.

* * *

><p>Some days later after the sisters had been dropped off on an island so that they could return to their home, the sea raccoon came back to them as a seagull. It was carrying a letter from Lina and Sayo, saying that they were successful in creating the gem, and that their father came back. Munki, perched on Luffy's hat, opened its mouth and a ball sparkling in every possible colour was dropped on Luffy's open palm.<p>

"Whoo! Is this it!_?_"

"Let me see too!"

"Me too! Me too!"

"Make some space, Frankypants!"

"Sorry."

"Hey, hey! It's not a toy you know!" Nami put her hands on her hips.

Gen loved the small stone. Too bad it started raining candy, distracting everything from the gem and Luffy dropped it on the grass to mingle with the hundreads of other small round objects. Munki shapeshifted and escaped the hard rain.

"Ah. I lost it."

"What!_?_ Where!_?_"

"Dunno."

"_SEARCH FOR IT!_"

"YES MA'AM!"


	74. Hey look, it's a flying island

A... m-month... ***horrified*** SOORRRYYYYYYYYY~!_!_! *sobs* I had a big emotional turmoil over that one month regarding my nonexistant and yet again killed love life. At least Zoro doesn't play with feelings...  
>Well ok, I was playing WoW too, started on Minecraft (<em>goddammit I hate that game! ...wonder if I can scare the crap out of an enderman again.<em>) and since I've got 100 mornings of high school left I've got to try at least to study something.

Big thanks to everyone who still bothers to read this story, as well as my beta and the slavedri- ahem, _friend_, who kept on whipp- _encouraging with force_ to keep me writing.

What the... the linebrakes don't want to show on occation. ._.

* * *

><p>A meadow spread to her left and right, a forest stood behind her, with a cozy cottage some meters from her and in front opened up the vast sea. It was like watching the whole ocean at the same time; every type of weather possible was crammed into her line of sight. It was hard to tell if it was night or day, neither or both.<p>

Underneath her feet was a wooden raft. She noted with humour that it was like the one Dracule used back at the Baratie, from the little candles to the tall, empty sail. If she didn't see the water she would've been sure she was still on dry land, but a glance behind her told her that she was indeed disconnected from shore.

And the raft was gliding through the water, further away from the land.

This was as far as Gloria had seen the dream before. Sometimes the raft she was on looked like just a normal little boat, or the Merry, or the Sunny, or even the Trout with its modern luxuries. Sometimes the forest was growing pine, sometimes maple, oak or birch. What stayed pretty much the same was the field of flowers and the cottage, with its door open, windows dark and cold. The owner wasn't coming back, so why bother warming it, or closing the door?

This time was a little different. The raft was still going on beyond the point where she remembered it always stopping, just so far from the shore that she couldn't see it anymore. She looked around in wonder as she started seeing small islands like pebbles sprinkled on the restless ocean, unconcerned about the rough waves throwing them around. They were floating, no matter what.

"Cool, they're like styrofoam," she chuckled, although she had only meant to think it in her head. "Hrrr, why's it so cold here?"

"_I'm scared._"

She turned around and spotted someone sitting on Dracule's chair. Instantly, the demigoddess recognized herself and the situation. The girl on the seat was hugging her feet, the white dress coming shy from her bare feet. She didn't look scared at all, but what would she know, the other Gen had her face veiled by a random ray of light again.

"This again," she blinked. "You don't look scared. Is the ocean scaring you?"

"_No, the ocean isn't scary._"

"The whirlpools? Storms? Blizzard? ...The pink rainbow?" She eyed the thing with disgust as they passed it and it was swallowed by other hundred different things.

"_No,_" she repeated.

"Why are you scared?" Gen sighed.

"_I'm scared because I'm not._"

A wave crashed right next to them, tossing several little islands across the air to the other side of the raft.

"-ndkerchieeeef, handkerCHIEEEEF!_!_!"

"_SHUT UP!_!"

"The sun hasn't even risen!"

"Let us sleep!"

"Forget about Brook, someone strangle Luffy!"

***SNOOOOOOORE***

That was what Gloria woke up to. She remembered nodding off yesterday at the table, but not how she ended up in bed.

A glance around told her that Brook's morning piece had woken up Robin and irritated Nami. The navigator looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep because of the snoring floating from the next room. Gen didn't need super-hearing.

She left the world to sort out the morning chaos and wrapped her pillow around her head. The girl noted that her leg had gone numb in some point of the night and there was a dull pain behind her eyes, as if she'd been woken up hours before her time.

The redhead grumbled some dirty words and sat up. "Oh, so you're awake too."

"G'mornin', Nami..." Gen stretched in her bed and yawned.

The other woman nodded. "If you can't sleep anymore, get dressed and go find Chopper. You had a fever last night."

"I did?" Gen felt her forehead. She had a sticky feeling, having been sweating through the night when the fever was going down.

She was the last one in the kitchen. Chopper was already waiting for her with a thermometer that he stuck in her mouth when she was in the middle of saying 'good morning's.

"Good, your fever's down," he smiled. "Still, take it easy."

"Yeah, yeah. Good morning to you too," she grunted and slapped Brook for waking everyone up at the butt crack of dawn. Besides that, her normal morning rituals were to sit down, take a plate, smack Luffy for trying to take her food and smack Zoro for trying to take advantage of her early morning half-asleep state to sneak a kiss.

"Hey, it's so calm outside..." she noted and chewed on the bread.

"Which reminds, what should we do, Miss Navigator?" Franky asked. "We could use the paddles to get out of this calm spot."

Gloria blinked slowly. "If we're in a hurry, I could always get us moving."

"No way, you're still sick," Chopper glanced at her.

"Whatever..."

"Based on the weather, I would say it should only stay calm for today and we're not in a hurry," Nami answered.

The morning proceeded with casual chatter and even the white-haired girl gradually woke up. Still... every time someone said something Brook would stare in that creepy way a skull can stare at you with a happy 'yohoho!'.

"What's with you, Brook?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah, you've been freaking out the whole morning," Zoro added. Wait, since when had his leg been wrapped around hers?

"Did you see something interesting, Brook?" Luffy asked, mouth full of food.

"He saw the Voyage Journal when he was on watch yesterday," Chopper explained. Brook started gushing about all what they've been through, the Alabasta thing and the Baroque works, the Sky island episode and the Water 7 fiasco with the Government.

"I was so excited that I thought my heart would pop out! Ah, but I don't have a heart! Yohohoho!"

They chuckled at the lame joke and Nami leaned to her hand. "But, from here on out, what will we be writing in it?"

"Brook will be added to the Voyage Journal too, right?" the reindeer asked cutely.

"That is it!" Brook slammed his palms on the table. "Since I've become your comrade, I don't feel like I've been of any help!"

"Brook, lower your voice. We can hear you just fine," Gen frowned, holding her head.

"Ah, excuse me," he apologized.

"I can understand you getting all worked up, but let me give you a piece of advice," Nami said, smiling mischievously.

"I am listening, Nami-san."

"In this crew... you must never let your guard down... during a meal."

"Yes! If it is about that, this 'quick draw' Brook shall be ready regardless of when an enemy attacks!"

"Too late," Robin had her usual smile on. Luffy's eyes gleamed and Brook lost his breakfast.

"To think I let my guard down even for a second..." he sniffled against the table. "I understand!" He got up in a cartwheel he executed a little too easily. "I shall work myself to the bone, so that I can be your true comrade as soon as possible! But, I was only bone to start out with."

"Zoro..."

"Mmm?"

"You're going to remove that leg soon or will I remove it from you, for you?"

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing, marimo?" Sanji glared at his rival, who kept on eating with a perfect poker face.

Usopp, sitting next to Gen, sweatdropped. "So early in the morning, Zoro. Well, you are still youn-"

"Finish that sentence, long nose. I fucking dare you."

"M-_Meep_!"

* * *

><p>The day was perfect. Gen had time to tidy up her things in the women's room, organizing her stuff. Nami was already calling her a hoarder, with all the random things she'd picked up through their adventures. The drawing desk she had in the library was kept clear mostly because she was considerate of public space.<p>

Now what to do with the stuff she wanted to get rid of? They didn't have much spoilt food or leftovers to throw over board to the fish because of Luffy, and if something broke it was usually always fixable. What Franky didn't need Usopp could use, and what came to metal parts it could just be melted and done into something else. Wood and paper could be burned.

'_Wow, we're really ecological_,' she sighed. She had two plastic bags full of things she didn't really need.

"Hey, hey, what'cha got there?" Luffy asked. He had food in both of his hands and in his shorts pocket.

"Ah, just some things Nami wants me to get rid of."

"Get rid of? Can I see?"

"Sure," she nodded and sat down, opening the other. He made an interested sound and started poking at the different things. The boy freed one of his hands by putting the piece of meat in his pocket (_seriously... she didn't even want to think what diseases he'd get from that_) and picked up an item from the pile with wide eyes. "It's a gun!"

"Yeah, but it doesn't work. And I don't have ammo for it, nor would I use it."

"Then give it to Usopp, or something. He'd get it working, and he might even use it!"

"Eh, he doesn't use guns, just a slingshot," she sighed. '_The only one with a gun around here is Sanji... and I haven't seen him use it often._'

He turned it around in his hand. It was actually a pretty gun; dark metal, wood and brass. The thing was about as long as her forearm from elbow to fingertips.

"...how did you even get it?"

"It dropped in my lap that one time when marines attacked us, you know, that time when Sanji was sick and Chopper was angry when he still got into the fight."

"Oh yeah!" he grinned. "That was a great day! Though Sanji should've just slept. You really suck at cooking!"

"Ahhahaha...!" she smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. If even Luffy couldn't stomach it, something was terribly, _terribly_ wrong.

Franky and Usopp were dragging stuff to the upper front deck with Chopper trailing after them with a bundle of cloth and herbs, and Luffy decided that what they were doing was a lot more interesting than what she was doing. Gen was fine with that, but before the captain left he told her not to throw away all that cool stuff she had. With a wide grin she thanked him, nodded and skipped back to her room to put them back in their place. In the end, she still had things she didn't need, so she just dumped them in the guys' room, into Luffy's bunk.

There was a loud boom from the deck. '_What is it this time?_' She came out to see Franky chasing down Brook with an empty barrel, both covered in something. "Should I even ask?"

"It seems Brook has mixed up cola and soy barrels," Robin said.

"Gah! Don't creep on me like that!" she flinched, making the archaeologist chuckle. They watched Franky give up on the skeleton and go fuming back to see what was salvageable from the wreck on the deck. Gen's eyes eventually slipped to Zoro, who was doing bunny hops with a mothereffin' huge weight on his shoulders across the deck. She grinned stupidly at his shirtless state. When Brook took note of him, they spoke for a moment and climbed up to the crow's nest.

Within the next fifteen minutes, Zoro jumped down with a cross-legged Brook and they dashed to the bathroom.

"What on earth?" she muttered and tilted her head.

"Gen-chan, have you cleaned out your things?" Robin asked her.

"Oh... y'see... I changed my mind about lots of things, and the rest I gave to Luffy... so no... But what Nami doesn't know, she won't get angry over, right?" She laughed nervously. Robin just raised an eyebrow and walked past her to water her flowers.

"Robin-san, Gloria-san (_"It's Gen!"_), is there anything I can help you with?" Brook had come over.

"Nothing in particular," Robin answered and Gen just shook her head.

He hung his head dejectedly and muttered, "I see."

"Brook. Why are you so unsettled?"

"Unsettled?"

"It seems like you are afraid of something. Am I wrong?"

Gloria's head turned between the two like in a ping-pong match.

"It's just as you say," the skeleton confessed. He had been scared that if he wasn't a sufficient member of the crew, he'd have to leave the ship.

Robin looked at him. "I too used to be very insecure. I was always afraid that I wasn't suitable to be one of their comrades. That is why I wanted to give my life for their sake. I thought that this would make me suitable to have been with them."

"Robin-san..."

"But, that was my mistake," the woman smiled, out of the memories long past. "True comrades aren't like that. I am sure that you'll be fine too."

The skeleton and the demigoddess were left there when Robin walked off with an empty watering pot.

"Nice, isn't she?" Gen grinned. Brook nodded. "I think every one of us, besides Zoro and Sanji, has been more or less feeling like they're not worthy of such dream like being in Luffy's crew."

"You too, Gloria-san?"

"I told you! It's _Gen_. Call me by that!" she puffed her cheeks. "Yes, me as well. And for a longest time, too! I dunno if Nami ever wrote it all down, but I tried to run away and hide a few times," she looked thoughtful. "Ah well. But as ya can see, still here."

"Certainly," he chuckled. "Ah..." he looked at her through the empty eye sockets. "Would you be so kind and let me see your panties?"

She levelled a blank stare at him. "If you show yours first."

"_Yohohoho~~_!"

There was a snap of rubber and Luffy jumped in front of them with a wide grin. "Brook! Food! Gen! _Food_! It's time for lunch!"

"Aye, captain!" she grinned and stared expectantly at Brook. In his mind the girl and the boy had a very similar, childishly endearing expression.

"Luffy-san!"

"Sanji put his cooking skills on the line, and made a huge meal from the sea ingredients he harvested! It's going to be so good!"

"Yaaay!" they started running to the kitchen with Luffy laughing.

"Luffy-san!"

"What are you doing? Hurry, and come on! Food!"

"Am I really good enough?" Brook asked and Gen rolled her eyes. "Is it really ok that I joined your crew?"

Luffy nodded. "Yeah."

"That was too easy!" Brook started flapping his arms like an overgrown bird. Um, skeletal bird.

"He's going to start flying," Gen pointed out.

"I decided it, so you'll be fine," Luffy said and laughed when Brook stopped hustling. He just stared at Luffy, jaws open, when the boy started running in place. "Forget about that, it's time for food! Food! Gen, come on! Everyone's waiting!"

"Aye, cap'n!" she saluted and ran off with him. She could hear Brook almost starting to sob.

Gen liked Brook. He was funny and weird and he fitted in right away with those things alone. She loved his violin and talent of playing music altogether, since now she could have his support when she sang. The girl hated singing without it when she was the moment's entertainment. All she had to do was teach him how the tune went and they were fine. Brook and Nami had together written, by Luffy's request (=order), the lyrics of Bink's Sake down onto a sheet of paper. They were quickly learnt.

She was sitting outside with everyone, writing down the notes for another song. Gen had shown the notebook containing the songs from her world. Uh, the world she lived her childhood in...

"Gen-san, what is this song you are doing now?" he asked.

"Crazy Rainbow Star," the girl grinned up from her work. It was one of the openings for One Piece, but as if she'd tell anyone that.

The skeletal musician peered over her shoulder to see the tune and hummed it to himself. She had her own simpler marking system, since she didn't have the patience to learn the more classic way of it, but luckily Brook could read them just as well as normal notes.

"Yohohoho! This is a cheery one for a change!"

"What do you mean 'for a change'?" she asked.

"Well..."

Chopper picked up a sheet that was lying on the deck in the grass. It had been stolen by the wind and gotten away from her unnoticed. "What are you doing, Gen?"

"I'm writing the music that I still remember from my first home."

"Ooooh!" the reindeer's eyes turned into two large stars. "From the mystery world!_?_"

She sweatdropped and chuckled. "Yes, Chopper, from the mystery world."

"MYSTERY WORLD!_!_?" Luffy was suddenly in her face and she had to push him off. "Why haven't you told about this cool mystery world!_!_?"

She looked down at the Crazy Rainbow Star, skimming over the first two lines of it.

"Luffy you idiot!" Sanji kicked him in the head. "You made Gen-chwan upset with your thoughtless question!"

"I'm not upset. Only a little sad that I'm constantly forgetting the little details. Like, my mother's face, my brothers' names, what my dad did for a living. Those kinds of things. It's not a big thing."

"Not a big thing?" Luffy looked at her, suddenly serious and slightly frowning.

"Hey, it's not like I'll suddenly forget they existed," she waved her hand. "Not the most important things, those etched in my heart. I would still recognize every single person from my life were I to meet them."

The captain thought about it for a short moment before nodding and smiling happily. "Then it's okay! But you have to tell me about this mystery world. Captain's orders!"

The demigoddess giggled and started gathering her papers in a neat pile. "I'll be sure to do that later!"

Nami got on her feet and walked to them, a worried look on her face and eyes glued to the open page of the newspaper.

"Hey guys, you should hear this. It's about East Blue..."

"What about East Blue?" Luffy looked at his navigator.

"'The mysterious disappearances of villages due to menacing attacks'," she read out loud and handed the paper to Luffy. "It appears that many villages in East Blue have disappeared overnight. Currently, the islands we're from are fine, but I don't know how long it's going to stay that way."

"Luffy, Zoro, Nami and Usopp were all born in East Blue," Chopper told Brook.

"I see," the skeleton nodded.

Chopper turned to look at Sanji. "Oh, was Sanji too?"

"Well... I was born in North Blue, but I was raised in the East," he sucked on the cigarette.

"Hey, what's that? A relic?" Usopp asked, looking over Luffy's shoulder at the paper.

They didn't have time to brood over the contains of the paper, when a piece of dirt was suddenly casting its shadow on the ship.

Ah, and by 'a piece of dirt' she meant 'mothereffin' island hovering in mid air above them'.

It was actually a ship, with a golden figurehead in the shape of a majestic lion (_a very different thing compared to their Thousand Sunny..._). It had sails, and it had numerous oars sticking from the sides of it in neat rows. Their movement actually reminded her of a centipede.

Gloria's jaw fell on the floor.

"An island...!" Nami gasped.

"Why is that island floating!_?_" Luffy asked a very good question.

They rushed to the front deck, Franky taking the wheel, to take a better look at the ship. It was just gliding across the sky directly above them, and Usopp confirmed that it was indeed a pirate ship.

"...Flying Dutchman?" Gen muttered. "No wait, that would be a ghost ship."

"Luffy! This course isn't safe! There's a cyclone coming our way!" Nami suddenly shouted out.

"Really? Ok, let's inform them as well," the boy grinned.

'_Why do I have a bad feeling about this?_' Gen narrowed her eyes. During the time she'd been with the crew, she'd figured out that what was shown in One Piece was merely half of what in reality happened to them. And past that one certain point the future was just as veiled to her as it was to any other regular person.

Luffy's waving and yelling resulted to a yellow tone dial floating to him, and he whisked it to Nami after catching it.

"L-Luffy, are you sure about this?" Usopp was his normal, paranoid self. Gen crossed gazes with him, and from her serious face he almost jumped out of his overalls. "EEEEEH!_!_ LUFFY!" He grabbed her by the sides of her face and turned her to see Luffy. "Look at her face! LOOK AT HER _FACE_!_!_ Does this say 'this is perfectly safe'_!_?"

"Hands off, Wienerface!" she stomped on his toes and got free.

"A tone dial?" Nami looked at the shell in her hands.

"They've been to Sky Island too?" Sanji asked rhetorically.

"Heeh, it seems they aren't ordinary folks," Zoro had his shit-eating grin on.

"One: they have a flying island ship, two; they have a FLYING. ISLAND. SHIP," Gen deadpanned. "Sure, yeah, totally normal."

"What crawled up your ass?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

"We are literally moving on uncharted waters..." she mumbled low enough that only he could hear her.

"Doesn't matter who they are," Luffy was walking back to them from the Sunny's figurehead, a broad smile on his face. "Nami."

The message was short and to the point: '**_There's a cyclone coming. Steer to 9 o'clock._**'

They navigated the ship through the rough weather as the cyclone raged by. Gen could see the large ship in the sky turn in a few seconds and follow them away from the danger.

An elderly man with a mane of golden hair, in gold-coloured, glimmering haori, swords in place of his feet and part of a steering wheel of a ship sticking out of his skull descended from the ship.

* * *

><p>"...and <em>then<em> Luffy decided that it was smart to take his offer for a lift back to East Blue to save it from the mysterious disappearances, only to get Nami kidnapped by that Shiki guy, who was the flying ship-island's captain. Then the Sunny fell from underneath us and we all got separated on different islands floating in the mid air by Shiki's anti-gravitation devil's fruit powers."

All she got as an answer was a tremendous roar.

"Now now, try to behave Mr. Big Pink Two-headed... Flamingo-Rex- _HEY!_ Watch it!" She jumped away from the monster's tail as it came at her. There was an axhead growing out of it.

She used the watery restraints to lift the beast's head and smash it against the cliffside she'd tied it into, pulled down her ridden-up aqua blue top _(there was a darker blue dolphin decorating it_) and dusted the sand out of her pants. She'd pulled her hair into a simple ponytail with some strands hanging rebelliously over her face. Her pendant was for the time being wrapped around her wrist, the dark liquid glimmering inside the glass.

She'd been internally freaked out by Luffy suddenly postponing the adventure, since it had never belonged to the storyline how she knew it. Still, she understood his urgency to turn around.

Anyway...

The demigoddess had almost not made it on top of a solid surface; instead she had plummeted to a watery shell wrapped around the base of the island. The 'shore' was full of wingless, two-headed flamingo-dinosaurs that were more or... more having a showdown with the resident 'jackals'. They didn't look like jackals at all.

Her first opponent though was a beetle-black, rock-solid hippopotamus that emerged from the sand with a glorious '**TSSSRRRRRRRTTT**' that came from its insect like wings. The hippo had scared the 'jackals' away _(lucky for her_) and sent the flamingos into disarray. Once she'd kicked the hippo's fat ass over the edge of the island - and really, people said you couldn't fall off the face of the earth if you sailed too far to the horizon - the flamingos gave her one stare and tried to gang up on her.

Wasn't so tough, to be honest.

Except that the first flamingos she'd knocked out were starting to wake up at this point... and the 'jackals' were returning to feast...

"Time t' move out~!" she grinned nervously, grabbed her bag and ran off as fast as her feet allowed her to in the soft sand.

She was alone only for some hours before Greg occupied his vessel again, noticing her predicament. He figuratively shat his pants when a possibly rabid, overgrown raccoon with a few extra limbs ambushed her. The demon thought the raccoon was of his own kin first, but no, it was just a freaky raccoon that tried to grind them into paste. It was the cue for Greg to pop out and give a helping hand. He was much more efficient than she was in swordplay and there was no water here to aid her, except for Greg, and she was not going to use him again if possible. One time was weird enough for her.

She told him what had happened while he was away and the situation at hand. He nodded gravely. "We might be in a pickle, Gloria-lady-sama."

"Oi," she felt a twitch above her eye. "I've told you about that, haven't I?"

"My apologies, Gloria-lady-sama," he bowed and smirked.

"You idiot!" she kicked him in the shin. "Anywho, we have to get back to the others. I hope everyone is ok. If that shitty-Shiki did something funny to Nami, hell will feel like a holiday to him."

"Um, Gloria-sama, you just sounded like Sanji-san..." he pointed out.

She facepalmed.

They took a direction and started a long, loooong trek through the island they were on.

And it took a goddamn week of kicking monster ass with and without Greg, since he had his limitations, and she was tired of it. She'd snapped at one of the monsters and used verbal abuse on it before stabbed at it until it stopped twitching. Only afterwards she'd shuddered at the gory memory it left inside of her head.

During the third day she was hit by loneliness that even Greg couldn't ease. She missed everyone and she missed the Sunny, and she missed the waves' gentle rocking when she fell asleep. Gen was starting to seriously think that she'd never see the others again. She welled in her torn-up emotional state and finally managed to push them away and reach some kind of peace, knowing that everyone was just fiiine.

'Though I might be missing a limb myself by the time I find them...' she thought grimly, as she tried not to draw the attention of a rather large leopard that she'd almost missed due to its odd ability to blend in with the surroundings like a chameleon. '_Everything here is so messed up. The animals... they look like demons, except more violent and stupid_.'

The demigoddess concentrated on survival, and by the afternoon she finally saw civilization. She could've cried out of happiness, but instead she squealed like a total idiot and dashed to the village past a row of weird, foul smelling, thick rooted trees.

Only when she got closer was she aware of the town's submissive and fearful aura, and that put a damper on her joy. Gen grew more cautious, her senses taking in everything. The girl could hear sounds of people bustling out of sight all around her going on about their daily work.

She saw some crates on her left and climbed over them to reach the lower roofs of a cluster of houses, eyeing it. It looked sturdy enough... And so she heaved herself up with relative ease. The roof was mostly made out of a thick, tightly tied yellow reed that sunk under her weight like a spring mattress.

There were people, mostly children and elderly. It struck her as odd; where were all the men? And the younger women? She didn't need to think of that for more than a few seconds. Mr. Shitty - as she had started calling Shiki in her head - was the root of all of their present problems. Why was she on a floating island? Shiki. Why was she separated from the others? Shiki again. Why was there something hiking up her-

Gloria didn't even try to suppress the scream and jump up, grabbing her shirt in order to get rid of it. She slipped, felt the gravitation take hold of her like it once did to the apple over Newton's head and fell from the roof. The fall punched the air out of her lungs and she was left coughing on the grassy ground on her back and seeing little stars. Then the girl became aware of people staring at her and whispering to each other, and she could hear someone running her way.

"_GLORIA-CHWAAAAAANNNN~~~~_!_!_!"

She sat up, rubbing her sore head.

"HEY! IT'S GEN!"

Besides Sanji, there were Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, Zoro and the supposedly kidnapped Nami.

"NAMIIII!" Gen grinned and waved, pain forgotten. "Uwaaah it's you guys...! I was so freakin' _lonely~!_"

"Come here, Gen-chan! I'll make you feel loved again~!" Sanji spread his arms wide.

"Hey!" Zoro's teeth turned shark like. "Only I have that right!"

"Say whaaaat_!_?" Sanji glared at him. "You greedy brute, Gen-chan isn't something you can just claim like that!"

"Keep your grubby paws off of her, you ero-monster_!_!"

"Who you calling ero-monster, moss-ass!_?_"

They glowered at each other, growling primitively. The one they were fighting over was sweatdropping and by the vein popping on Nami's temple there was pain to be dealt to the numbskulls soon.

"Anyway, I'm just glad you're all okay," Luffy was grinning on... a...

"DUCK!_?_" her jaw dropped. "So cute! And it's got a peacock's tail!"

"Heh, this guy has helped us a lot," Nami smiled to it, and it made a kwaaa-sound.

"But why does it have stuffing in its nostrils?" she wondered.

"There are trees here that spread a pollen in the air. The animals really hate it, because it smells so horrible!" Chopper stuck his tongue out.

A door behind Luffy opened and a little redheaded girl in a white and purple dress stood there with her large, brown eyes. "There's even more people now!" and she went stiff, almost falling on straight feet.

"Looks like you've gathered a crowd," a middle-aged lady smiled. She looked like an older version of the little, petrified girl, so it was safe to assume she was her mother. "You can rest inside if you'd like."

"Nami, go inside and rest," Luffy said, looking at the navigator.

"Eh? Okay..." she blinked.

"Hey, what about you Snowy?" Zoro asked Gen while the lady shook up her daughter (_Xiao, Gen learnt_).

"Mmh," she nodded sleepily. The duck's head was dipping in sleep too, the bunch of crimson feathers on its head pointing down limply. "Ca'y meh?" the girl looked up at him pleadingly.

He said nothing, just stepped closer so she could wrap her hands around his neck to have some support when he scooped her legs up.

Usopp started singing the wedding march behind them, stopping it into a weird strangled wheeze as if someone was strangling him. It was in actuality the weight of a full-blown I'm-going-to-kill-you-in-your-sleep-and-no-one-will-ever-find-out -glare from Zoro. Gen was just too tired to care about that, instead she was thinking how cute Luffy had always been to Nami.

* * *

><p>Usopp getting the evil eye all the time, lol.<p> 


	75. On her heels

Hello everyone. Hmm, not much to say this time, and I've come to terms that I will propably never write as fast as I used to T_T...  
>BTW, to those who haven't watched One Piece movies: This adventure our beloved crew is now going through in this fic is from the tenth OP movie, called Strong World. It's nicely canon and I love those suits! So, I have nothing to do with this adventure's existance ^^.<br>Happy Birthday in advance, hun!

* * *

><p>The two girls were curled up in a wide blanket against a large drawer by the wall, below a window. Nami hadn't been able to really sleep; well, she didn't have to. She'd been in a gilded cage in Shiki's little glass walled poolgreenhouse, unlike the rest of the pirates who'd been running around looking for her.

The demigoddess was sleeping like the dead, her mouth open and her face relaxed. The girl's arms were loosely wound around Nami's waist, and the navigator in turn was cradling the other. All in all, they were pretty comfortable like that. The guys had just fallen asleep outside. Before she'd let the lunatic succumb to sleep, she'd told her what they'd learnt - about how Shiki was the one responsible for everything. Gen had pieced that together on her own too, but the trees producing noxious pollen was new to her. That same pollen was the reason the animals were fleeing from the area, and also why so many of the villagers were sick. The poisoned would in time grow stiff and unmoving, and eventually they'd be unable to even draw breath. Shiki was monopolizing the only cure for it.

Xiao had left some time ago on business and now she had returned with a small jar of something the mother needed. The little one had a wide smile on her face and her eyes sparkled. Nami listened to their conversation: apparently, one of Xiao's friends' fathers had come home.

"He said everybody would be able to return soon! We'll be able to see dad and sister soon!"

"Are you sure? I'm not dreaming, am I?" the sick grandmother sat up in her cot.

"In other words..."

"That's right. Shiki is leaving this place. He's going to take all of the animals with him to the Sea of Stratagems! To East Blue!"

Nami felt her throat constrict painfully; it seemed like her lungs were too small. Some of the conversation she'd gone through with the bastard Shiki went through her head.

'_You will one day beg me to allow you to join. Become my navigator, Baby-chan. Because there's always something you'd want to request your nakama, no?_'

The grandmother wept with joy.

Nami swallowed thickly and brought her hand to her wrist, to the bracelets she'd gotten from Nojiko so long time ago. _'Luffy..._'

* * *

><p>Gen was shaken lightly from her sleep. First she had thought it was Nami, since she could remember and still feel the navigator's curve against herself. Then she realized it wasn't Nami, but something... else.<p>

"Wh'ssh'ppning?" she asked blearily and shook the sleep off of her as fast as she could - which wasn't really that fast.

The other looked down at her and Gen instantly knew something grave was afoot.

"I don't know, but it came from outside," she said.

They shed the blanket and Gen subtly stretched her stiff back before they exited the house. The sun was hanging low in the horizon, casting everything in a red-golden hue.

Only their things were left at the front of the house, where the boys had previously been. Her bag was there among the others.

"Luffy?" Nami called out loud, but didn't get an answer.

"What the..." Gen mumbled and walked around to the back of the house.

The terrain had undergone some major changes. What she remembered as a field of grass and different flowers, some hills and a few trees dotting it was now barren and sharply moulded. Also, there was this structure of three big stones, two apart and standing with the third resting on them. On that... Shitty-Shiki.

The redhead followed her, and they froze.

"Stay back, Nami," Luffy said, making her flinch and stop in her place. The captain and the boys - Greg included - were standing in a semi circle between the girls and Shiki.

"I've found you, Baby-chan," Shiki was grinning wickedly.

"Shiki!" Nami squeaked, going rigid and wide-eyed.

"Dear mother of mine..." Gen muttered. "I'd forgotten how ugly he actually was."

"How cold, Baby-chan. You left without a word. That hurts me deeply," the old man drawled, making her Creep Senses tingle and hackles stand on end.

"Shut up, you shitty bastard," Sanji growled. "You fooled us and took Nami-san away."

Another thing that made her skin crawl was Shiki's laugh. It was... well, if she didn't know better she would've thought he was Blackbeard's relative.

He spoke again, a shit eating grin stretching over the weathered, old face. "It's hard not to snatch such an elegant woman away. If you don't want me to take her away from you, then protect her properly! Although, I don't think she's able to leave my side now. Am I right, Baby-chan?"

Sanji tensed and another insult slipped out with a half of a snarl, but before he could say or do anything too idiotic Luffy was talking in a low, angered voice. "Hey! Steering wheel! Don't think you can leave this place unscathed after hurting my nakama."

"Oh? What are you going to do?" Shiki taunted.

"I'm going to BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF YOU_!_!"

With this said Luffy went after the enemy. It was the signal for the others to move out as well, making Nami call out to the captain. Gen placed a hand on her arm and gave her a little smile.

"Ya stay 'ere, Nami."

"But-"

Gloria had already gone to join the others in the fight, Caermare's scabbard clattering at the navigator's feet.

Shiki was only mildly surprised by Luffy's devil's fruit abilities to stretch when he gave the first hit. It missed, since the bastard had jumped up, sending the boy sailing past the rock formation. Usopp's firebird star was just as easy to dodge and he had no trouble deflecting Zoro's long distance attack.

The stream demon was suddenly right in Shiki's face with his own sword drawn. Shiki moved at the last minute before he would've been beheaded and Greg didn't stay to linger, making room for Chopper who'd snuck behind the old man. His strike, named after cherry petals, rained undisturbed on his back. Gen didn't need an invitation to see that now was her turn to try and pushed her feet to propel her towards his frozen form.

She was lucky, and when her feet touched the ground she could see her sword had a thin layer of blood on it.

"You make quite a good team," Shiki spoke, now holding Sanji's leg from drilling into his gut heel first. "I've gotta say you're pretty good for making me use my hand."

_'The hell, didn't he notice the cut!_?' Gen's jaw fell. _'Or... if I didn't cut him... then whose...'_

"But now that I've used my hand, don't expect me to hold back."

"Sanji!" Chopper inhaled sharply as Shiki pulled back his hand, curled into a claw.

"Let's start with you."

Luffy plummeted conveniently into Shiki, the men now freefalling safely. When he was standing still again the rest of the fighters gathered around him. The bastard was still hovering in the air.

"To think you're able to fight on equal ground with me... It's such a pain. I'll get rid of you all at once." He raised his hand again. Did he have gout or did he try to really be like some beast with those claw-hands?

"He's going to do something," Zoro pointed out.

"No shit," Gen couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes.

She could hear the ground groan before it exploded all around them, trapping them into a bowl of waves made from rocks and boulders advanced towards them. Usopp screamed when the dirt formed numerous lion heads, like the one Shiki's flying island ship had as a figurehead. They advanced on the seven people; rumbling aggressively and making her suddenly feel claustrophobic.

As if they'd give up so easily.

Yet, only moment after when she'd cried out Zoro's name when he crashed into the ground in the middle of them, the stone lions closed in on them and she felt the air being squeezed out of her. Breathing was impossible, with so much pressure on her. Pain burst like flame inside her due the lack of oxygen and then she had already fallen to the cool darkness.

* * *

><p>"Shiki was the one behind all the incidents in East Blue?" Luffy more like confirmed what he'd just heard rather than ask if it was true.<p>

"Yes," Robin nodded.

"So he intends to use those beasts to turn our hometowns upside down. Shitty bastard, treating others like fools..." Sanji sounded tired.

"She left with Shiki in order to protect our home. Nami saved us," Usopp said. He'd been awake when Shiki had spoken with Nami, but of course Gen wouldn't remember that happening.

Robin, Franky and Brook were right on time to free them from the solid rock pillar they'd been in. It was nighttime, and the village had been wiped out while they were unconscious. Gregory's time limit wasn't yet come to an end, fortunately, but he only had about an hour left. At the moment he was slumped against one of the boulders, shoulders sagged, hair and clothes rumpled and dusty.

Gen felt extremely lucky to be alive after everything, and now she was leaning against Zoro's chest. His left arm was secured around her middle, warding off the biting chill of the night, and the weird floral bandanna around his head was obscuring his eyes from her, but she hadn't missed the fact that he'd freed her hair and brushed through it with his hand. Neither of them said anything when his lips found the tip of her ear and the cheek pressed against the side of her head.

_'I love him so much.'_

"Xiao, are you alright?" Chopper asked. The little family of three people - Xiao, her mother and grandmother - had found them. She couldn't see much from the eldest, but they had an air of lost hope on them.

"We were hiding in the underground trench," Xiao's mother said. "Anyway, what you guys were talking about... Is it true that East Blue is your home?" A moment of tired silence. "Is it also that girl's home?"

Xiao was sniffling.

"Yeah, that's right," Luffy nodded with unruffled calm.

Oh, now the little girl wasn't the only one in tears. The mother was blaming herself for wishing that Shiki would just leave for East Blue right in front of Nami. "How could I say such a terrible thing_!_?"

"You didn't know," Gen sighed.

"And I was so happy..." Xiao rubbed her eyes with her feathered arm.

"Huh? Xiao, what is that?" Luffy suddenly asked and she stopped crying.

"This? I picked it up from here..."

"Let me see," the captain got up on his feet and kneeled in front of her, plucking it from her hand. "You're amazing, Xiao. You have time to worry about Nami when your own village is in such a mess. I've never seen people as kind as you guys are. Don't blame yourself." As if a wordless message had been sent to her, Robin and the boys, they got up and walked to stand behind Luffy. His tone had changed when he spoke of Shiki. "The one at fault is that bastard. I'm going to beat the everloving crap out of him. So you just cheer up, 'k?"

And then Luffy got on his feet, his attention on the yellow and orange seashell.

"That a tone dial?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah, the one Shiki was using." And then Luffy clicked the top in once.

"_**Please forgive me for being unable to say farewell to you all directly.**_"

"Hey, it's Nami's voice," Chopper said with a little smile.

"**_I've decided to join Shiki's crew as their navigator. He's a legendary pirate whom Luffy and you guys can't oppose. You'll just be wasting your lives if you come after me. That's why I'll say this..._**"

Holy shit, Luffy looked pissed.

"**WHAT THE HELL IS THIS**_**!**_**!**_**?**_**?**" Chopper had placed his hooves over his ears, Usopp stepped back and she flinched when he yelled. The others look equally surprised. Luffy's hand was shaking in effort not to crush the innocent dial in his fury. "What's _wrong_ with her!_?_ Why is she leaving this kind of message!_?_"

"H-Hey, calm down!" Usopp tried.

"She said we can't beat him!_?_ What the hell was she thinking when she said all that!_?_"

"I'm pretty sure she was thinking of you, Luffy," Gen gave a small, rueful smile. "Think about it. Would she ever simply leave because someone just asks it?"

"And weren't you all beaten by him?" Franky asked.

"What did you say!_?_ I was just- doesn't really mean-!_!_"

"Luffy, just... calm down-_ heeek_!" Usopp covered his face with his arms in protection, but then just looked confusedly when Luffy shoved the tone dial to him and marched off, fuming and cursing.

Gen blinked and was opening her mouth when Sanji asked Usopp to play the voicemail again.

"**_Please forgive me..._**"

Luffy never heard the end of the message, because he had opted to destroy a rather large rock.

As the others silently listened on, unhappy and sorrowful, Gen fought an upcoming smirk.

The captain was panting, drawing angry breaths and trying to calm down. He didn't, the fury was simply relocated for later use. "Everyone... We are going back to the Sunny. We have a nakama to save."

It took them the most of the night to get back to where the ship had ended up in, on the side of a little inactive volcano with its crater filled with water.

Gen heard a snippet of what Robin and Sanji were speaking about, something about Shiki's gathering. Not too soon, as the others were looking over the ship to get the familiarity back, Sanji called the captain. "Luffy."

The boy didn't say anything, simply turned to them with a quizzical look. The archaeologist took over. "Shiki is holding a formal meeting for the pirate captains who joined him. It would be rude not to dress up for the occasion, no?"

"Ah, I got it."

Since Gloria was lost with what to put on, the older woman took care of it. She ended up with one of Robin's dresses she'd never seen her wear, one with the hem longer in the back than it was in the front where the line made a rise to form a slit up her left thigh. It was a halter neck, and Gen realized why she'd never seen Robin use it - her chest was barely able to fit in it, and Robin's cup size was even bigger than hers. She didn't like it how much the slit showed her leg _(nor the fact that she had to go without a proper bra and trust the support within the dress_), but she was thankful how there was a translucent, silvery underskirt sewn to the dress. It was a nice touch, but she still rolled on a pair of thigh-high stockings.

While Robin was still rummaging through a trunk, she stood in front of the mirror and contemplated what to do with her hair. Her back was bare so it would've been a waste to leave it down, but again she didn't feel like doing it. They were in a hurry and Gen had had her hair tied for the past week already.

"Ah, here they are."

And then Robin turned to her with a pair of high heels.

* * *

><p>"So this is why women always cling to their escorts," Zoro had an unashamed grin on his face when the Sunny came to a lurching stop in the middle of Shiki's front yard after a Coup de Burst.<p>

Gloria's shortish, different shades of grey fur jacket that wrapped around her shoulder, borrowed from Nami, seemed to bristle along with her mood. "Shut up or you'll find out another way to suffer from a high heel."

"Heh, you sure are learning some nasty threats, Snowbrain."

Dear gods, she couldn't tear her eyes from Zoro.

Suit.

Suit.

_Suit!_

Zoro in a SUIT!

Not that the others were bad either. Sanji was just slightly better dressed than normally, Franky actually had pants though he'd never abandoned wearing a Hawaii-shirt under the dress jacket and Usopp had a pinstripe suit and some weird Edo-era samurai chest plate and a beetle-like helmet. Luffy still had his sandals but he looked good with the black, high collared captain's jacket over his suit. What was odd was seeing Gregory in a suit, a blue satin tie loosely around his neck. She had expected him to go, since he didn't have much time, but didn't comment on it.

"Since when did we have these babes?" Gen asked, eyeing the heavy artillery the guys had dragged on the deck.

Usopp grinned. "You like 'em? We did them with Franky, and this is the perfect occasion to use it."

"Sweet...!" she freed a hand to run it over one of them.

"We've had them under work for some time now," Franky grinned proudly, hoisting up a really heavy looking piece of firepower. Then he picked up another, smaller one. "This is for you. It's your old gun, but better."

Her eyes bugged out and then there was a very disconcerting smile, one a mixture of glee, excitement and a person who'd just found out how to make Jack the Ripper cry. There was a silent moment during which Franky was having second thoughts about giving her the gun. He let her take it nevertheless, and soon she was probing it and looking it over like a fine piece of art.

The gun didn't even resemble the old gun she'd almost thrown away. For starters, it was thicker, and slightly longer too. Shaking it like a Christmas present she heard that it had six separate ammos in it.

"H-Hey, careful with that!" Usopp warned her. "It's not a toy!"

"Come on," Luffy told them all and simply jumped off the ship.

_'The hell..._' Gen thought, wriggling her toes in the shoes. Before she had the time to question how she would get down, Zoro had already given her a mock bow and swept her, her gun and his own three-barrelled gun on his persona, and followed Luffy.

They walked in a silent line behind their captain. The way to the palace from the ship gave Gen some time to adjust to her shoes and by the time they had reached the red and gold themed palace she wasn't stumbling around like a retarded Bambi on ice.

"Here," the demigoddess said, suddenly stopping. "There are people there."

The crew gathered together and Luffy nodded to Zoro, who pulled his swords free. In a quick slash half of the paper doors caved in loudly.

Usopp grinned and moved into a poorly mimicked stand to kick down the door. His foot just went through the paper. "What?"

"That's lame, man," Sanji shook his head. "This is how you do it."

"W-Wait a second-!"

He didn't wait. Soon they could all get inside to a neat row, leaving a space right in the middle for Luffy who came in dramatically. Inside, Shiki was sitting on a lavishly decorated throne of sorts with his guests - pirate captains - sitting with sake cups in two lines opposite of each other.

Gen supported her gun against her hip coolly.

"It's you guys... What a surprise," he brought a thick cigar on his lips. He sounded more annoyed than surprised.

As one their little row moved forward, soon turning into a slight circle. She was between Usopp and Franky, the latter now behind her. The girl knew Greg had fallen behind the cyborg.

"I heard you're going to attack East Blue?" Luffy had his hat shadowing his eyes and rest of his features, but to her his voice blared red in the low notes he usually didn't speak in.

"Well yeah," was Shiki's oh so intelligent answer. They stopped in the middle of the room.

"Is Nami alright?" their captain asked, the rim of his hat rising to show his left eye.

"Aa. She's _lively_," Shiki grinned, and Gen didn't like it at all. Shiki's men were snickering. Ah, and there were a lot more people than what could be seen in the room.

_'It would be enough if I just touched him..._' she thought to herself. '_Get over with this. But he's Luffy's._'

"You look tough, but don't think you can make a difference with just 10 people," Shiki said in a conversational voice; as the paper doors around them fell down to show more people. "A stupid woman who believed that if she sacrificed herself, she would be able to protect her home-town... Together with a reckless suicide squad."

'_Is he an idiot?_' Gen raised a mental eyebrow.

"Are you an idiot?" Luffy asked.

_'Whoaaaaah, he can read my mind_!'

"Hnn?"

"Nami didn't sacrifice herself," Luffy scoffed. "She came here as the vanguard!" That was their cue. A chorus of click-clicks, metal grinding against metal. She flipped her gun up and aimed it at the left side of the hall, towards the bastards. "Brace yourself, Golden Lion, we're the main force_!_!"

_KA-BOOM_

_BOOM_

Her poor ears were ringing from the loud bangs, but she could still hear the joyous laughter from Brook and the horrified shouts of the enemy. She grinned, looked one man straight in the eye and let the tip of her tongue wet the arch of her upper lip. The man gulped and she pulled the trigger without further thinking. The gun had a nasty kick that turned her shoulder numb after two shots, but she did enjoy the chaos it brought. Though she had the least number of shots to shoot, they were making lots of property and personal damage.

Soon Franky declared he was dry on ammo. He was the last one, and he dropped the now useless weapons on the ground.

"There's still a bunch of them left," Sanji said and followed Franky's example.

"We were just saying hi... That's about right..." Zoro sighed and his weapon clattered to the floor.

"Usopp! Chopper! Find Nami!" Luffy ordered and shed the coat.

"Got it!"

"Shoot these impudent fools! Kill them all!" One of the enemy captains said, pointing a scimitar at them.

"Gloria-sama, be careful," Greg said, though he seemed to be saying it more for the sake of saying it than for worry.

"I will," she answered in the same manner.

The smoke was clouding the room, but that didn't hinder her at all. It gave her an advantage, since she wasn't too keen on walking and thinking quickly on her feet at the moment. She heard Luffy challenge Shiki, and Brook, Zoro and Sanji take the attention of those who tried to get in their captain's way.

* * *

><p>Only ten minutes into the fight the palace was overrun by the exotic wildlife of Shiki's. Different mutations of animals flooded the building and forced them apart, Gen finally abandoning her shoes to get the hell away from a rampart falcon-goat-topus (<em>lets just leave it at that so we won't get nightmares<em>). It was too big and too... well, she didn't know if it was just dumb or in great pain, but its eyes were glowing in a mad anger.

_'The guys can handle these things, the animals and Shiki, and Usopp and Chopper have probably already found Na-'_ "WOULD YOU STOP THAT!_?_" she yelled at the thing, dodging a toothed tentacle.

She made it outside where it was still as cold as it was in the first place and the snow was still falling. She could hear and sense the water in the distance, but that wasn't going to do her much good.

"Leave Gloria-sama be, you brute_!_!" Gregory appeared out of nowhere in his suit, hair open and sword sharp.

The falcon-goat-topus made a miserable little screech before it went still, its blood and ink staining everything around it.

"Thanks," she panted.

"No worries, my lady," he bowed lavishly and air-kissed the back of her hand.

"Idiot, stop that," she blushed and he got back on his feet with a chuckle. "Do you know what happened to the others?"

"I can only guess, but of that I'm sure is that Luffy is still after Shiki," he said, looking around for more threats.

"Ok, let's go and see if we can find-"

She had ignored all the crashes and booms ricocheting around the place, but the tremor she couldn't. The two of them glanced at each other and ran out to the snow. She shrieked out of reflex when her barely covered legs sunk into it, and didn't even fight back when Greg picked her up princess style.

Counting, six gigantic lion heads had sprouted out of the snow and were circling someone. From so far she couldn't see who it was, but she knew it was Shiki's doing. With a mighty roar one of them charged to the middle of the little ring, but it popped into a harmless flurry of a blizzard. The rest of the heads followed soon after.

Gen blinked. "I just had an idea."

"Hm?"

"Hehehe, nothing~!" she giggled.

* * *

><p>They had run into Usopp and Chopper, the latter carrying Nami on his back. They had first thought they were the enemy, but then they had recognized them and thought that Gen had been injured in some way.<p>

"I'm fine, guys. Hey, what happened to Nami?"

"She has Daft green poisoning." Her stomach fell. "We're trying to look for Shiki's lab, he must have the antidote there somewhere."

"Ok, then let's go. Greg doesn't look too good either," she made a quick eyescan over her guard. His face was paler than usual and breathing took more effort than necessary.

"I'm fine, Gloria-sama."

"Don't try lying to me," she gave a light slap to the back of his head where her hands were attached around his neck.

The lab was easy to find with Chopper's keen sense of smell. Gen was shivering without the fur she'd lost while escaping the falcon-goat-topus, and the girl was very happy when the warm air of the greenhouse wrapped around her. She shifted to make Greg let her down and he did with a slight sigh.

"Sweet, sweet indoors," she sighed.

"What is this place?" Usopp asked, climbing on the edge of the flowerbed. Hundreds of little pink bell-like flowers were growing timidly around them under the moonlight that flooded from the window. The snow falling outside made small shadows dance over them.

"They're all IQ," Chopper said, peeking into the plants and out of the window. "They use moonlight to plant them."

"Whoah, they're all so pretty! Hey, you think Robin would like to have a few on the ship?" Gen whispered. It was so quiet it seemed like a crime to speak louder.

"Sorry Gen, I'm not sure they would survive on the ship," the doctor said. "I smell medicine! This way!"

They ran up the stairs but to her it was more like tiptoeing. The stocking was too smooth and she felt her feet slip constantly. Usopp and Chopper had already gone ahead, but she could feel that Gregory had stayed behind.

"Greg?" she held onto the rail and looked down. He was hunched over and leaning heavily to the same rail she was. "You really should go back. Tell me you have your vessel with you?"

"I do, Gloria-sama... But please, I don't want to leave you alone," he looked up at her with eyes that told her that he really, really didn't want to part from her.

She gave him the kindest, most tender smile she could. "Gregory, go rest. We've all had a hard week and you've been protecting me all the way through it. You of all people and demon alike have earned a little nap."

"Gloria-sama..." he was easily defeated.

"What are you talking about, being alone?"

"Zoro!" Gen saw him walking from the door, two swords out and ready to take on everything. Greg turned his head to the young man, so she couldn't see his expression. Zoro raised his eyebrow at whatever it was.

"Very well," Greg nodded and wasn't there anymore, only a bear mascot dropping to the floor.

'_What was that all about? Some secret man-to-man telepathy?'_ Gen wondered. She watched Zoro pick the toy up, stare at it for a while and then toss it to her.

"I saw you with Usopp and Chopper, was Nami with them?" he asked.

"Uh... yeah... just up the stairs..." she blinked and shook her head clear.

Zoro in a suit.

Zoro in a suit in a moonlit room, surrounded by flowers.

They walked into the dark, large lab. The smell of chemicals and herbs assaulted her senses, as she listened carefully to the surroundings. The swordsman didn't bother waiting for her, but walked in from one of the doors.

"Hand over the cure for Daft!" she heard Chopper demand of someone. Zoro grinned diabolically when he stuck Wado's hilt to his mouth and grabbed the other two swords with his hands.

An annoying laugh. "Why should I give it to you, idiot? This is what you want, right? I've always been carrying it with me for an emergency."

"Well, that makes it simple. All I need to do is take it from that guy, then." Zoro called out, it hardly being heard that he had an object in his mouth. She could see from behind him a clownish man with blue hair and a lab coat, sitting on an upper level safety railing with the sniper and the doctor's backs towards the doorway. "Back off, I'll chop him into pieces."

"Zoro!" the boys smiled, relieved.

"Looks like you've chased me to this place as well," the clown said.

"Take care of him, we need the cure!" Usopp said, thrusting a thumb in the scientist's direction before running out of the way with Chopper. Gen leaned casually to the doorway to watch how Zoro would handle it.

The clown badmouthed East Blue, saying no one would care if it were wiped off the map. Zoro proceeded to sword cannon him through the nearest wall.

"Come on! They're outside!" Usopp told her, and the three ran back to the cold and the snow. There was a plume of sickly green cloud obscuring the swordsman from the view, and the clown was laughing a few feet away from him.

"Zoro! You ok_!_?" Chopper asked.

The clown laughed. "Do you feel the power of the Chemical Juggling?"

"So he's a devil's fruit user," Gen muttered, clutching the bear mascot in her hand and trying to peer into the mist for her loved one.

The thought invoked a girlish giggle inside her head despite the situation.

"I don't have time to juggle with you," Zoro said, annoyed. He'd brought the two katana in front of him for protection.

The clown made another cloud of chemicals, as she assumed it was, and it ignited into a revoltingly green ball of flame. Her eyes widened and she stepped behind Chopper's large frame, with him being in his human form, to avoid the prickling heat wave. However cold it was, she didn't want to try her luck and be a victim.

The boom shook the whole palace and the flame had scorched the bridge the two had been standing on.

The fire turned slowly into pinkish red.

"Kiki kyuutouryuu..." Zoro's voice drifted to them. There was the familiar, reassuring raw power that she'd felt before. "...Asura!"

Zoro shot from the flames right at the clown, cut him down and made the bridge blow up when he fell down. She guessed it was from the chemicals and fire combination.

"Zoro is super cool," Chopper was smiling.

"Is he invincible?" Usopp muttered.

"Kyaaa~," Gen just wiggled.

"Chopper!" and the antidote came sailing through the air. The doctor caught it in his large palm. "I'm heading back now. Take care of the girls!"

"Yeah!" both guys answered as he turned and ran off.

Gloria started laughing her ass off.

"Dude, it's THAT way!_!_!" Usopp pointed to the opposite of where Zoro'd ran off.

* * *

><p>And that has to be enough for you, for now.<p>

But wait, there's more!

* * *

><p><strong>ExtRRRRa piece:<strong>

-_And what about her father? Part I._

Years before now, there was a young pirate. He had green eyes, an avarage frame and one silvery strand in his otherwise warm maroon hair. It stuck up stubbornly in the middle of his forehead, defying gravity much unlike the rest of his hair that covered his head and tickled his jawbone.

Nothing special about him, really.

"GET HIM!_!_"

"WHY ARE YA CHASING ME!_?_" he cried out, running away from a group dressed in the white and blue of the navy.

"You _are_ 'Nightstripe' Don, the feared captain of the Chocopop pirates?" the one in the lead of this chase asked him, whipping out a way too familiar wanted poster with a picture of a man who looked a lot like him.

"No! My name's JOHN!_! Whitestripe John_! How hard is it to get one name right!_?_" he yelled. "AND WHAT PART O' ME IS 'FEARED'!_?_"

"IT'S HIM ALRIGHT!"

"GET HIM!_!_"

So the man named John ran for his freedom and life through the town, past many shops and bars until he skidded to a halt and hid behind the corner of the building. He threw up the hood of his dark grey jacket, plopped a cig between his lips and stuck his hands in his pockets to find a lighter. He prayed to whatever deities there were listening that the marines wouldn't notice him.

They passed him, not seeing him or ignoring him now that he looked like a homeless person in a dirty alleyway.

"Yo," he heard someone say behind him. "Ya got in this too, I see."

John promptly hit him in the head. "This is all ya fault!"

"What!_?_ How can it be MY fault that they think yer me?" he rubbed his nose. He looked exactly like John did, just that all his colours were slightly darker and colder in hue. He didn't have a white stripe, but a midnight black, and his hair was the colour of dark chocolate.

"Shut up, Don! Gimme a bottle."

Nightstripe Don, the REAL captain of the Chocopop pirates chuckled and dug a cold bottle of milk from his pocket. "Ya 'ave to learn how to be more invisible." John didn't answer him, drinking from the silvery flask. "By the way, who was that pretty girl ya were talking to earlier?"

"Hm? Oh her, I think she said her name was Helena. Ne'r seen eyes so blue!"

"Hn. Just that ya be careful, baby brother."

"Yer just as old as I am, dude," he gave a deadpan look.

Don gave a wide grin. "In the blue eyes of a woman can men of the sea lose 'emselves. Just so ya remember."


	76. The little mermaid

So ah... hi. I'm aware that it has been three. freakin'. months. since last update, and I'm terribly sorry about it. My life has been a real mess (I know now the meaning of stress) on all fronts, especially in school. This is my last year of high school, I have to finish all my projects within this month, then study like a little animal for the finals this spring and then have a serious thinking session about What Then. This meaning... I might have to postpone the story officially for several months more before even thinking of continuing. Know that these are not the only reasons for doing this, as I do want to play WoW too within all this and my roaring flames of writing and reading fanfiction has become but a small kindle. This doesn't mean I will forget my story! I absolutely love it and I have such awesome ideas yet to be displayed!

Once again, I am deeply **sorry**.

Have a chapter.

* * *

><p>They had Nami, and Nami'd been given the antidote. She'd be fine in a few minutes, so they were on their way to the Thousand Sunny. The others would follow once they were ready on their own ends.<p>

Lucky for her, the snow wasn't deep.

"Why aren't you wearing any shoes!_?_" Usopp saw her feet. "It's cold!"

"I fudging know it's cold! But I'd rather that than dead. I had to take them off to run."

"Oh, good point."

"Where are we?" Nami's sleepy, weak voice made her attention focus on the woman.

"Nami," Chopper smiled.

"Thank god... you're awake," Usopp was looking up at her while running. "The cure worked."

"Welcome to the world of the living! You never have chocolate when you most need it, lots of things suck and the washing machine will take your left foot socks as a tax payment. Enjoy," Gen prattled, conveying how much she appreciated she was awake. She had a genuine grin from ear to ear.

The navigator looked at her without her expression changing much, then back at Usopp. "Did you come to save me...?"

"Of course! We all did! Zoro, Sanji, Robin, Brook, Franky, and Luffy... We're all here!" Usopp was beaming at her. Awww, and then Nami started crying. Her eyes had grown wide during the list of names and by the end of it there were fat tears on her cheeks. She buried her face into Chopper's back and gave a high pitched 'thank you!'.

"Hey, hey, it's not time to cry now," Usopp said.

"I know," she sniffled and wiped her eyes quickly into the back of her hand. "If we don't beat Shiki, East Blue... will..." her voice faded out as her attention went to something else.

"What is it, Nami?" Gen asked. The navigator was looking at the sky, eyes unfocused but the hundreds of wheels turning rapidly. "Something wrong with the weather?"

"Stop right here," she said, and they did. She answered to the others' conused expressions. "There's a storm coming. The pressure is dropping... There must be a big cloud nearby. ...we're going back to the royal palace."

"_Eeeeeh?_"

"Just hurry up!" Nami said.

They had to run through the snow again and Gen was sure her feet were going to be frostbitten soon. Plus, her back was exposed to the wind and she did not likie.

Once inside, Nami helped them get into the right place and following her plan the guys kicked the crud out of Shiki's navigators. It was pathetically easy, as well as threatening one of them to tell Shiki about the storm and head right into it... though the bastard didn't need to know that.

"Nami, was that good enough?" Usopp asked when the poor guy was knocked out.

"Yeah, it's enough."

"But, are you sure we're going to be okay heading into a storm like that?" Chopper asked, worried.

"No way we're going to be," Nami said, staring hard at the main screen of the room where they could see the swirling mass of clouds.

"EEEH!_?_" Usopp and Chopper both exclaimed.

There was the sound of fabric ripping and a determined clinck of her clima tact as she held it up. "But, we have no other choice."

"Yeah yeah, but that's still no excuse to be stripping, especially with this blizzard," Gen sweatdropped at the shortened hem of Nami's dress.

The navigator stared at her as if she'd just noticed her, looking her outfit over with an unreadable expression.  
>"Nice dress... Robin's, right?"<p>

"Uhm, yeah," she shifted uneasily, trying to pull the gap in her dress closed. "Wait, we don't have time for this. Let's go!"

Because now the ship/island was moving towards a certain destruction, they had to get off of it. They managed to regroup, for the exception of Luffy. Chopper wanted to do something about the lab, so he with Robin's help set up these cute little bundles of explosives all over it, like little chocolate eggs on Easter.

Usopp dragged her with him, away from the bombs when he saw that certain glint in her eye.

They had gone against the growing blizzard only for some meters with Gen holding on to Usopp, when they both realised that Nami had disappeared on them.

"Oh for gods' sake!" Gen groaned in between her chattering teeth. '_And we JUST managed to find her!_'

She could hear the quaaa of the peacock-duck ringing somewhere inside the blizzard, but Shiki she had no problems spotting. Try to be a mountain of yellowish gold against the grey sky and see if you blend in.

"**SHIKIII!**" the call of Nami pierced the howl of the wind.

"There!" Gen pointed immediately to Usopp. "Wait, when did she get up there?"

"Nami, don't do anything stupid!" he yelled. She had climbed on one of the roof domes, gripping her staff. "It's over... everything!"

"Ooooi! The bombs are ready!" Chopper yelled from the others side of a smoking crator that in some point might've been part of the palace perimeters.

"Bombs!_?_" Shiki's mouth curled downwards and eyebrows shot up his bald forehead.

"That's right," Nami got up from her knees where she had been resting after the hasty climb. "Your factory, your palace, and this island, _nothing_ will remain! You have failed!"

Gen couldn't resist a very Nelson-like laugh, perfected with the pointing finger. She heard Usopp snicker, and then squeek when Shiki bellowed in fury.

"DON'T SCRWE WITH ME!" Gen felt a pulse travel over them, and two mountains in opposite directions rose forbodingly into the air. "As if brats like you are able to destroy my carefully thought out 20 year plan!"

The demigoddess grinned. "Wouldn't it be time for an update, then?"

Usopp took a sturdy stance and pulled back the strings of the slingshot, something obviously inside the nest. With a loud cry, the ammo left and burst into a blue, chinese dragon. It hit home and pressed Shiki to move in the air. It didn't help much, though, the ancient man just brought the mountains down at the building Nami was occupying. Usopp screetched as the two of them were sent flying. She tried to keep track of where the sky and the ground were, but gave up quickly and just tried not to let the rubble slice her open like a fish. Fortunately Sanji caught her, leaving Usopp on his own devices.

"Nami-san!" Sanji yelled, worried for the navigator. "Gen-chan, are you ok?"

"Mmh," she nodded, and he helped her up on her feet.

"What about me!_?_" Usopp crashed into the ground.

Sanji let out a relieved breath when the duck - Biri - flew out of the cloud with Nami hanging in his beak. Shiki wasn't happy. "Curse you!"

"Shiki! Your fight is with ME!" Luffy reminded him.

Biri made a loop in the air and turned to the assmued direction of the ship. Sanji grabbed Usopp's leg and dragged him along, while Gen got a piggyback-ride from Zoro. She would've propably been more embarassed about his arms supporting her ass if the said ass would've had any feeling on it. She saw Robin perched like a lady on Chopper's back way ahead of them.

In the distance, she could see Luffy take their fight to the next level. They reached the ship in time to stop and watch how Luffy's engorged foot, bathing in the clouds, was struck by lightning. It made a fierce show of light and power.

"You iiiidiot!" Shiki laughed and spread his arms open. "I'm the man who controls the seas from the sky!"

"You won't get your wish with my nakama, or the seas, BECAUSE I WON'T LET YOU!"

He swung the promptly named Gigant Thor Axe at the old man who in vain tried to shield himself with boulders. Too bad that not all of that power was necesseary to beat Shiki, so the foot struck down on the island. The pent up energy discharged into the ground and shattered it, making it bristle up like an animal.

"We're blasting off! Hold on tight!" Franky shouted from the helm and made a Coup de Burst. The ship shuddered and was sent onwards in the familiar, comforting and thrilling push. Everyone latched on to whatever they could, Gloria making sure she had Greg safely still with her. A flap of wings and a distressed 'quaaaa!' signalled Biri taking leave. Nami tried to shout after it.

As gravity started pulling on the Sunny again, Franky released a parachute made from a sail from another pirate ship. They glided down in the tranquil silence, watching everything that Shiki had built disappear in billows of smoke and dust. The worst of the storm had already passed, and Gen felt an uncomfortable tingling all over her when the pale of the sun started warming her.

Despite the air being calm and she felt in peace, everyone was worried over their captain. What had come of him?  
>She heard the sound of four little legs on grass and looked down to see Badass lean against her leg, glance up at her and baa in the cutesy way a baby sheep baas. His tail was wiggling and he started chewing on the blades of grass.<p>

Her ears perked. It was a yell, one that was coming closer, and soon Nami shifted in a way that the demigoddess could tell she had heard it too.

"That Luffy?" Chopper asked full of hope.

"Where is he?_!_" Usopp tried to peer into the cloudmass.

Biri, sparkling and his tail trailing behind like a victory flag, emerged with tiny Luffy on his back.

They were all happy that he was okay and watched Biri make lazy arcs in the air. No one but Gen paid attention when Shiki fell to the ocean, but they all saw how the floating islands started dropping.

"What about Xiao and the others?" Nami asked, eyes growing wide with worry. There was no danger though, as the could soon see.

The villagers looked like birds from a distance, flying with their feathery arms away from the remains of their prison.

* * *

><p>Chopper let Nami walk out on her own in a long, white button-up shirt the woman had lived in for the past three days. She was better off than Gloria, who had inevitably caught a cold from the half naked adventure in the snow. Greg had returned from the Underworld, chirpy and full of energy, ready to do her bidding. Especially when she was sick.<p>

She didn't feel too cooperative, but she didn't have the energy to resist either.

Today was a nice day.

"I want to go out too!" Gen pouted when Nami walked out. Chopper stood in the doorway.

"You're still sick, Gen. You should stay in bed."

"I need fresh air, I won't stay for too long. Promise!"

The little doctor sighed at the truly pleading look on her face. "Fine then, but you have to return to bed after it."

"Thanks Choppie! You're the best!" she grinned brightly like the sun, gathered her blanket around her and scampered out of the door before he changed his mind.

"DON'T FLATter me you idiot~! I'M NOT PLEased by your words so easily~! Bastard~!"

They were all happy to see the navigator up and about... well, except for Luffy. As everyone walked to greet Nami at the bottom of the stairs, he was brooding on the railing, next to a pretty much forgotten fishing pole. Gloria watched on how he got up and approached them with the golden tone dial.

"Oi, Nami! What's this supposed to mean!_?_"

"Eh?" the girl saw him holding it up, running the stairs down. "Hey wait, that's...!"

"Don't go saying ridiculous stuff like, I can't beat Shiki, or that we'd all die, or whatever!" he said, and while he did, Nami had reached him and tried to take away the seashell. "Sure, we were buried in the ground back then, but..." _dodge, dodge_ "I was just hungry at the time, so..."

"That's what I thought too..." Nami paused for a moment.

"I can't believe it!" he frowned. "We've traveled together for so long, yet you don't trust us at all! I'm disappointed!"

The moment's odd silence was broken by Usopp. "Luffy... what are you talking about?"

"Eh? What do you mean what?" the captain was now confused.

"Don't tell me you didn't hear it?" Zoro asked, his tone baffled.

"Nami had no choice but to say it like that," Robin added her own two cents.

Chopper was standing in the staircase. "I realized it, too, as soon as I heard that last part."

"What last part?" he was getting impatient now. Sanji muttered something about hopeless idiots and Nami groaned.

"And it was mainly directed at you, the densest one..."

"Nami, you can't expect understanding of that level from him," Gloria sighed and blew her nose.

"We can just play it again," Franky suggested.

"No _wait!_" Nami squeeked.

_Click!_

Luffy pressed the thing on his ear, listening keenly at the message and dodging the navigator like a pro. Then she got a hold of it, ran to the side of the ship and tried to throw it as far as she could, but Usopp snatched it from her.

"Hey! That thing's valuable!"

She watched with a small, genuine smile on her face how the three galloped over the deck and started a furious grapple for the dial, repeating Nami's message. Gregory had silently walked next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Gloria-sama, have you had enough fresh air now?"

"Eeeeeh? But I want to be outside!" she whined. Her attraction factory suffered from the stuffy nose.

Nami, Usopp and Luffy meanwhile watched how the dial sailed out of their reach and towards the waves.

"**_...so please, save me._**"

_Splash._

* * *

><p>Several days passed as they sailed the open ocean. During that Zoro had more or less isolated in the gym high at the tip of the main mast, and she had visited him only a few times. They too were awkward and silent: she walks in, says hi, maybe calls for dinner and he might give her an odd look before going back to whatever strength exercise he had at the moment. If he was meditating he didn't answer at all, and she didn't bother to linger. It left an uncomfortable, cold feeling in her chest.<p>

Gregory in the other hand had taken it upon himself to cover the swordsman's slack. He kept her in his eyesight constantly, as if fearing that she might disappear suddenly. No one else seemed to notice any difference in the usual routine and to Gloria it was in a way soothing to her. The boys would tumble and wrestle like always, and Nami and Robin would chat about anything or play games with Brook.

Franky had built the little boat based off of a quick sketch of Leeeeeeroy, but Gen had lost interest in the deal. It gave her too many bad memories about the Davy Back fight, so the thing was left on a shelf in the workshop. Still, it was a beaut, and she felt bad. Usopp had used his talents on the engravings on it's sides for nothing.

"Hey, no worries! It was a fun project, and you'll use it in the future if you feel like it. It's not like anyone else would even be able to use it..." the sniper had said.

And then, one day, they finally reached it: the other side of the Red line.

"We finally made it this far!" Luffy yelled.

"It's been so long... it's such a deep feeling," their red-headed navigator was smiling.

"That day... it was raining fiercly," Sanji remembered.

"We've grown a lot," Gen could see Zoro's first smile in a week.

'It's been forever,' the goddess gazed up at the red stonewall rising majestically from the sea. So many memories flashed through her mind.

Brook and Chopper were too in awe: "It took me 50 years... yohohoho."

"It's huuuuuuuuuge~~~!"

"Shishishishi! Anyway, we are halfway done!" the captain laughed. "The twin capes, where we met Laboon, are on the other side of the sea and connected to this wall! I'm glad we made it this far without losing anyone!"  
>Greg was smiling silently at the children's excitement, and somewhere below the waves was a worried mother.<p>

"I feel like crying!" Usopp was blubbering.

"As far as I can remember, I went over Reverse mountain from South blue. But, that was over 30 years ago..." Franky had a freakishly large grin on his face.

"Man, you're an old coot," Gen deadpanned.

"Skeleton-bro is older!" was his argument.

"I came here 5 years ago, from West Blue," Robin's soft voice said.

Luffy, standing on the figurehead of the ship, held on to his hat. Gloria wasn't sure if he was just thinking out loud by now. "When I come to this place once again after another turn around the world, at that time, I will be THE PIRATE KING!"

The silent cliffs that broke the thrashing waves echoed his statement and promise as they dropped anchor and pulled in the sails. They had to be careful, because of the marine precence looming over the area. Dock four had a small swimming pool that was soon inflated and filled with the seawater, coming off of the ship's side. Usopp and Chopper were splashing in it, a ring safely tucked around the talking raindeer. Zoro returned to his lonely fort of training and to sweep him out of her mind Gen started her own rigorous session with the demon.

Gregory pulled quits after two hours, seeing that she was too tired to move a muscle. While she was doing afterstretches with his guidance, the others were launching the shark submarine into the oceanbed to investigate... whatever they were investigating. Robin, Luffy and Brook had been chosen to man the thing while Nami was speaking into the den den mushi connected to it. Gloria noted with amusement the goofy grin and the small yellow strawhat on the snail.

"How is it, guys?" Nami asked.

**"_No good. It's all dark,_"** the snail spoke in Robin's voice.

**"_It's all daaark! Uhyaaa! Hey hey, something shined just now!_"** that was Luffy.

**"_Uwah, isn't that the eyeball of a sea monster!_?"** Brook didn't sound scared, really. **"_I'm gonna die! But, I'm already dead! Yohohohoho! Ah! That's right, Nami-san! What kind of panties are you wearing today?_"**

"SHUT UP! TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!" she fumed, making Chopper flinch for standing too close to her wrath.

"That guy sure has guts..." Usopp sweatdropped.

"No, Usopp. He doesn't," Gen said while reaching for the toes of her left leg.

"He what?" the sniper looked at her.

"Brook doesn't have guts, he's only bones. Yohohoho."

There were respective groans and eyerolls from the pirates.

"Hey, you guys, the shark submarine has a depth limit of 5000 meters! Be careful!" Franky reminded them.

**"_Mmh? Everything seems to be creaking._"**

**"_It means we went over the 5000-meter depth..._"**

**"_Aaah, that's deep! Nahahaha!_"**

Thus they continued their running commentary of what was transpiring down under, Brook panicking and the two others calmly admiring a seamonster that tried to omnomnom them.

**"_WE'RE GONNA GET EATEN~~~!_"**

Badass just raised his head at the yelling, used to the weirdness going on by now. He had also lost most of the clumsiness, even when he sometimes tumbled if the waves were rough.

Sanji twirled by with desserts for them (_"Nami-san! Gen-chan! Thriller Bark, a delicious tart without the horror!" Insert A Flood Of Hearts Here_). Oh, and the tart was delicious! As the boys had some kind of dessert-boners, Nami was too worried to say more than that the tart was good. "This is troublesome..."

"It's once again a stalemate like we had with Sky island," Sanji said.

"That's true... even if we know the heading, we don't know the way to get there. How do we get to Fishman island?" Nami pouted, looking at the log's needle pointing down.

Gloria's mind was drawing a blank. She was desperately trying to keep on track of things, but the adventure with the floating island... ship... thingie had thrown her off. The goddess had no memory of how they got to the- "Oh hell," she facepalmed, suddenly remembering something. His name started with a D... and he looked exactly like Sanji's poster.

"Gloria-sama?"

"I'm going for a swim," she announced, pulling off her black and blue striped V-neck T-shirt. Sanji exploded in hearts, starting to wriggle like a noodle, when she climbed on the railing in her bra and a pair of army green shorts.

"_What_!_?_ The seamonster is there!" Usopp reminded her, but she wasn't listening anymore.

The sea was dark and cold in the shade of the Red line. There was the beautiful feeling of void, of silence, as she sank deeper and deeper, letting the undercurrent take her with her. She spotted movement here and there, but the creatures left her alone. In moments she found the submarine making it's way to the surface in a peaceful pace. Gen grinned and swam to the little can of tin. Her captain, Robin and Brook were inside, though she could faintly hear anything coming out of there. She started making faces, pressing her cheeks to the glass and rolling her eyes to odd directions. Robin was saying something and she thought she heard her name being said, but Gloria didn't get much more out of it. Soon Brook tried to make faces as well, which kind of worked out... Still, no one could win Luffy with his rubbery qualities. The demigoddess grinned, waved and made a backflip away to head deeper into the ocean.

To her, time seized to exist. Her mind wandered in all the directions, jumping from one topic to another and she felt the pressure grip her tighter and tighter. It hugged her every hair and clothfold against her skin.

"_You shouldn't go deeper, my child_," a voice she barely recognized echoed around her.

"_Mom?_"

"_Yes, 'tis me._"

She couldn't see her, but then again she would've had to be closer than her nose - it was a crushing darkness that no sunlight could penetrate.

The voice of her mother was... different. It was powerful, every bit the goddess of the ocean Gen sometimes forgot she was. It was calm, it was whispy and etheral.

Gloria swatted the current's hold off of her and righted herself to start a slow ascend. 'Wow, I've come reeeeal deep... wonder if I'll find the guys again.'

Her ears caught another voice. This wasn't her mother, since it sounded more solid... and it sounded as clear as if the person had been just a few steps from her. "**_Heeeeey!_**"

A school of fish as big as her arm rushed past her towards the surface and she decided that it was time to return to the others. It came to her naturally by now how to manipulate water to propel her forward, and she surfaced to see the bright sky with the fish. The Thousand Sunny greeted her with it's creaking, and to the railing leaned her crewmates and a young woman she didn't know-

No, wait, she actually did. It wasn't because of the large, deep amethyst eyes glinting peppily, nor for the aspargus (_not the plant! The shade of green!_) hair that was sticking cutely in different directions. It was because of the scaly, soft pink fish tail in place of normal legs.

_'Nothing new to me, really,'_ went through her head, thinking back to her mom.

"Geeeeen! Come see, we found a real mermaid!" Luffy yelled, waving at her and then speaking something about the fish. The girl waved back with a smile and started swimming back to the ship. She heard the mermaid - Caimie, she recalled - asking the fish for directions to somewhere and they answered her politely. The demigoddess was surprised to witness it, she had never heard fish talk before. They also started to swarm around Gloria who decided that it was getting awkward and started swimming to the ship. Chopper helped her up while the mermaid repeated what the fish had told her.

"Apparently, they're scared of those flying fish guys... so they won't go too close themselves, but they'll show us the way!"

"Amazing! You can talk to fish! I didn't know mermaids could do that!" Nami smiled.

"Wow, Caimie! With you around, we could eat as much fish as we want, because Gen doesn't want to!" Luffy's brain produced. Sanji pulled on his rubbery cheek and muttered darkly to shut his piehole.

Gen wondered what the little mermaid would say if she knew what she was. The fish sure recognized her.

The school of fish were creative and drew an arrow to the waves by foaming the water with their tails.

"Brilliant! We just follow the arrow, huh?" Nami grinned.

"Caimie, you're amazing!" Luffy whoopped and Usopp took the helm (_with Robin's fine adjustment to the right direction_).

A thump told them that Zoro had come down from his solitude in the crow's nest with a towel hanging on his shoulders. "Setting off, are we? Did you guys find the way to Fishman island?" he asked.

"Something like that... Hey Zoro, check it out, it's Caimie the mermaid! A real mermaid! Isn't it cool!?" Luffy had a hand on her shoulder. The fish-girl looked awkward standing on her tail, but Gen guessed it was normal for her.

"Hello there!" Caimie waved.

"A mermaid, huh...?" he looked at her for a while. "First time seeing one."

"He erased it! He just... He just erased the memory!" Chopper cried out.

The mermaid took a seat on the mast bench. "But I'm really worried... Hacchin's voice was so weak. They must be doing terrible things to him..."

"Ah, well... he's tough. He'll be all alright," an orange starfish said. It had a hat that made her suddenly want to listen to reggae and smoke weed.

"Where the hell did this thing come from?" Gen looked at it in facination.

"I should propably warn you - it's not just the one gang of kidnappers around these parts," the starfish said. "The Sabody Archipelago is home to many more such gangs! Trading in human beings is big business here."

_'Are those stitches on it's side?'_ The demigoddess tilted her head.

"Buying and selling people!? That's just not right," Sanji said.

"And since mermaids can fetch a particularly high price the Makuro crew, a gang of three fishmen, have been after Caimie for some time now. And, well, since we got eaten and didn't come up in a long while, Hachi must've thought that we were taken by the Makuro crew, since they are after Caimie."

"Yes... that must be it..." Caimie sighed miserably. "Hacchin is such a kind, honest person... It's all my fault."

"You say he's an octopus, and he's called Hachi..." Zoro started. "Kind of reminds me of an idiot fishman we ran into once..."

The weird starfish told them about another gang called the Flying Fish Riders who had some time ago started making a ruckus in the local waters. "...their boss is called Duval."

Gloria clamped both of her hands on her mouth to stop herself from laughing her ass off, but a snicker had managed to escape her.

"And what's so hilarious to you?" Zoro asked. Her face was turning red.

"N-Nothing, nothing..."

"Well! Anyway, Caimie! Don't you worry, we'll save the takoyaki no matter what!" Luffy gave a wide, carefree smile.

"You mean the takoyaki SELLER..." The starfish corrected.

"Yes... Thank you so much!" Caimie smiled sweetly.

Luffy jumped up and told Brook to start a song, to which he compiled readily.

Something bumped into her leg when she was sitting on the stairs leading to the upper decks. She turned her eyes down to see Gregory, in his ursan vessel, having a ride on Badass' back. He stared up at her blankly for a long moment, the lamb chewing on grass, before she raised an eyebrow and asked: "Well?"

"Nothing really, Gloria-sama," he said evasively. "Was simply thinking about our next destination."

"Shabody, right?"

"Yes." He nodded. "I plea you to be careful when dealing with men who seek to make trade with people. There is nothing more unique than you."

"I'll be careful," she promised.

"Oh, and..." Greg looked like he was trying to decide weather it was important enough to tell or not, whatever went through his head. "Hmh. Nevermind, Gloria-sama."

* * *

><p><strong>ExtRRRRa pieces:<strong>

_- Peepshow_

How in hell's name had he gotten into this situation?

Zoro, now stuck in a closet, asked this of himself. He'd been walking in all of his peace down a corridor in the ship when Luffy had come crashing into him, throwing the both of them through the open door of the women's room and straight into the clothes closet. Luffy had bounded off with a quick apology and a laugh. The swordsman on the other hand had been dizzy from the hit, and his body had decided that the pile of fallen clothes was a nice place to take a short nap

That's why he closed the closet's doors and fallen asleep, thus coming to this point when he was stuck in a closed closet with it's doors jammed due to some nameless articles... and two of the three women changing in the room beyond it. Nami and Gloria were prattling on about something when suddenly the navigator very boldly grabbed Gloria's boobs between her hands and gave them an analysing look. He wasn't sure who was more uncomfortable, the white-haired woman or the green-haired man.

He closed his eyes tightly, deciding that it was highly innappropriate to peep on them, and even more highly unadviced to yell for help to get the hell out of this closet.

* * *

><p><em>- And what about her father? Part II.<em>

Nightstripe Don, the captain of the Chocopop pirates, had gotten his crew and his ship out of the harm's way - again. His brother and the first mate, Whitestripe John, was playing cards with some of the crewmembers. They were all laughing like a pack of hyenas.

An emerald macaw made a flapping sound as it landed on the railing next to his arm and started a sideways walking trip up to his shoulder. "CRAAAAAWWW! Sun now! Torpedo storm soon! CRAAAAAWWWW!" the ship's navigator croaked and preened.

"Amyss said it! ALL HAN'S ON DECK!" he yelled out and the whole ship swung into well rehersed action.

"ALL HAN'S ON _WHAT_!_?_"

And that would be the musician, the forever pervert. The remark was followed by a loud laughing fit.

The torpado storm was a very aggressive storm that tore down careless sailormen time after time. They were used to them, having sailed these waters for some years now.

John was on cloud nine. He insisted he was in love with Helena, the mysterious blue-eyed woman even Don had had the honour of meeting. Sure, she was pretty, but he had a different taste in women.

Suddenly there was a loud crack. One of the narrow, clawlike waves sliced clean across the ship, braking the mast.


	77. Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

Hey'all! I'm alive and apologise for my long absence... again. Can't help it though, but luckily enough I've found my drive again. I hope it won't die.

* * *

><p>"No, you can't have a flying fish for a pet."<p>

"Boo you, Nami."

The school of fish they had been following had fled in fear when the Flying Fish riders attacked from the air. They were the biggest flying fish she'd ever seen, they even had saddles on them! They had bomb dived at Sunny, challenging the sturdy build of adamwood, and then they had disappeared as quickly as they'd appeared. Robin speculated that the men had been given an order to retreat, but as to why, she didn't know. Luffy was excited about the fish while the rest were talking about the random attack. Caimie was just worried for her octopus friend, while Pappugg was chastising her to think about herself too.

"Just a tiny one? I could keep it in the tank!"

"You've made friends with every single fish in that tank already and you cry every time we kill some for dinner. And didn't we agree already that you could have the group of pinkbacks as yours?" Nami raised an eyebrow. Of course, she was right about it all, but hell if she would ever admit it. "And you already have Badass."

"And a cactus," Usopp quipped. He'd been stung by the thing several times.

"You had that lizard too you picked up from Little Garden," Zoro reminded.

"He was a dragon!" Gen pouted. "I couldn't even keep him."

She could see that the battle was lost and just sat at the railing, pouting down at the foaming ocean. Usopp was suggesting that they drag the cannons up on the deck to shoot the flying fish riders right out of the air. From her place she also sent subtle glances at Zoro... also known as staring at him so intently it was a miracle he didn't turn to cinders.

A small spot in the distance appeared soon. Instead of being a mirage it grew into a small C-shaped fortress.

"We're here!" Luffy yelled. "That's it, right?"

"The Flying Fish riders base!" Pappugg presented their destination.

"That's where this "Hacchin" guy is being kept prisoner..." Franky muttered to himself.

"I'll go in there and save him in a flash, Caimie-chan!" Sanji promised to the little mermaid, who simply smiled and thanked him.

"Make sure you're careful, everyone," she turned to the others. "The Macro crew alone has captured me about 30 times."

"YOU GET CAPTURED TOO MUCH!" Usopp yelled.

"And yet she's always escaped," Gen pointed out, leaning to her arm.

The Sunny glid closer and everyone had an eye out at any suspicious activity.

"Seems kinda quiet..."

"Oi... Luffy..."

"FULL SPEED AHEAD!"

"_Shhhhhhhh!_"

"This isn't even an island. It's like someone built a village on top of the water... They have some special reason for living out here?" Nami frowned. In the water, inside the bay, stood a wooden stand with what looked like a bird cage hung to it, and there was someone in there. Caimie yelled out his name and _then_ wondered out loud if it was him.

"Hey! This is great, Caimie! There aren't even any enemies around! They must all be off having a snack!" Pappugg laughed.

"This feels like a trap, this smells like a trap and this looks like a trap," Gen said, peering around and shading her eyes.

"Yeah! It's screaming 'trap'!" Usopp was sweating bullets out of nervousness... and then he took a look at the demigoddess. "Um, did I just agree with her?"

Gen just gave him a disturbing grin.

"Whoah! You're amazing!" Caimie's eyes bulged out.

"I didn't even think of such a low, dirty trick!" the starfish was just as shocked as the mermaid.

"THAT'S WHY YOU KEEP ON GETTIN' CAPTURED!_!_" Franky yelled with a nice row of sharklike pointy teeth. Damn, no offence, but the girl was dumb.

The ship wasn't too far away from the cage anymore, so Gen could easily see it was Hacchin, even when he was covered in... something black. They heard him talking: "Nyu! I'm right over here, Caimie! I'm okay, don't worry about me!"

She turned to see him and made the conclusion that he'd got burnt somehow, but he didn't seem that to Gloria. The black was dripping off of his clothes.

"You have to turn back!" Hacchin said. By the sound of it, he was fine but a little ruffled. "This is a trap! You have to turn back! You know I'm strong, don't you!_?_ I'll be fine, you get away!"

"I've definitely heard that voice before... and that silhouette. Nami, what do you think?" Zoro tilted his head, staring at the cage.

The navigator was rubbing her chin. "There's something very suspicious about him..."

"Whassat?" Luffy tilted his head.

"Let's try this," Sanji said. "Ooooi! How's Arlong doing!_?_"

Of course he answered that. "Nyuuuu?_!_ Ahh! Arlong-san!_?_ Him, Chuu and Kuroobi, they're all still in prison! I'm the only who escaped and managed to set up a takoyaki shop like I've always dreamed..."

"Arlong..." Luffy finally understood what was going on.

"OH CRAP!" Hacchin undersood too.

"**BUSTED!**"

"What's this?" Robin asked, not knowing of the things that happened on East Blue.

"He was a bad guy," Gen yelled down from the upper front deck. "He was part of Arlong's crew and they were making bad guy stuff in Nami's home village."

Usopp so kindly filled in with his bullshit about how he'd fought and won every single fish in the Arlong Park all by himself with one arm, no, both arms and a leg tied behind his back.

"So wait, that takoyaki-seller 'Hacchin' was _you_ all along!_?_" Luffy yelled. "That crazy octo-Hachi from Arlong's crew!_?_ Like HELL we'd come and save a guy like _you_, dumbass!"

"Nyuuuuuu..." Hacchin's answer was just a long, sheepish and a bit sad sound.

"AH! But wait! Aaaahhh...! Your takoyaki...! Is it really that good!_?_"

"Oh come on, getting caught between your appetite and your reason?" Sanji puffed out a cloud of smoke.

"Oh for the love of..." Zoro's eye twitched.

"You're really Hacchin's friends all along!_?_" Caimie chirped.

"WE AIN'T HIS FRIENDS!" the swordsman gave the glare of all glares at her.

"Besides that Hacchin tried to kill Zoro, I don't think he was that much of a bad guy," Gen was talking to herself mostly. She was keeping half her attention in the surroundings, the sea and the fort they were in. Who knew where they'd jump at them...

"Nami-chin!"

"Sorry about this, Caimie..." Nami rubbed her forehead. "I never thought your friend could possibly turn out to be him."

Oh no no no _no_, don't make the mermaid cry, goddammit.

"No way... Then, are you telling me, you're not going to help me save him?_!_" She was on the verge of sobbing. "Hacchin...!"

"Nyuuuuuuuuuu! Caimie! That's enough! You should just go home! This is a trap!"

"Oh for mom's sake, people!" Gen huffed in annoyance and wrapped her arms around the mermaid girl. Dumb or not, she was part of the sea.

"I CAN'T! I'm going to save you!" she yelled, right next to Gen's ear, making her cringe. "You always come and save us, don't you!_?_ Pappugg!" she made a motion that she wanted out of Gen's arms, so she let go without resistance.

"That's right! Hah! I never thought you guys would be such a load of unfeeling halfwits! Aaaasssholes!" the starfish was raving.

"Shaddup!" Zoro's eye twitched again.

"Hacchin! I'll never abandon you!" and she jumped over the edge. "Wait for us, Hachi!"

"Caimie-chan!_?_" Sanji yelled after her in surprise, an arm reaching uselessly towards her.

...then she got caught by three random fishmen.

"OH COME ON, THAT'S JUST PATHETIC!" Usopp yelled.

Hachi banged his forehead against the bars of the cage with fury written on his blackened face while the fishmen were laughing like true thugs. Gen was eyeing the waters, wondering if she should go and help her or just let the story go as it should be. Sanji wasn't as conflicted about it and nearly jumped after her when Nami held up her hand. She'd changed her mind about Hachi. "Let's save him, too!"

"_Ehh!_?"

"Gen's right, he's harmless, really!" the redhead looked at Gen with a little smile before turning to the others. "Besides, we did make a promise with Caimie, didn't we? Luffy!"

"Well, if you say so, I guess there's no helping it. Let's save octo-boy as well." And it migh or might've not have anything to do with the fact that his eyes had turned into takoyakis. Ahh, the wonders of this world.

There was a subtle shift in the surroundings, right before Luffy shot his arms towards Caimie and Pappugg, jumped on the wooden stand and continued his way to the edge of the floating fort. It got the fishmen pissed. Luffy's order for Zoro to cut the octopus free bounced off the waves.

"Strawhats! You need to watch out! You're already right in the middle of a trap! You're surrounded by the Flying Fish riders!" Hachi warned them.

"From the sea or the sky, you just try it! We're gonna kick your asses good!" Luffy grinned. "Alright, everyone! To arms!"

Gen just stretched out her back. "Bring it, tiddlers!"

The water around the ship exploded and a school of flying fish emerged. For a moment she just stared at their awesomness and wondered how big the flying fish babies would be. The fish were like armoured, glimmering missles, and when they reached the right altitude they spread their huge fins like wings and bombdived down. Their white tummies nearly touched the surface of the water.

Luffy didn't miss a beat and grabbed a fish by it's tail to ride it. Part of the group were carrying bombs that they dropped on the ship, but Sanji took care of them and they detonated safely out of the ship's reach.

"Lower the sail! It'll get in the way!" Nami ordered and it was quickly done. On the backgrounds, Luffy's ride had dived down to the water with the rest of the fish. Not a moment later both Brook and Chopper had jumped off the ship in the good attempt at saving his hide, but it went just as expected. Gloria jumped in with a shake of her head with Franky not far away behind and they fished the three out. Franky and Nami gave them a good nagging and both the captain and the musician were smacked for their idiocy. Gen was going old style and just squeezed her hair to get the water out instead of drawing it out.

She looked on how Zoro cut Hachi's cage like butter, just as Luffy had ordered, setting him free. The Macro crew that had been inspired to go after Caimie again noticed it as well and tensed up.

'_All bark and no bite,_' the white-haired girl smirked when all it took was a sucker punch from Hachi to send them literally flying. Useful, when you have three pairs of arms.

"Waaaaaaaa! Thank goodness, you're alright, Hacchiiiiin!" Caimie cried into that six-armed hug she received from him shortly.

"Nyuu... I'm real sorry, Caimie, Pappugg! I was trying to save you, but..."

"Don't you worry about it, Hachi~~!" The starfish was emotinal as well. Over Hachi's shoulder, he was the one who spotted the advancing flying fish rider with a spear. Gen hadn't even realised her muscles had coiled like springs in all her limbs before Zoro took care of it and she relaxed with a sigh.

"You leave this to us," he scowled at the sea people. Get back, the lot of you!"

"Thank you so much, Roronoa! I'm really sorry for back that other time!" Hachi had tears in his eyes.

Aside from the one who tried to flank Hachi with the spear, Usopp kept shooting the riders out of the sky like flies. She snatched one by the tail and whirred it around once before tossing it into the direction it had come from. Luffy and Sanji took care of a real big one, the rider himself twirling a massive club in his arms with no steering whatsoever, and the fish had advanced towards them like a little meteor. As the guy went sailing into the ocean, Luffy smashed the ride itself on the grassdeck, only feet away from where Robin stood.

"That's dinner for tonight!" he grinned.

"It really is rather large up close," the archeologist only said.

"Luffy, be a bit more careful where you throw that thing," Gen sweatdropped and walked closer. The poor creature had swirls in it's eyes from the sudden impact with the solid ship. "Heeee, it's really cute! Do we really have to eat it...?"

"Yup," Luffy nodded. Gen gave him her best puppy eyes, but as if anything could help the fish that had it's name already on the menu.

In their carelessness, one of the fishes managed to startle Usopp badly by flying right into him. Lucky for the sniper, he dodged.

"There are so many of them," Gen wiped her forehead with a wet hand. Her hair was plastering against her skin and her clothes were soaked.

"Do we really have to take them all down!_?_" Usopp swallowed.

Luffy was more concerned to ride than fight the fish - again - and Nami was not too happy about it. The demigoddess downed another rider that came too close.

"Alas and alack! What am I playing at!_?_ My first battle as one of the Strawhat pirates... 'twould be a disgrace if I could not even lend a hand!" Brook crawled up from his own little puddle in the grass and sheathed his sword with a soft _shiiink-click_ back to it's secretive resting slot inside his cane. "It is about tume we reduced their numbers somewhat. It isn't much, but... please observe carefully!"

He jumped off the edge of the Sunny, holding on to his hat, and played his violin to the fish. As they fell asleep, they also fell from the sky, and it was only a matter of swordsmanship for the skeletal figure to finish them off. (_Meanwhile Nami slapped Chopper and Luffy back awake._)

"YOHOHOHOHO~"

"GO, BROOK!" Chopper cheered.

"GOOD GOING, BROOK!" Gen waved at him when he trotted by on the water's surface like one of those water striders she'd seen in still little ponds over her life. There were fish riders after him.

"I'm getting pumped now! HERE I COME!" Luffy announced and rocketed himself towards one of the riders... who to his misfortune was asleep. The sleeping fish crashed into one of the straw-covered roofs.

"AAAAAAH! Why, that little...! THAT'S THE HEAD'S ROOM!" someone yelled.

The girl giggled, and then took out two more riders. She could see Brook starting to sink, his legs moving slightly slower now. He headed towards the built shore and slumped on the stone.

Gen could see Zoro raise a hand on his chest, sitting down on the ground on his knees to rest for a moment. '_I'm going to tie him down when the next time we have calm._'

Those two were not safe there. Good for them that Hachi was active with his found assortment of swords he'd picked up. Also, the flying tiddlers were still up and about. As the three were fighting on dry, Robin and Chopper climbed up the masts and the circular library to catch their attention. Nami stayed down on the deck and fried everything that she could reach.

"Gen, go in the water and take out all the returning fish riders," Nami half ordered half suggested. She nodded and did so anyway. It was easy - seperate the rider from the fish, thrash them around and as cold as it sounded... leave the men to drown. She could feel the water's hungry, invisible jaws take every single one she offered, and she could almost see large, sleek figures cutting the ocean at the edge of her vision, but they most likely were the riders that were still able to fight. Some of the fish riders that returned made a loud splash as they'd been victim to the others above the surface.

There were crashes and some large animal bellowing but she didn't pay much mind to it. She'd found a good rhythm and Gen was a bit disappointed when the fight seemed to come to a standstill for whatever it was happening on land. With a kick of her feet she sent herself up.

The big guy... what was his name? It slipped her mind so easily, but the guy who at the moment was sitting on top of a bison was having an unncessearily long speech about how it was a wonderful day and how he'd finally get to kill Sanji. He even had some kind of accent that leeked through with his fury.

"Me!_?_ He's gonna kill _me?_!" The chef was confused as hell.

"Who is that guy? He seems to have a grudge against you for some reason," Franky asked.

"It could-"

"GHYAAA!"

"Usopp, you just destroyed my hearing."

"DON'T SNEAK BEHIND PEOPLE SILENTLY LIKE THAT!"

Nami silenced the both of them.

"Ow."

"Evil woman."

"Sanji, think hard. Would it be someone from the restaurant?" the navigator asked. Gen sat down on the grass, watching how Sanji was struggling. She snickered, it was like watching a guy try and remember a specific one-night stand from hundreds of others.

The masked guy didn't like the foolery and suddenly there was a rain of harpoons. Everyone ducked and they sunk in the grassdeck harmlessly, but the grass started smoking wherever they'd hit.

"Poison, how wonderful," Gen sighed. "DUVAL! That's right, that was his name!"

"LOOK OUT!"

"Nami-san! Gen-chan! Are you okay!_?_"

"Yes!" the girls answered. The deck was turning into a pin cushion.

"Dammit, he's ruining the grass!" the demigoddess whined. "And I _like_ the grass!"

The rain of harpoons abruptly ended with Luffy punching Duval in the face. It disequipped the mask and he didn't even make an attempt to get it back. Instead, he yelled out: "Fine. Take a good look! TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT MY SCARRED FACE!"

"AAAAH!"

"No way...!

"EH!_?_"

The rest of the reactions were more mild than Usopp, Nami and Chopper's.

"WHAAAAAH! I'M MOVED!"

And then there was Franky.

She took a good look at Duval. His hair was more frizzly than Sanji's and it was considerabely paler in colour, as if sun had bleached it. His face was round, the nose was flat and even the only visible eye was brown. Sanji had blue eyes. Overall, Duval was the spitting image of Sanji's twistedly morbid wanted poster. "Unholy sheep shit! It looks even worse in person!"

"I've waited for this day. In order to send you to hell, I set out to the sea!" There was pure rage in his voice. "But finding you has been a problem, because the face on the wanted poster is different from the face of the real person himself! Even if bounty hunters or the marines came across the real one, they might just pass him by!"

He just kept talking when Sanji jumped over the board with a graceful swandive.

"I'M NOT HIM! I DON'T KNOW HIM! I'M NOT EVEN A PIRATE!"

He swam to the platform of the floating little fort...

"Do you understand at all!_?_ One day just suddenly getting chased by the marines! Famous bounty hunters aiming for my life!"

...ran towards him...

"WHAT DID I DO!_?_ _GIVE ME BACK MY LIFE!_"

...and kicked him right in the face. "LIKE I GIVE A SHIT!"

Once he'd recovered from the kick and stopped crying, the two started barking at each other. The alert atmosphere had dropped and they were giving their commentary on the matter.

"Wow, that surprised me... I guess it's a big world," Nami gave a deep sigh.

"That Sanji... was he, like, born under some kind of miracle star?" Usopp tilted his head, leaning to the railing.

"I'm sure he'll have a very interesting death someday," Robin smiled.

Gen couldn't understand what Franky was saying from his crying.

"So things like this actually happen..." Chopper was wide-eyed.

"I pity the mortal man, hawhawhaw," Gen said with an amused little smile, trying to imitate Mr. T.

"Nyuuu... They look just like each other!"

"Peas in a pod." Zoro nodded.

"YOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOH OHOHOHOHOHO!"

"I'M SO KICKING YOUR ASS LATER, BROOK!"

"So, Sanji, we'll just go ahead..." Luffy said.

"Is this meant to be **MY** fault in some way!_?_" the chef had a fat tickmark on his brow. "Hey! If you don't want to look like my poster, do something about it for fuck's sake! Change your hairstyle, or beard, or something!"

There was a moment of silence and his whole face told them he had never even come to think of it.

"HOW FREAKING STUPID ARE YOU PEOPLE!_?_"

They barked at each other some more, Duval told them his sob story and all the sudden there was a net and Sanji was swept to the bottom of the sea by two fish riders.

"SANJI!"

"Shit! I'll go and-" their evercaring captain was ready to jump it.

"You stay here, dumbass! I'll go and get him!" his first mate was holding him back.

"Wait! You're both humans, you'll never catch him in time! Leave him to me!" Hachi sheathed his numerous swords.

"Hahahaha! Fools! You may be a fishman, but you'll never catch the flying fish! They are the fastest creaturse in the ocean!" Duval laughed. "The riders on top of them have air canisters, so they can stay under water as long as they have to! He will never survive this. The next time you see your "Black Leg", he'll be nothing but a floating corpse!"

Gloria knew she could've gone after him and in the moment even forgot about the mermaid. Her body had already started the process of movement that would propel her back to the water, but it all came rushing back when Caimie had already jumped in. It left her in an awkward position by the railing and feeling dumb as a kitchen stool.

She even recieved a pat on the shoulder from Usopp, and she resisted the urge to turn his nose into a hole through his head.  
>The starfish had folded his arms in a smug pose. "Hey there, cowboy. I think you're forgetting something... Sure, the flying fish are faster than fishmen in the water, but the fastest in the ocean? Not a chance. There's only one race that deserves the title of "fastest" in the ocean... and that's merfolk!"<p>

'_Oh, how cute_', Gen snickered.

"Caimie! Take care of Sanji, alright!_?_" Luffy yelled, even when she was already deep in the sea.

A shadow was cast over the deck and they all looked up to see several of the flying fish carrying a massive anchor right above the Sunny.

"Shieeet," drawled from between the white-head's lips, eyes locked up.

"Aim for the Strawhats' ship! Hit it dead on and sink it!" Duval called out. "Some of them are fruit users! If we get 'em in the water, they're ours!"

Then one of the riders themselves told his comrades. "Watch out for the Evil Enchanter! She seems to be some kind of witch!"

"Oi," her eye twitched.

"This is bad! They're going to sink us in one hit!" Franky was the first to snap out of it and back to his senses.

"We've got to dodge with a "burst" or the "paddle"! Can we make it in time?!" Usopp was panicking.

"NOT A CHANCE!" Chopper screamed.

"Quick! Get up on the bow!" the shipwright and the sniper ran off to somewhere talking about a swecret wepon.

Apparently a ship _can_ travel backwards.

"THEY DODGED IT!"

Franky asked Usopp to go inside the bow through a little, hidden room behind the few steps taking up to the figurehead. Soon, the lion image's mouth fell open and a cannon popped out. Luffy and Chopper were awed by it with sparkles in their eyes.

Gen yelped and covered her ears when the fort suddenly exploded with the beam cannon, taking out a bunch of riders. Debris, fish and men flew around like nothing.

"I... I have to admit..." the girl muttered. She had those starlike lights in her eyes too even when she wasn't aware of it. "That was **EPIC**."

"That was _too_ awesome," Zoro commented, looking at Luffy's eyes shining in admiraton and watering in the awesomness of their ship's display of raw power.

"Ahahahahahah! Check it out, the true power of the Sunny!" Franky laughed like a true maniac.

"...You just took out almost all the flying fish...!"

"That's Usopp's aiming for ya! Damn fine stuff for a first try!"

"Frankypants, he could've aimed at the sunday mail and still be able to destroy half of this place. That cannon is a freaking overkill!" Gen set her arms down with the biggest grin on her face. All of the crew were amazed. There was a clank of the Sunny's mouth closing again, only leaving that frendly gaze on it once again.

"It uses a full three barrels to prevent the ship itself from being blown away, and at the same time, releases two barrels' worth of coup de burst from the cannon. It uses up to a ton of cola, so just don't overuse it, okay!_?_" Franky emptied a bottle himself.

A splash on the water told them that Caimie had returned. She was panting from the race against the flying fish riders. "Everyone! It's terrible, Sanji-chin's losing a lot of blood!"

"What!_?_ Did they beat him up!?" Chopper's red flags flew up immediately.

No, they hadn't beat him up. It was just that Sanji's face was wedged between her perky boobs and the guy had gone to the seventh heaven.

"Just let him die," Usopp sweatdropped.

"Damn you! You're still alive after all!_?_" Duval cursed.

"You're kind of running out of grunts, huh?" Luffy just asked... or stated. Could've been either way.

"WHY YOU...!" he turned the bison towards their captain. "In that case, why don't you try Motobaro on for size!_?_ Countless fools have fallen victim to his mighty horns in the past!"

"Soooo biiig!" Chopper stared intensly at the beast.

"Looks cuddly."

"EH!_?_"

"Right. I'll stop him," the boy hit his palm with a fist.

"Men call him the Heartmashing Horn... Now go, Motobaro!" Duval kicked the bison's sides and it charged. Too bad, with all his boasting, Motobaro's horns didn't come nowhere near Luffy. Maybe they were good at tearing down buildings, but Gen had a feeling they would never be able to pierce something... normal sized. Maybe trample, but not pierce. It was easy for Luffy to stop him by pushing against his nose.

"There's no point in us fighting."

It was an odd, soft buzz that for a short moment filled her ears. Gloria looked around to see if anyone else heard it, but apparently no. They only wondered what had happened to the bison. It had frozen still and shook in terror, and then it turned around to take a few shaky running steps away from Luffy. Poor animal, it passed out with foam coming from the side of it's mouth and dropped the rider.

"What the- what on earth happened?_!_" the navigator asked, befuddled. "What did he do!_?_"

"Huh? I didn't do anything!" Luffy was genuinely confused. Sanji's look-alike was sobbing next to Motobaro.

"I don't think he even attacked it," Robin said. "It looked like Luffy won the cow over by talking to it..."

"What, you mean he psyched it out?" Usopp asked, disbelief in his voice.

"Is that even possible?" the shipwright rubbed his three-pointed chin.

Gloria was grinning from ear to ear. '_Haki._'

"Damn you all, Strawhat pirates!" Duval growled, standing up from his trusty steed.

"Hold on a moment, Luffy..." Sanji had gotten on his feet despite the blood loss and oxygen deprivation. His clothes were still dripping water all over where he walked.

"Sanji! All right, you're okay!"

"I want you to leave this accusatory asshole for me."

Gloria simply sat down and watched how Sanji kicked the living daylights out of him.

"Ohh, that's brutal," Usopp cringed.

"Booooriiiiiing," Gen whined. "Can we go now?"

"Soon," Robin smiled. And soon Sanji was done. They picked up the rest of the people back on Sunny and turned the ship around to sail out of the fort's bay. The remaining fish riders were rushing to their unconcious boss the last she saw.

* * *

><p>Gloria had a shaking little sheep in her arms. The sheep's shaking had maybe something to do with the fact that she had dragged it up to the yard.<p>

Yard, as in the beam where the sail was hanging from.

"Baaaaah!"

"Shush, my sweetness. Damn, you've become heavy!" she rubbed his ears and the tiny, tiny dark beginnings of mighty horns.

"Baaaaaaaaah!"

Her eyes were glued to the deck, or rather on Zoro. He was back on his quest for strength, casually making push-ups on a perfect handstand. Hachi had invited the whole crew for some takoyaki and nothing would stop Luffy from sailing the ship right over there. From her place up high, she could see the little thing bobbing happily on the waves.

"Hold on tight, we're going back down," she told Badass before she put him under her arm and started climbing down the ropes.

"Oh! Gen! Did you hear!_?_ We're soon there!" Luffy turned to her immediately.

"Yeah, I could see it from up there," she returned his grin and set Baddy down. He scampered off to munch on the grass and leave a rebellious pile of feces somewhere.

"Hmmm..." He suddenly stuck his face into hers. "What's with you?"

"H-How come?"

"You're just sulking around all day. Cheer up! Ta-ko-ya-ki!" Luffy had a determined expression.

"TAKOYAKIIII!" Usopp and Chopper danced around.

"Yohohoho! I'm so hungry my tounge could fall off, but alas! I don't have one!"

She smiled and nodded. "Food!"

Once they'd gotten the ship anchored and places to sit, Hachi, Caimie and Pappugg went to work. By the gods, the food was good. Luffy kept stuffing his face straight from the frier when his plate turned empty. The rest of them ate more like civilized people, and Robin, Franky and Zoro had chosen to sit up on the deck. Gloria was next to Nami, who sat with her legs crossed on the railing of Hachi's little food sall. It had been brought out from the small ship that the octopus seemed to own, and if she wasn't completely mistaken, it was about the same size as Merry had once been. Up until now, the navigator had been quietly munching on her food and the guys sitting next to the pan had been ignoring her presence on purpose.

"Nyuuu..." Hachi looked towards the girls shyly, eyes on the redhead. "And... w-what about you? ...ahh, Nami...? Is it... is it okay?"

The boys on the counter all froze and she gave him an unreadable look.

"...I hope you don't think this means I've forgiven you or anything."

"Oh no! Not at all! I didn't mean to imply anything of the sort, okay?_!_ I was just wondering if you liked it! ...REALLY!"

Nami kept staring at him for a long while more, making the poor guy sweat buckets. Gen nudged her inconsuspiciously before he'd dehydrate.

"It's really great!" Nami smiled sweetly. She had sauce on the side of her mouth.

"Nyu! Really? Really_!_?" Hachi grinned happily. "All riiiight! Everyone! You keep on eating until your tummies burst!"

"DAMN RIGHT! You just keep on cooking! I'll eat everything you can throw at me!" Luffy boasted and Gen had no doubt he would. She listened in on Hachi telling Sanji how he came to find the recipe of the takoyaki sauce. Up on the deck the three were playing some kind of game.

Nami nudged Gloria this time. "So?"

"Hmm?" the girl had her cheeks full.

"Just... swallow first," she had a sweatdrop on the side of her head. "So, what's going on between you and the Green wonder?"

Gen promptly choked on her food.


	78. The consequences of inbreeding

Here we go, another fresh chapter for Live 'till ya drop! I've had a slightly gloomy day, but at least I got some writing done. Until the next chapter, enjoy!

Gloria: ENJOOOOOY YOU MORTAL FLESH! MWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Snoara: ...

* * *

><p>They never got to eat in peace, but on the other hand Gen never had to start analyzing her relationship to Nami either. Duval had cought up with them and apparently Sanji had done him something good: given him a plastic surgery with kicking the crap out of his face. Only if all plastic surgeries could be so simple... Gen knew many girls who would need that, a kick riiight in the middle of their ridiculous face.<p>

He'd also become best friends with a mirror. Everyone could agree that what he now had was a welcome upgrade in the potency of three, but no one would have anything against if he stopped winking. Forever.

"I think if we actually gave him a compliment his head would explode," Gen sweatdropped, Luffy and Usopp just nodded. "...is that mascara?"

"Well, handsome or not, a dumbass is still a dumbass," Usopp said.

"You are... jealous?" Duval had heard him.

"LIKE HELL!" The sniper tried to lunge at the blonde, but Luffy held him back.

"Stop, Usopp! You're not match to his stupidity!"

"Well then, young master and friends! This is my den den mushi number. Accept it gracefully! Call me if ever you need a hand, and I shall do whatever is in my power!" insert that godawful wink. He was holding a paperslip between his fingers, and he looked like a bad flirt at the bar with three pints of beer in their system. "I apologise for all the trouble I have caused! Would that we had met under more pleasant circumstances!" Then he jumped on his bison again and lead the group away.

They stared after the loud group in silence. Gloria was the only one waving at them, but she wasn't exactly energetic either. "Good riddance."

There was still food left and Luffy's appetite made a good match with it. Hachi had made lots of food that surprisingly was enough for all of them, and now him and the captain were both lying down with bellies up, tired and happy. Brook had a bottle of hot tea that he sampled in his favourite cup. "Ah... this truly was a wonderful afternoon. My first takoyaki... I am simply filled with satisfaction! Oh, excuse me..." and the skeleton ripped a fart, followed by a burp.

"YOU DIRTY BEAST! DON'T DO THAT!" Nami screetched.

Gen had climbed up on the deck. Zoro had fallen asleep on the deck and Badass had decided to take a nap against his side. It was a heartwarming sight to see and she sat on the grass next to him to rub his belly.

"Hey, Octo, Starfish and CAIMIE-CHWAAAAN~! If you're gonna get some rest, do it up here on the deck! You can join us for a cup of tea," Sanji called out and tapped his cigarette against the railing, the ashes from the end of it falling down to the waves.

While Sanji was brewing tea, Franky rolled out the little outdoors table. He was muttering about the grass deck's condition all the way, cursing the poison that had killed the grass at so many spots. Robin told him that she would take care of it for him so he wouldn't need to worry about it so much.

Gen hadn't left Zoro's side because she was unable to move. It was bizarre to watch - he usually lied in the same position for hours on end, hands behind his head or if he was sitting up, guarding his swords. Now he had little by little wrapped his arms around her like steel rods. Very warm, comfortable steel rods.

Her face was pressed against his chest, so she couldn't really get a good look at his face. She still knew that the young man was in a relaxed state, breathing deep through parted lips.

The tea table had been set soon and even Zoro woke up. He had the blankest of looks in his eyes when he stared at her in a groggy state. Then he just squeezed her and pulled her closer to him.

"Agh! Zoro! You're crushing me!"

"Oh, right."

She sweatdropped. "Anyway, I think the tea is ready. Want a cup?"

"Nah... I think I'll just sleep some more," he blinked lazily.

"Oh, ok." She bit her lip. For a moment neither of them said anything. The silence was stretching out to be uncomfortable, even when the rest of the crew were talking about the travel up ahead. Next stop, Shabody Archipelago.

Zoro rubbed her shoulder. "You want to say something?"

"Huh?"

"You have that feel around you that you still want to say something, but you're not saying anything." He cracked open an eye, but closed it again.

Gen fidgeted. "You've been training really hard lately." The girl pressed a palm on his chest. "But you're still hurt."

He opened both his eyes and frowned. "Who told you?"

"Life told me a lot of things," she gave him an are-you-stupid look. "Zoro, you have to let it heal. This is not something you can just shake off like you do to all your injuries."

His face turned unreadable. "I am a swordsman. You know what it means."

"Yes... yes I do," she started getting up, putting distance between them. She knew very well what it meant. His life belonged to it and he would follow the path of strength. He couldn't let anything hold him back. He couldn't have weaknesses or distractions. "Still doesn't mean you get to kill yourself. Just don't forget what you are for the crew."

"Or for you," he didn't let her go. "I need to get stronger", he murmured. "I -have- to get stronger."

She relaxed down and pressed a palm on his cheek. "Return to your usual rutine and stop making more damage to you. For someone who knows so much about strength building, you are being an idiot. Now, let go, I want tea."

"No."

She hissed in frustration. "Fine! It's not MY body that's going to-"

"I'm not letting go."

"You little shit."

* * *

><p>Gloria had missed most what the others had been talking because of Zoro. The Fishman island was 10 kilometers below the sea level and as Hachi pointed it out, a human had no hope in surviving that. The Marine infested route over the Red line was not an option to them, so they had to just suck it and go down to the bottom of the ocean.<br>In truth, she was excited to see the place. She had never seen past Ace's death before she was brought to the world she was born within, so she had no idea what was awaiting them.

Besides, his death pretty much wiped out most of her memory from around that time.

Obviously there were dangers under the sea besides the mere pressure. Any kind of sea monster or sea king that lives in such a deep water could be able to swim by and not even notice that it had inhaled or swallowed a ship, not forgetting those that would actively search for easy pray like a ship full of juicy bits. Besides that, she was somewhat concerned about the strong sea currents slamming the ship into an underwater reef. No man nor sea creature would be able to survive a piece of ship through your chest. Strong as Gen was, she couldn't fight the sea.

Everyone looked at the tranquil flow of bubbles rising from the grass and moss covering the trees' roots. From afar they made a shimmering veil that twisted and floated between the tree trunks. They didn't live long enough to reach too much higher than the canopy.

"What's up with those? They're just floating endlessly upwards, one after another...! Are those soap-bubbles coming from the island?" Usopp asked. He was leaning to the railing between Luffy and Gloria.

She looked at him. "That was kinda poetic."

"Thanks!"

"Who's blowing them all?" Luffy wondered out loud.

"Yes, they do come from the island," Caimie appeared on her left side.

"That's not really an explanation," the sniper sweatdropped.

"Ah... I'm sorry - could I interrupt for just a moment?" Robin piped up. "Will the log pose be all right?"

"Oh, of course! Right now, it's pointing the way to the Fishman island, but won't it change it's course if we stop here at this island?" Nami looked at the bulby compass.

"Nyu! You don't need to worry about it, it's not really an island, but rather a huge growth of trees. It doesn't have any kind of magnetic pull." Hachi explained.

"So cool, I've never been to a mangrove forest before!" Gloria's eyes sparkled.

"You know what it is then?" the fishman looked at her and she just nodded.

Sanji was picking up the tea cups on a tray to take them inside. "Wasn't mangrove the kind of tree that has it's roots deep in the ocean, and they sink and emerge according to the tide?"

"Yes, well, these trees never sink though. The Shabondy Archipelago is a forest of the world's biggest mangrove trees - the yarukiman mangrove!"

Luffy cheered about some nonsense and Gen peered into the island. The trees were striped blue from the root to the tip with painted numbers on them, and on the mossy roots there were buildings. She could hear a lively humm of population coming from there.

"There are 79 trees all in all, and on each one, people have built towns or other consructions. These 79 "islands" are which are together known as the Shabondy Archipelago!" Hachi kept telling. "That's where people go if they want to head to the new world. The closest island, Grove 44, is the civilian enterance, so let's take the ship a little further in."

"Wooooow, the really are all huge roots!" Chopper marvelled as they glid past the first trees. "And look at those trees! They look like candy!"

Gen took in the surroundings. It was peculiar, an island that wasn't really an island. She could smell the salt of the sea and the trees, but not the earthy scent of soil usually associated with plants. Of course there was also an odd scent she couldn't place and decided it was the matter that made the bubbles.

The unplaced scent wasn't the only weird thing to her. As she'd travelled, all places had a distinct feel to them that she had learnt to line up with the fact that she was who she was. The Water 7 had been rebellious and powerful, the Thriller Bark had been secretive and the kind that cradled a person's darker side, but this place she couldn't name. Maybe just 'alive' would suffice. It indeed had lots of this 'alive' stuff going on with it.

"Well then, let's drop anchor here, at Grove 41. Make sure you don't forget the number, people!" Pappugg said.

"The islands are all linked together by bridges, so as long as you don't forget your number, you won't get lost," Hachi added.

"I can think of one guy who'd get lost anyway," Usopp said.

"Yeah." Chopper agreed.

"Mmhm." Gen nodded.

"STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!"

Everyone got ready to depart and go look around. Gen looked at her bag, poking at the lifeless keychain bear. Greg hadn't been around since last time and he'd been very quiet then too. Something was bothering him clearly, but she didn't know what.

"If you want to talk about anything, you know where to find me, Greg," she sighed and walked out.

The ground, if one could call it that, was moist and springy. Luffy, Chopper and Robin had witnessed a bubble being born, and Pappugg explained how the trees secreted a special, sticky resin that was blown into bubbles when the roots released air. Robin had to go and touch it, and she just wiped her hand in Usopp's pants. Luffy was bouncing on the bubbles and floating around with them.

Gen kneeled next to the puddle where the bubble had come from, and stuck her hand in it too. She made a circle out of it and blowing into it. She was surprised how much force it took to make a bubble, but soon she had one floating up with it's larger kin.

"Awesome! You made a bubble too!" Chopper laughed. "I want to try too...!"

"I'm not sure if you can..." she sweatdropped, but that didn't stop him from trying. Usopp was looking for something to clean his pants with.

"Hey! I can see a theme park!" Luffy said from up high. "Let's go! I wanna go on the ferris wheel!"

"A theme park!" Chopper forgot the bubbles.

"That would be the Shabondy Park," Caimie smiled widely. "Aaah, the ferris wheel... It's my dream to have a go on that someday."

"Dream...? Why can't you go on it?" The reindeer asked. Pappugg reprimanded her of wanting to go the ferris wheel, telling her she couldn't do that. It got Chopper worried that maybe he couldn't ride it.

"Hachi, what exactly are we doing here at these islands anyway?" the redhead asked. "You said something about a coating, or something, right...?"

"Nyu! We have to go and find ourselves a coating mechanic and have him coat your ship in this resin! Basically, if you do that, the ship will be able to travel under the water! But you don't want to pick the wrong guy to do it. If the job's not done properly, the whole thing could collapse underwater, and then you'd all be done for."

"Eeeeeh!_?_"

"Don't worry, I know a good mechanic who I'd trust with my life... so I'll take you there."

Zoro and Franky were the last ones to get off the ship. Gen bounced up to the cyborg with sparkly eyes. "Hey, hey! Frankypants!"

"What's up, Gen-sis?" he asked with his grin.

"Make a bubble!"

"Huuuh?"

She showed him how to make them and soon he was blowing huge bubbles, nearly as big as the naturally formed ones. They weren't as durable, though.

"But." The octopus held three hands in Luffy's face who had jumped down from the bubbles. "In return for this, you all have to absolutely promise me one thing."

"Right, what is it?" Their captain's smile fell with Hachi's seriousness.

"Once we are in town, we are bound to see world nobles around the place."

"Who are they?" Luffy asked.

"They are assholes," Gen crossed her arms. "Total assholes."

Hachi grimaced. "Promise me this, that whatever happens in the town while you guys are in there, no matter what you see and what you hear, even if someone was killed right in front of your very eyes... you pretend that nothing happened."

* * *

><p>The ship had suffered some minor damage in the fight with the Flying Fish Riders, so Franky was going to stay behind and fix The Sunny. Usopp was kind and lent him a hand, offering to go with him afterwards. And Sanji...<p>

"You are so whipped," the sniper sweatdropped when the chef told how Nami had wished for a, quote, "dashing knight to protect all the piled up treasure for her".

"I AM A SLAVE TO LOVE!" he struck a pose.

"Well, if you're gonna actually -admit- it..." Usopp muttered. He turned to look over the railing where he had heard someone step out of the ship.

"Wha! Zoro-kun!_?_ You were still here!_?_" Sanji was surprised.

"_Hooooold oooon_, where the hell do you think you're going all on your own?_!_" Usopp demanded. "Why aren't you with the others!_?_"

"I fell asleep, and I was just now going for a walk."

"Don't even _think_ about it!"

"Don't go wandering off, you useless idiot! This is a huge freaking archipelago, we'll never find you!" Sanji joined in to the nagging. How sweet, he cares.

"Like hell I'd get lost! I mean come on, there are numbers written on every single tree," he thrust a thumb at the tree they'd parked the ship into, saying 41GR.

Gen was waiting a little ways from the ship, without her bag. She didn't have any kind of strap for Caermare, so she just had to carry the wepon in her hand. The money Nami had granted her was folded up in her pants pocket, safe and secure. She kept fiddling a loose thread on the hem of her black shirt. The girl wore it backside front, because it had a white tribal-style dragon on the back of it and she wanted it to be seen rather than hidden under her hair. Robin had fixed the neckline for her so it wasn't even uncomfortable.

"Alright, I'm here now, damn those nosy people." Zoro appeared next to her. He smiled at her and stuck his hand out for her. "You ready, Snowbrain?"

"Y-yeah..." she took it with her free hand.

They walked into the town together and she let her eyes linger. It was a very clean place, she had to admit, and everyone seemed content. They could see people riding the bubbles around, with a contraption or another stuck inside it to sit and steer the thing. Gen assumed that it also added some weight to it. Otherwise the bubbles would just float away with the rider inside it.

"Sooo... what do you want to do first?" Zoro finally broke the silence.

"I don't know, really," they stopped and looked around. She spotted a little stall selling magazines and maps and the like, so she used a little of her money to purchase a tourist map. The man selling them also suggested they get something called bon chari, but they decided to just walk.

"Let's see then," she opened the paper for the both of them to see. "We are... We are here."

"Here?"

"No, over here... see? There's the stall, and the shoe store we just passed."

"We did?"

"..." Gen turned a slow stare at him. "I'm leading."

"Not a chance!"

"Your sense of direction is so poor you'd end up in Top Gear as a guest host. Your argument is invalid." She turned back to looking at the map, ignoring Zoro's confused face. "The Park is over here, if you feel like going. I bet the others are there too..."

"Is that a shopping center?" he asked, staring at a big building with people coming and going.

Gen looked up and back to the map and nodded slowly. "I think so. Want to go there?"

Zoro sweatdropped. "Didn't I ask what _you_ wanted to do?"

She sighed. "Eeeh... Let's just walk and look around."

"Sounds good to me."

She rolled up the map and regretted that she hadn't taken her bag with her. Greg had been away for some time now, so she saw no real reason to drag it with her. In the end she just handed it to Zoro, who slipped it into the haramaki. His chest with it's long scar was easily seen, when he opted to walk around with his white and red striped shirt open.

They walked through the groves all the way to the park groves. The prices were pretty decent and she was surprised to see Zoro actually buy a deep purple flower for her. Gen wanted to put it in her hair, and apparently she wasn't the only one around. The young man in charge of the stall had a box of pins on the counter and sold them for 2 beri a piece.

He insisted he pin the flower.

"You bastard..." she mumbled through her blush.

"Calling me names even when I'm doing you nice things," he smirked. "...ah... I assume I owe you an apology."

"Oh? And why is that I wonder?" she raised an eyebrow and gave a look that said he indeed owed her one.

"I was told I was neglecting you."

At that time, Gloria's eyebrow made a spectacular twitch and one of the girls standing close and listening on them commented with an "Oh snap!" to her friends. Someone in the area found out their juice had frozen solid for no apparent reason, but they made the best of it and turned it into a popsicle with a straw in it.

"That's not the best apology, but I take it," she smiled sunnily and took his hand, skipping along and dragging him with her.

"There is something very wrong with you," Zoro grunted. "You bipolar Snow for brains."

Walk they did. It was a very good walk, and they chattered about their old adventures, remembering the good times. The two wondered further and further from the grove 41. They saw the park shine vaguely in the distance.

"You hungry?" Gen asked.

"Not really, but a drink would do."

The girl had seen a pub nearby. It was a nice, lighted place filled with happy people, the smell of food and alcohol lingering in the air. Zoro ordered two bottles, of which he drained the other immediately. Gen gobbled up some shady soup that didn't actually taste too bad, but she had the feeling she'd get a stomach ache later.

She was full and happy and she had a flower in her hair, she had fun with Zoro and then it all came to an abrupt end when they walked in on something.

**BAM**

World nobles.

"YOU MURDERER! HOW COULD YOU!_?_" A woman screamed with tears in her eyes. "SOMEONE! PLEASE HELP HIM!"

"What, do you have a problem with me?" the noble leaned down to stare at the beautiful young nurse. The noble was just a fattie wearing a bubble around his head and a white one piece suit with some green details. He had snot hanging out of his big nose, an untidy stubble over his jaw and he... he was ugly. He must've been the product of many, MANY generations of inbreeding with their own toady siblings. Not only did he look ugly, but he also reeked of stupidity.

Everyone was kneeling down around them, except for the few that were in this asshole's grips at the moment. "Take her to the port first."

"Yes, sir."

"PLEASE LET ME GO!" the pretty girl begged someone to help her.

Zoro just nursed from his bottle, not watching where they were going before they stood right in front of the noble. She had heard the people whispering on the shadows of the houses, wondering if he had a death wish or something.

The noble seemed very surprised. "Wha...!_?_"

"Hm?" Zoro just now noticed the guy. "Are you lost or something?"

Gen wanted to laugh at the surrounding people's reactions, but she managed to tone it down to a mighty snort. What happened next was simply being rude when one asks such a considerate question. The fatso pulled a gun on him and shot, but Zoro just dodged it. Gen jumped to the side and ducked at the same time. The swordsman had instantly gone to alarm state, pulling his sword from it's sheath.

All the sudden there was a pink-haired chick tackling him into the ground. Once she'd done it, there was a cloud of dust coming off the ground. "EHHHHHNNNN, WHY DID YOU DIE, BIG BROTHER!_?_ BIG BROTHER!_?_ DID YOU GO AGAINST THE TENRYUUBITO!_?_ THEN THERE'S NO HELPING IT! UWEEEHHHNNN!"

'_What on the sea- OH, right_,' Gen looked around, wondering what to do. She was now associated with Zoro, even when she hadn't done anything.

Gen decided to do what water does in the heat - vapourize out of the scene.

* * *

><p>Once their paths crossed once again (<em>Gloria jumped on his back out of nowhere, nearly giving him a heartattack<em>) they decided to return to the ship. The only issue was that they didn't agree on the destination.

"Are you stupid? It was clearly grove 1."

"No it wasn't! It was grove _41_!" she glared at him.

"I specifically memorised it, and it was grove 1. Damn, you'd get lost so easily with no others around," he raised an eyebrow.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO GETS LOST LIKE THAT!" Gen's eyes bugged out.

"Come on, Snowbrain. Let's go to the Sunny, which is in grove 1," Zoro insisted.

"For the last time, it's not- hey! That's the wrong way!" She grabbed his arm and tried to forcibly drag him to the correct grove. The girl wasn't in the mood for unnecesseary walking. Her once great physical strength had evened out, but even if she still had it, it would've not helped her any in moving the swordsman. He was like steel, unbending and unyielding in his mission to GO TO THE WRONG GODDAMN DIRECTION.

She gave up and just followed him dejectedly, dragging her feet and poking Zoro with the end of Caermare's hilt to the point where he tried to take it off of her. It just escalated into a hissy-fit fueled duel with sheathed swords, until they got grabbed.

Literally grabbed.

"Caimie's been kidnapped, and they're going to sell her in a human auction!" Luffy yelled over the wind.

Apparently they'd called upon Duval and his newly named Rosy Life Riders to round up the crew and get to the auction house where Caimie had been taken. The poor fish was in heavy weight with four people on it, and it's flight was flickery. They were so going to crash.

"Grove 1."

"Shut up.

"GROVE 1."

"SHUT UP you wiseass! It was still the wrong direction!" she sulked.

"Look! There it is!" The driver pointed onward to a large building with decent outlooks, many pillars and a high dome roof with moss growing all over it. It had a sign simply saying HUMAN, but it was enough for them to know what it was.

"Oi! Just get us in there!" Luffy yelled and pointed.

The rider yelped, the balance of the fish was thrown off and the whole creature slammed right through into the building. Gen screamed until her lungs were squeezed empty by the impact, and they were buried in rubble. The fish, which had bashed into the wall head first, had passed out on the floor, and Luffy and it's rider started bickering.

"Luffy!" Sanji's voice rang out. The auction house was a hall of whispers and a wide range of different people, she learnt. All the others were already there too.

"Urgh, these things aren't meant to fly," Gen groaned and got up, picking her sword from the ground. She looked around the place, seeing Caimie in a round fish bowl with an iron collar around her neck. She noticed there were some familiar faces besides the Strawhats'. Captains Kidd and Law were sitting around the benches as well.

"Gen-chan! Are you alright!_?_" Sanji asked.

"Yes, I am!"

"Ah! Caimie!" Luffy finally saw the mermaid as well and he tried to rush at her down the steps. Hachi lunged at him and held him back, but he had to take out another pair of arms as well... blowing his cover. Disgusted yells of 'fishman!' started rising up, making Hachi freeze like a deer in headlights.

Now there was nothing to prevent Luffy from stupidity. "I'll save you, Caimie!"

"Stop that man in the straw hat!" the security, a bunch of clowns, ran to meet with their captain.

Hachi was in a real pinch. Everywhere around him were people commenting on his appearance, from his arms to the colour of his skin and even hair style. Gen felt her eyebrow twitch spectacularily. Even when she wasn't a real god, even when the merfolk and fishmen differed greatly from the sea demons, she considered everything that lives in the sea to be her kin.

_Shitty_ humans.

"It's just like Robin said... on these islands, fishmen and mermaids... are discriminated!" Nami looked horrified.

"What!_?_ Both Caimie and Hachi?_!_" Chopper asked.

Suddenly Gen's ears were ringing. The gunshot had been so sudden it startled everyone.

The noble inbred little assmunch had shot Hachi and stood with a delirious grin on his stupid face, smoke still coming from the muzzle of his gun. This made Luffy stop trying to get to Caimie and look back at the fishman, who now was lying on the steps, blood pooling under him and down the stairs.

Luffy's face darkened to silent fury and the noble fatass started singing and wiggling around in a little dance, the people around sighing gladly that the fishman was down. Caimie was screaming and hitting the thick glass of her prison on the stage. No one else didn't seem to hear her.

The Strawhats all stood in grim silence, waiting for their captain to take action. As the tub-o-lard kept dancing, Luffy walked past Hachi.

The octopus still grabbed his ankle. "Wa... Wait, Strawhat...! You can't... Don't...! It was my fault..." he coughed through blood. "You promised... that... even if someone is shot right before your eyes... you wouldn't...! I'm a pirate anyway...! I've done... bad things, this is my punishment!" his voice fell quiet. "I'm sorry... I... I didn't mean for this to happen...!"

Gen was biting the tip of her tongue to stop herself from doing something stupid.

Luffy knelt beside Hachi, pressing the bullet wound. "Nami..! I wanted to make it up to Nami... even a little. Everything I've done... it was all a mistake! ...I'm useless... but in the end, I just caused more trouble... I'm sorry!"

"You damn fish!" the noble pointed the gun at Hachi again. Luffy's stance turned to protective. "I shot you, but you're still talking... you piss me off!"

"STRAWHAT, STOP! YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO GET AWAY!" Pappugg cried when the boy stepped over Hachi.

"What is he doing...!?"

"Is he serious?"

"Dooooo iiiiiiiitt," Gen sounded like a snake.

"You piss me off too!" the fatty tried to shoot Luffy, who had pulled back his arm and punched the shit out of the bastard.

The silence was thick as tar and the onlookers were all shocked in exception of the pirates gathered around. Luffy cracked his knuckles, seemingly satisfied, and the crack was the loudest sound in the hall.

"HA! He flew through seven rows!" Gloria laughed.

"Sorry, guys," Luffy said casually. "I hear if you hit one of these guys, a marine admiral's going to show up with battleships in tow."

Zoro pushed his sword back into the sheath. "Why'd you have to go and do that? I wanted to slice him up myself."

"Don't whine," the whitehaired girl whispered, pouting herself when the thought of passing up an opportunity to drown the man into Caimie's tank entered her mind.

Nami walked the steps down to see Hachi. "Hey, hang in there."

"Nyu... you... what have you done!_?_"

"Well, hey, not like it could be helped," the navigator smiled. Sanji grinned and lit up a cigarette.

"I guess that settles our plans," Franky sighed.

"The key must be somewhere in the backstage!" Chopper said and went to Hachi. "I got to take care of this wound!"

"On it," Gen quipped.

A woman in the Tenryubito white screamed. "Charlos! Charlos-niisamaaaaa! He hasn't been hit once in his life, not even by his father!"

_'Ah, the shitbag's name is Charlos.'_ Charlos' father was angered and he too pulled out his gun.

"How dare a lowly peasant such as yourself lay a finger upon my son!_?_"

The whole room erupted in chaos when everyone tried to get out and away from the Tenryubito's wrath. "Do you have any idea what will happen to you if you raise against us, against the descendants of the creator of this world!_?_"

"Wut," Gen looked at the man with a slow jerk of her head.

Sanji was slick and fast on his feet, there before anyone could notice, and kicked the old coot's gun out of his hands. "Bullets are dangerous in a stupid man's gun."

Suddenly there was a flood of guards and Gen found herself pulling out her sword, reaching into the gaps of the soldiers' armour. Zoro just sliced everything he touched and Franky was pummeling metal left and right.

"I see you scum intend to defy us to the very last!?" the graying noble grit his teeth.

"Caimie's not a 'thing' you can sell!" Luffy shouted.

"Call a marine admiral and his battleships! Let us put these scum in their place!"

Zoro turned towards the stage and made an air-slice, nearly cutting Luffy, Sanji and Gloria. It hit the fishbowl, cutting the top off neatly in a slanted manner. The girl twirled Caermare once and shoved it into another knight's armpit that was exposed when he tried to thrust a spear into her.

She danced out of the way of two others and noted the water that had spilt on the ground. The girl picked up the puddle and pushed back a bunch of guards. Sanji took care of them for her.

"Caimie! You just wait right there!" Hachi called out over the racket.

"Okay!" the mermaid nodded with a smile on her plump lips.

The roof was pierced by more flying fish that dropped off the three tardies, Brook, Robin and Usopp who landed rather ungracefully right on top of the old noble.

"Good job, Usopp!" Gen laughed and swept the feet from under another guard. She was hard ignoring the blood on her sword and instead focusing on reducing the guards.

"Oh! You guys finally came!" Luffy smiled welcoming.

"Apologies for my lateness!" Brook laughed. "Right! Excuse me!" and stabbed clown.

"Luffy, where's Caimie?" Usopp asked.

"Over there! We're getting out of here as soon as we can get that bomb thing off her neck!" the captain pointed towards the stage where the salesman was still guarding the mermaid like a hound with his gun. "There are battleships and an admiral on the way!"

"WHAAAAT!_?_"

"Oh, the marines are already here, mr. Strawhat."

"Who the heck are you?"

Gen dodged and jumped back from a particularily pesky enemy. Law was sitting back and just watching the show. He probably would've been eating popcorn if he had any. Annoying... she hadn't been proceeding much on the keys factor.

"If it's the marines you're worried about, they've been here since the auction started. They're surrounding the entire auction house."

"What!_?_ Seriously?_!_"

"After all, marine HQ do have a post right here on this Archipelago."

"Luffy, that man is a pirate," Robin said. "His name is Trafalgar Law."

"Hahaha, you've put on quite the little show here, you and your crew."

On the stage, the third noble, the woman, shot the auction seller. "Be quiet, peasant! I am going to kill this mermaid they want so much!"

"CAIMIE!" the girl yelled out.

"Shit! Caimie-chan!" Sanji noticed the situation as well.

"Now then, fish! Time to die!"

"NOPE!" The girl raised a hand ready to make the water in the bowl behead the threat before she managed to shoot Caimie... but something else happened to her. She petrified, shook frigidly and fell back unconcious.

Gen smacked her lips, there was that odd tinge in the air. The odd background buzz momentearily getting stronger before fading away.

The stage's back wall ripped apart like paper... which she supposed it was, and a giant's scarred face pushed out with an old man drinking from a bottle.

"See, what'd I tell you, giant-kun? The place is a chaos! The auction's over, I've stolen my money... guess it's time to head back to do some more gambling."

"I already like this guy!" Gen grinned at the guys behind her.

"You really are one screwed up old man... so it was money you were after?"

"I was planning on stealing some more from whoever bought me too, if I was lucky enough to get the chance," the man laughed. "I mean, look at me! I'm an old geezer! Who would want me as a slave? Wahahahahaha!"

"Yup! Definitely like 'im!" she sheathed her sword and sat down after kicking a guy in the balls. Everyone else was just staring at the new twist in this show.

"Hm? What's this? Looks like everyone's looking at us..."

"What's with the old man and the giant!_?_"

"Weren't they meant to be on the auction!_?_ How the _hell_ did they get out of their cages!_?_"

"How did they open the locks?_!_"

While the guards were getting more and more wet in the pantleg, Hachi and Rayleigh had a sort of get together.

"R...Rayleigh!"

"Ooooh? Why, if it isn't Hachi! It's you, right!_?_ It's been a while!" The old pirate seemed joyous, his wrinkly face in a large smile. There was something very familiar in that smile. "What're you doing in a place like this!_?_ And what's with all those wounds?_!_" Then he took one look at Caimie, swimming in the fishbowl. "Ah... no, no, don't bother explaining."

Brushing his beard and mumbling to himself, he grinned like a fox and all the heavily armoured guards fell like puppets with their strings cut.

"Hey, yo, what's with all this noise?" a new person walked past the giant on the stage.

"Ah, Hasaan-kun, you finally woke up," Rayleigh greeted him.

She narrowed her eyes. She had never seen him before, and she was pretty sure she would've known him if she had. He looked like someone you don't quite forget in one lifetime.

Hasaan had a spiky mop of hair, swept from his neck to the front and pointing in every direction along the way. He looked like a backwards, bloody red and violet porcupine. He was very handsome, but his facial expression spelled bored. The guy was actually wearing a fishnet shirt with pieces of black fabric on the ends of his sleeves and the collar that hugged his neck loosely. A glint of silver around his chiselled chest told her that he had a nipple piercing.

His... well, she was hard trying not to stare, but he was wearing shiny, blue and extremely tight leggings that didn't leave anything for the imagination.

He slouched barefoot on the rubble, ruffling his spikes. "So much racket, shut up."

Rayleigh laughed at him.

The others were sweatting over Rayleigh, wondering what had happened to everyone. The old man set his eyes on Luffy. "And that straw hat... it certainly suits a fearsome man like yourself! I've been waiting to meet you, Monkey D. Luffy!"

"Me...?"

"Ah, young Caimie. Let's take this off of you," he stepped up to the mermaid and set a hand on her shoulder.

"OI OI OI OI!" Sanji held up a hand.

"Jii-san, don't get too hasty! She could explode, you know!" Pappugg cried in distress.

"Yeah, those things explode! We saw it happen!" Chopper was panicking.

"Don't worry... you just keep still," Rayleigh held up Caimie's chackled hands with one hand on her shoulder, giving her the most reassuring look he could.

"Stooooop! Without the key, it won't come off!"

The collar started beeping. Ignoring the scared shouts, he kept his cool. With every little beep Caimie's doom was coming closer... and suddenly the old man tossed the collar to the side where it exploded to the curtain. Franky had just come out with a ring of keys, now kind of useless for them.

"It came off!" Nami sighed in relief. Gloria was clapping and starting to get bored. She could see Hasaan yawn boldly and look around. After that, he simply walked to the backstage and out of their sights.

"Alright, you can carry this girl out of here now," Rayleigh grinned. The white-haired girl bounced up and to the stage, where she pressed her hands against the glass bowl.

"Hey, who the hell are you anyway?" Franky asked with a huff. "Oh well. Oi, slaves-to-be. The byuers all ran away. I'd suggest you run too while you have the chance." He slide the keys towards the cage filled with chained people that were crying of happiness.

"Alright, Caimie! You ready to get out?"

"Y-yes!" the mermaid nodded unsurely.

The water gathered up, lifted her up and out. "Hee-yop." She could feel eyes on her back, like bugs. It made her vert self-aware, but she simply handed Caimie to Franky's arms.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you guys... so you're pirates hanging around to watch, eh?" Rayleigh walked to Hachi, looking at Kidd and Law. "And if you just took that blast without any trouble, I guess you're not just amateurs either."

"Hehe, to think we'd run into a man like him in a place like this..." Law's grin could be seen from where he sat all the way to the stage.

"Dark King Silvers Rayleigh!" Kidd was showing signs of nervousness. "Ain't no mistaking him. What's a legend like him doing here?"

"Ah, here I just go by 'coating engineer Ray-san'. I wouldn't go throwing that name around too much. I'm an old man now... I'd rather live a peaceful life." He walked down the stage and past her, to Hachi. She followed him like an admirer.

"Dude, you're a pirate," Gen sweatdropped. "Doesn't matter if you once were, you will always be a marked man."

"That is true!" He gave a hearty chuckle. "Hey, you're not going to die on me, Hachi? You always used to be so careful about wandering on this island."

"Nyu... I'm sorry..."

"Thank you, all of you. You saved a dear friend of mine."

"So, ossan, what was all that bout wanting to meet me?" Luffy asked.

"Let's talk about that later! First, we have to worry about getting out of here."

"They have the place completely surrounded, captain," one of Kidd's crewmembers said. He looked like a zombie, wth bushy hair and thorn tattoos going around and growing on his skin. Not a moment too soon, a crackly voice floated from the outside.

"_**Criminals! We suggest you hurry up and release Roswald and his family immediately! And admiral will be here any minute! So you'd be best off surrendering yourselves right away! There's no telling what'll happen if you don't! Damn rookies!**_"

"They reaaally are afraid of those inbreds," the demigoddess crossed her arms. "So, so sad."

"Looks like we're involved in this whether we like it or not," Law said. "They're acting as though we're his accomplices."

"Hey, I got to see first hand that Strawhat Luffy's just as crazy as the rumours say. I'm not exactly complaining, but I sure aiin't sticking around to fight it out with an admiral!" Kidd lead his crew away.

"Oh, by the way, I won't be using that trick I just used any more, so it's up to you guys from now on," Rayleigh said. "It would be irritating if the marines caught on to who I really am."

"Well, the longer we stick around, the more of 'em we'll have to get through. We'll be heading on ahead, if you don't mind." Then he said the following: "Oh, and while we're at it, we'll do you guys a favour! We'll take out the guys hanging around out front, so don't you worry your little selves."

"Buuuurn," Gen shook her head. Luffy and Law were radiating competitive male energy by now. The two were out the door in a flash.

Nami groaned. "They're absolute simpletons!"

"Whoah, whoah, let's get out, this is going to be a storm right there," Usopp suggested. "We can't afford to be here!"

"We're going out too!" Zoro was grinning.

"Sounds good," Sanji nodded. Robin and Brook looked ready to go too.

"What about you, Snowy?" the swordsman looked at Gen.

"I'll come with you! Got mah pointy right here, so I'm ready."

"Right then, if we get split up, then meet me at grove 13 later, all right?" Rayleigh said.

"Sure, we'll be there," Zoro nodded.

"YOU DON'T GET THIS AT ALL , DO YOU!_?_" Usopp yelled.

It was time to go, and in her mind Gloria was counting minutes.

* * *

><p>I already love Hasaan. x3 I wonder what kind of person he is~<p>

Until next time! Loads of thanks to you who still read this!


	79. Paranoia

Alright, hello there people. As you may have noticed, it's a forever since I've updated. Reason being, I simply couldn't get it up.  
>My motivation, you dirty minds.<p>

Thus, because of the long wait, some of you might've forgotten me already or are pissed at me. Motivationkillers were mostly my downcurve mood that's been wading in the rock bottom for some months now. I was led to believe I'd finally landed some sort of job for the start of the year and when I started asking the employer about it (to get a contract) via phone every time she told me "I'll call you tomorrow" and never calling me. I had to call her, and I get the same "tomorrow" answer, and she forgets... you see my point. Then she just sent me a text saying that there's no need for worker in January and that she hasn't made any decisions, and that I'm not the only one looking for the spot. I don't know if I'll be able to withstand more guilt from my mother and pressure to find a job and aid the household financially. And to move the hell out of here.

So no, I haven't forgotten the story. I don't make seperate announcements because false hope is the worst kind of hope and answering guests is difficult. Try poking me with a PM, that will guarantee an answer.

This chapter is short. I haven't slept in 30 hours. Huehuehue.

* * *

><p>By the time they even got out, it was over. The three captains had wrecked everything outside, with scrap metal, mangrove root splinters and pieces of people sprinkled and piled up around. Luffy had shrinked.<p>

Even Sanji and Zoro were impressed by all of it, Gloria whistling and taking a long look at the mess. "They turned this into a junkyard."

"Wahahahahaha! You guys sure took care of that!"

The marines were already reforming their shabby lines around them and shouting around. "They're trying to escape!"

"Reinforcements are on their way!"

"We've secured the hostages at the rear enterance! Aim the mortars at the pirates without devil fruits!"

"Gun squad, to the back!"

"All soldiers, attack at once! Take down those pirates!"

Despite everything, Gen was feeling intimidated. This place was no joking, even when these people really didn't overpower them at the moment. She felt a clap on her shoulder and turned her head enough to see that Zoro had given the final reassurance.

The marines were closing in on the three captains, but their crewmates were there to defend them from this trash. Sanji had gone for Luffy's help, and pointed out to him that the Flying Fish Riders- er, Rosy Life Riders had come there too. They'd prepared them an escape from the island. Robin had to save them from the marines when they managed to corner Duval.

"Die, pirate!" Someone had jumped at Gen with a cutlass held high. She simply unsheathed Caermare to redirect the blow and kick him in the family jewels. More were coming at her. On her side Usopp, Chopper and Zoro had beaten several marines down already with Franky and Silvers carrying Hachi, Caimie and Pappugg.

"Old man! Franky!" the swordsman yelled. "Get going ahead, we'll keep them from you!"

"Got it!"

"Oooh, they just keep on coming!" Usopp grit his teeth. "Hurry up, you three! We don't have all day!" he shouted out to Luffy, Brook and Sanji.

"And stay down!" Gen heaved a deep breath, kicking the last man into leg to hear him groan.

"Gen! Come on!"

"Aye aye!"

"Don't let the Strawhats get away! They're the main culprits here!"

Nami was standing in the direction they were running into, holding up her clima tact and fried everyone, friend or foe. Still, it felt nothing like the electricity going through you when Enel zapped you, so all they did was shake it off and keep running. Same couldn't be said about the marines.

It took a good time for them to get back to Shakky's bar, but they made it in peace. Gloria's nerves were high strung and she kept a sharp ear on every little thing that made a sound... and things that didn't make a sound. The demigoddess had donned a good pokerface and pretended nothing was wrong, nothing at all.

"Whoooh, we finally lost them," Usopp wiped his forehead.

"Pesky people," Nami shook her head.

"They're just trying to do their work, however biased their view of good and evil are," Gen shrugged.

"Well aren't you being a little diplomat..." the navigator's eyebrow twitched.

"Oi! we'll be going now," Duval said. "See you then! Call us whenever you need to!" _Wink!_ "Until you young masters are able to safely depart for Fishman Island, we'll do anything to help!"

"Oh! Thanks a lot, guys!" Luffy waved.

"Stop winking. _Right now._" Sanji held up his hand too, not amused in the slightest.

"And ms. Mermaid, here, this belongs to you, right? The oaf Peter Man had it stashed away!" he handed Caimie her shellshaped backpack.

"Th-thank you so much, mister!" she smiled and took it from him, hugging the bag to her ample chest.

"Alright! Let's go, Rosy Life Riders!" Duval jumped on the bison and led his flight of fish away.

"Yes, handsome rose!"

"Don't keep changing what you shout, for crying out loud..." Sanji sighed.

"They're just trying to find out what works, yeah?" Usopp pat the cook's shoulder.

"Well then, let's hurry and get inside," Rayliegh pointed up at the stairs leading to the bar.

Chopper nodded. "I need to stabilize Hachi fast!"

Gen took a few deep breaths to calm down both her body and mind, relaxing her hands and trying to look casual. The others were all good and dandy, so she tried to make herself believe it to be true.

"Hey Shakky, I'm home," the old man greeted a tall, beautiful woman.

"Oh, Ray! Welcome home! Earlier than I thought. You guys really found him, Monkey-chan."

"Hachi's hurt pretty bad. We need the bed prepared."

"Oh my! What happened, Hacchan!?"

They all filed inside with Usopp holding the rear and slightly having to shepard her indoors. She nearly broke his arm off for giving a light push on her back.

"Geez, calm down, would you?" he gave her a look, holding his arm to his chest.

"Sorry, Usopp," she smiled widely. "I'm just a little... ah well, it's okay I guess. No matter!" Big black bear shits it didn't.

"Oookaaaaay..." he raised an eyebrow and closed the door behind them.

The bar was nice and cozy, the walls were decorated with framed pictures and news articles, there was the bar with several stools and a little area with a curved couch. They'd set Hachi down on a little... bed? for treatment. In no time their skillful little reindeer had him covered and bandaged.

"YOU SAILED WITH THE PIRATE KING!_?_" Luffy's eyes nearly bugged out of his head when Rayliegh told about himself a little more to kill time.

"Yeah, I was the first mate. Silvers Rayleigh, nice to meet ya," He introduced himself.

"You didn't tell them, Hacchan?" Shakky raised an eyebrow. She had earlier served everyone a drink of their choice. Who's fault it was that hers seemed to have an extra splash of liqour in it, she didn't know - or care.

"Nyu... all they wanted was some coating anyway..." he mumbled.

"**FIRST MATE!_?_**" the pirates exclaimed, Usopp nearly chocking on his beverage.

"Ah, so you didn't notice?" was all Robin said.

"I know that name so well~~!" Usopp was crying.

"He's in all the books too~~!" Nami had pressed a palm on her face.

"It's definitely a name everyone's heard at least once," nodded Sanji.

Brook tilted his head. "Gold Roger... Back then there might've been a rookie by that name, there might've not been..."

"Hey Gen! Have you ever heard of him?" Usopp asked her. "In books or... you know, since..." he waved his hand.

"Hm? Yeah, I know him," she nodded and took another sip.

"How's an octopus get to know a big shot like yourself?" Zoro asked, leaning casually to the couch.

"Back 20 years ago, when I was shipwrecked out at sea, Hachi came and saved me," the man said.

"He saved this man's life, though he was only a child at the time," Shakky filled in.

"Since then, up until he joined the sunny pirate gang, we got to be good friends."

"You mean Arlong, right?" Nami asked calmly as a carrot. Heh... carrot. Nami. Readhead. Heh.

Dammit, her hands were shaking.

Sanji lit a cigarette. "Still, even though Gold Roger was executed years ago, how come you, his first mate, still have your head? Everyone was captured by marines, right?"

"It didn't go like that..." Gen muttered.

"We were never captured!" Silvers smiled like a fox. "He turned himself in. For the government it was a show of strenght, even though the may have publicly announced that they captured him."

"The pirate King gave himself up!_?_" Nami yelled. "What the hell?_!_"

"The day he was publically executed, four years before that day... Roger came down with an incurable disease," he still had his smile, but she could clearly hear the sorrow and pain in his voice. "An incurable disease that on one could do anything about... even the mighty Roger suffered from that. At the time, a doctor, who also happened to be the lighthouse keeper of the tallest lighthouse in all the oceans, Crocus of the Twin Capes was the only man who was able to ease the suffering of Roger. We asked him to accompany us on our last voyage, as ship doctor, and finally after three years, while holding off Roger's death, we were able to do the impossible, and conquer the Grand Line."

"CROCUS!_?_" Brook shouted. "The Twin Capes... How nostalgic!"

Gen leaned into the bar table, staring at the few drops of red liquid in her glass.

"Whaaaaaat? That old dude was at the lighthouse 50 years, wasn't he?" Usopp asked. "He was actually part of the pirate king's crew!_?_"

"Come to think of it, he did say he was a ship doctor for a few years..."

The girl was listening halfheartedly the end of the story, how Roger was in the end taken to his birth town and executed. Rayleigh was sad, it was no surprise, and she thought to herself how it would be once Luffy would be the king. Because he will, she knew that without having to see the future. That would probably be the first time he cries since the duel with Mihawk. He would cry, and he would cry like a waterfall.  
>And drink.<p>

"Shakky, hit me," she shook her glass. "Please?"

"That was some amazing story..." the navigator's eyes were big. "It's totally different when you hear it from someone who was there..."

The sharpshooter nodded in agreement. "So... it's almost like Roger intended all along to create the New pirate age..."

"That's something that can't be answered... Roger is dead..." Rayleigh took a long gulp and Gen noted happily that her glass was full again. "The only ones who can create this age are the people living in it right now! There are certainly a few people still alive today who took something away from what Roger said that day. Shanks, the man you know so well, was one of them," he nodded at Luffy.

He was stuffing his face. "Hm? You know old man Shanks?"

"If we're talking East Blue, then you guys must know a pirate named Buggy, right?"

"Buggy..." both Nami and Zoro's eyebrows twitched in annoyance.

"They both apprenticed on our ship."

"EEEHHH!_?_"

"Luffy, you're spraying!"

"SHANKS WAS ON THE PIRATE KING'S SHIP!_?_"

"Do you have trouble hearing?" Rayleigh asked with a sweatdrop.

"He's just excited, that's all," Gen stretched her arms and sat up properly. "Roger is his all time idol. Luffy's a little faaaaan booooy~," the demigoddess giggled and took a sip from her glass.

"About 10 years ago, I ran into him on this island. He was missing his trademark Straw hat and an arm." Luffy was close to chocking on his food. "When asked him what happened, he smiled and started talking about you! But, well, what kind of friend would I be if I went and talked about things even he didn't tell you?" he laughed. "But at any rate, congratulations for making it this far. I'm sure he's waiting for you out there in the new world!"

"Really...! I hope so! I'd like to see him again, too!" Luffy was smiling like a little kid. In her head, it somehow clicked to Gen that Shanks was not only one of Luffy's idols, but also a bit like his father and uncle in the same package. He never had a real daddy figure when he grew up, did he?

Silvers got up on his feet. "Now then, where were we... I believe you wanted me to coat your ship. That's my job these days, so I ought to get on with it..."

"Nyuu, come to think of it, coating is a very expensive process," Hacchi admitted sheepishly.

"Oh, no, don't you worry about that. Hachi, you're my pal, I don't need cash from you."

"Really? Thank you, Rayleigh!"

"Whooooo! Somehow we got a free job from him!" Usopp raised his arms up in joy.

"Rayleigh-san..." Robin called him. "I have a question. What exactly is the Will of D? On the poneglyoh in the Sky Islands, I found a note in the old script, and it bore Roger's name. How was he able to use that writing? Is it possible that you people know just what happened to the world during the Blank Century nine hundred years ago!?" her voice turned passionate towards the end.

"Sure, I know." He answered slyly. He was starting to remind her of a fox more and more - a silvery, old fox with many tricks. "Truth is... we found out the entire history. But my girl... don't get all heated up. You should all keep on going... in this ship, one step at a time. I'd say that we... and the people of Ohara... may all have been a little too hasty. Even if I were to tell you all about the history, right here, right now, as you are right now... you wouldn't be able to do a thing! No, you take a good long look at the whole world and who knows, you may even reach a different conclusion to the one we figured out. If, however you say you wish to hear it regardless, then I will tell you everything."

Robin didn't take too long to smile and decline. "I will make the journey, you need not speak of it."

He seemed happy about this. "One day you will see the truth. It was a real shame what happened to your home town of Ohara, but don't go thinking that Roger was able to decipher those characters. We were mere pirates... we could bever hope to match the intellect of a genious like Clover, or the Scholars of Ohara. He had the power... to hear the voice of "all things"... that's all there is to it."

Gloria sat ramrod straight. Hear... all things.

Then Usopp tried to ask about the One Piece, and Luffy lost his shit. He planted one leg on the bar table and stared at him sternly. "We are not asking him where it's hidden! We're not even asking him wheter there is any or not! I'm not sure, but everybody set out to the sea, risking their lifes to search for it! If you ask this old man anything about it here and now, I'll quit being a pirate! I don't want to go on a boring adventure like that!"

"...he has a point, y'know," Gen waved her hand. "It's like spoiling a book."

"I-I-I-I'm sorry, I, I knew that really, my mouth just... it opened all on it's own, it just slipped!" he blabbered stuff in a tiny panic. He'd done stupid shit before and suffered the consequences.

The old man turned to Luffy, who was standing with one leg on the bar table and the other in the fridge. "Can you really do this? The Grand Line is just going to keep on surpassing your wildest imaginations! The enemies will be stronger and stronger. Can you really conquer this ocean?"

"I don't want to conquer anything!" Luffy said immediately. "I just think the guy with most freedom in this whole ocean is the Pirate king!"

So, our little captain's true dream is to be free. As free as one can be.

"Is that right..." Reyleigh chuckled, his gray beard wiggling.

"I think I really am becoming a big fan of yours, Monkey-chan!" Shakky laughed merrily.

"Your ship is over at grove 41, right?" the old legend went to the door. "I'll go handle that myself. What about you guys? There may be an admiral here on the island already, you know."

_Oh, I know._

"Well, we don't want to cause anyone any trouble.. shall we just go shopping somewhere?" Nami suggested.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat!_?_ What's with that crazy laid-back attitude?_!_ They're after us, you know! We have to hide ourselves away!" Usopp's eyes bulged out. He looked just like she felt.

The demigoddess sucked in the last drops from her glass and took a deep breath, forcing calm over her mind. It didn't work too well and she started feeling dizzy from gulping in air like a fish on dry land.

Yeah, that's how she felt. A fish on dry land. She didn't want them to get seperated. She didn't want Ace to die! The force of that thought made her mind draw a perfect blank, and the thought was finally given force to root and flourish in her head.

She was pulled back from her mind by Shakky, who handed her a small square piece of paper, just the size of half her palm. The girl stared stupidly at it for a while. "What's this?"

"That's a vivre card, do you know how to use it?"

"Gen, have you listened anything at all?" Nami gave her a stern stare. "You've been in your own thoughts."

"Eh... uhm... mmmaaaaaaaybe. What are we going to do again?" she gave a sheepish smile.

"The coating of the ship takes three days. Since Rayleigh-san is very much a wanted man, he won't stay with the ship in the grove 41 for too long and risk getting found out. That's bad for the ship too!" Nami told her while they walked out the door with the said man. He had a huge bagback on him. "We'll meet up at the ship with these vivre cards, they're going to lead us to him once those three days have passed, and then we just go to Fishman island!"  
>She just nodded, grasping Caermare.<p>

"Wow... to think that we met such a man like him. Silvers Rayleigh. His very presence is so strong!" Franky sighed in slight admiration. "I'm glad we met him!"

"I didn't know you were such elderly respecting person!" Sanji grinned.

"Shut up!"

"Hey, you want to go ride in the park again?" Luffy asked them.

"Yeah!" Chopper jumped up and down.

"Yohohoho! Let's hide in there!"

They walked on in constant light chatter, towards the amusement park. Gloria was slightly confused. She thought she'd remembered this arc better, but she guessed they had three- "WUAAAAH!"

"Hm?"

"What happened!_?_"

"GEN-CHAN!"

She'd had half a second to realise that something had rammed into her, suckerpunching the air out of her now taking her higher above the ground. There were light feathers all around her, delicately tan with perfectly round little gray spots everywhere. She turned her head around to see the back of a head. Two short, curled horns sprouted out of it - and suddenly that head turned around to stare at her with a pair of piercingly yellow eyes. Just as quick she was staring at the back of it.

"GEN!"

A pair of stretchy arms shot towards her, but the gigantic owl dodged them like a pro. The girl struggled against it, but she could feel that her legs were tightly clutched. She realised that she was gripping the feathers like a lifeline out of primal fear of actually falling, and she let go in favour of punching the back with her fists. It didn't help. All the owl did was a dive away from an explosive shot that hit a poor tree branch. They were soon through the canopy.

"LET GO OF ME!" Gen screamed, as the island grew smaller and smaller. Only then she realised that she was crying.

* * *

><p>They didn't fly long, but in that ten minutes Gen had stopped crying and started to ask a lot of why's. She also quit the attempts at harming her ride that she found wasn't just an owl but a demon that just looked like a big owl. A BIG owl. She estimated that it had to be at least twice the hight of a big man, say, Franky. It had been holding on to her like a mother holds a child, pressed against it's shoulder with it's massive claws.<p>

Yes, it was just that flexible.

The thing had a very long neck and an owl's head adorned with the horns she'd noticed earlier, and a necklace of pearly white, uncarved and smooth coins that were attached so that they didn't jingle against each other. On the peak of the necklace there was a bronze plate with some text in it.

After those ten minutes the demon started looking for something. It hovered in place, looking around, then moved a little to the left or to the right, gazing at thin air. That was when she also noticed how this demon was very female, with her feathercovered chest now more or less hugging her when the demon fluttered in place with her large, soundless wings. It was eerie to only hear your own breath besides the open waves, as if the demon wasn't there at all.

Suddenly she was both dropped and yanked away from the owl. She thought she'd hit water, but she kept falling past that. It looked like there was a hole in the water, shining with hundreds of thousands of different colours that swallowed her up. The girl closed her eyes to ward off the increasing amount of light, falling back still.

And then, she promptly fell on her back on sand. The fall was shorter than she had expected and it stole away her breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. In a second her lungs were flooded with water, which she did expect.

Gen opened her eyes to see where she was, getting a mindful of what.

She couldn't see the surface of the sea.

Everything she could see from lying down seemed endless. No, it didn't simply seem like, she _knew_ it was. It wasn't the same feeling as looking at the sky and saying 'wow those clouds are really high', but more like trying to understand that the outer space had no end. What she was looking at was a neverending sea with a bottom and smoky blue hights that turned into a pressuring darkness. She was sure that if you swam up, you'd be swimming forever.

Sitting up she could see that the plains of sand continued on as far as the sea above her with a random coral jutting out here and there like an odd tree. It really looked like a flat desert to her. What also struck unsettling to her was the fact that there were no fish anywhere she looked.

Then she looked behind her, waiting for the desolace to continue there too, but she did see something far away. It looked like all the coral that was growing in the sea had somehow decided that it was the best and only spot to grow in. A smile took over her face and she darted towards the direction, propelling herself through the water slick and smooth.

In a matter of seconds did Gloria realise that the heavily localised coral reef was way, way further than she could even imagine.

"Why is everything so damn grand here!_?_" she asked, frustrated. "...Where is here!_?_"

An hour went by and she felt like it was only a fraction of progress that was still required. The girl got tired of swimming and let herself fall back to the sandy bottom, pouting and frowning.

Standing there she realised that it was possible to even walk here, unlike in... well, in normal water. Her voice didn't warble like in normal water either.

"This is not normal water."

She had also started to talk to herself, because it was too silent otherwise. There was also a weigh in her gut that was pressing right on the Release Tears -button. She was alone, more alone than she wanted and worried for everyone. Biting her tooth she reminded herself over and over again that everyone would be fine. Everyone would be fine. Everyone would come out of it alright.

Except for Ace.

* * *

><p>"I'm hungry. I'm hungry, you know. Hunger. Huuunnngggeeer. Is this how Luffy feels all the time? Damn, I'mma make him a sammich when I see his goofy face the next time, the biggest sammich I can make. I'll make it America style and stuff it with meat. HUNGRY!"<p>

This was now the third hour after she had been dumped to this watery hole and she could tell that the still remaining distance was laughing at the covered ground. It was hard walking against the current that had started up and the incoming dark... eh, _darker_ was making her increasingly nervous. There were howls in the... water. Not wind. It was water she was in now. The sea.

Why the hell was she in the sea? What sea was this? Grand Line's bottom? One of the Blues? ...Pacific? What was with the endless body of water? And where was the pressure? Why wasn't she crushed by it? What was that thing that was over there?

Gen stood still and stared at a whale. Or at least she thought it was a whale, but it kind of looked like a sea king as well. It was way bigger than anything she'd ever seen, covered in a natural armour of plates. It had length like a sea king and a long, braided beard, but it still had the form of a whale, one of those kinds that eat krills.  
>Then it opened up it's maw, filled with rows and rows of teeth.<p>

"Yeesh... imagine the toothbrush."

She looked at the corals, and the armoured whale, and how the whale swam towards the corals to her far right, way up above the sand. It didn't have any hurry anywhere, but it was still faster than she was.

The waters shifted around her. It seemed like something was stirring, and she found herself being pushed forward. 'A current!' she sighed in relief. It would help her out, so she threw herself into it. The girl even found a burst of energy to use her powers.

At the mark of fifth hour she was ready to quit and go home, but the coral reef wasn't any closer. Even the whale was still on it's way to there, and it kept shrinking and shrinking in the distance.

"How damn big IS this place!_?_"

* * *

><p>It took two days for the whale to reach the coral reef and a week for Gloria to do the same. She was beyond hungry, weak and delusional to the point where she wasn't even talking to herself anymore. The only good side was that at least she wasn't feeling thirsty.<p>

When she finally did reach the coral, she didn't even notice it at first. Gen walked blindly into the rough wall of a reef and only when she felt her forehead sting in a mild pain, she realised she'd finally come to her goal.

And now what?

"Ow."

There came the reaction too.

She blinked as if she'd just woken up from coma and slowly came to take in the surroundings. It seemed to be what the place considered a day, and the shadow the coral cast before her looked the same quality as the darkness when you looked up. It made her uneasy to see a patch of Forever stretch from your feet.

Her head was full of fog. She had barely slept at all after the first time she attempted it. She'd become very aware that despite how the unending desert looked like, she was not alone. Might've been because of the constant wails that sounded like banshees, or the feel of being under scrutiny, or how she'd woken to stare a frog-fish-teeth-and-nightmares in the eye.

Gen looked up the wall and saw holes in it, large, enough for a man to crawl through. They looked like bird nests, and some of them had a grid to block it. The girl couldn't see any way to climb the wall, but wanted to get to the other side. Faint sounds of living came from the other side and in her tired brain she connected it with 'people'. People meant rest and food, which Gen was in desperate need of.

It took her way too long to remember that she was still in water and could practically jump over the wall. Thus, she squeezed some last bits of energy out of herself to reach the lowest hole in the coral and squeeze into it. It was more deeper than she'd expected, but kept crawling deeper and deeper. It started sloping up and she nearly got stuck in a narrow part, but eventually she saw light at the other end. The demigoddess lied on her stomach at the top of the wall, watching down into a whole vale of coral reef.

"Lookitthat, someone built a city here."


End file.
